74 - Earle Leonard Nelson, Part Two
07/03/20 • 41 min
The police are on the trail of “Adrian Harris,” even as Earle Leonard Nelson leaves the West Coast behind for a cross-country killing spree at a considerably quickened pace. But his spree comes to an end in June, 1927...
Podcast Site: https://forgottendarkness.podbean.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agable_fd/
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
Intro music “Strange Dream” by David Hilowitz.
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
“Assailant Uses Telephone Cord.” Owensboro (KY) Messenger, June 3, 1927.
“Buffalo Murderer Eludes Detectives in All-day Search.” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, June 1, 1927.
“Buffalo Police Cannot Find the Murderer.” Dunkirk (NY) Evening Observer, May 31, 1927.
“Butcher’s Helper Quizzed in Slaying.” Washington Evening Star, June 3, 1927.
“Clues Lacking in Dual Killing.” Detroit Free Press, June 7, 1927.
“Crime Puzzles Police.” York (PA) Dispatch, April 28, 1927.
“Detroit Police and a Double Murder.” Greenfield (IN) Daily Reporter, June 7, 1927.
“Dragnet Out For Strangler of Philadelphia Woman.” Scranton Times-Tribune, April 28, 1927.
“Fiend Suspect Tries to Enter W. Phila. Home.” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 29, 1927.
“Find Strangler Placed Another Woman in Terror.” Davenport (IA) Daily Times, December 25, 1926.
“Find Woman Dead Behind Furnace.” Lincoln (NB) Journal Star, December 24, 1926.
“Finds Wife Slain in Home.” Kansas City Times, December 28, 1926.
“Funeral Rites For Mrs. Ida Ann Clements Held Friday Afternoon.” Hennessey (OK) Clipper, July 1, 1948.
“’Gorilla’ Kills Woman.” Arizona Republic, June 3, 1927.
“Housewives Murdered By ‘Phantom Strangler’.” New Castle (PA) News, January 3, 1927.
“Mrs. John Berard, Former Hennessey Woman, Murdered.” Hennessey (OK) Clipper, December 30, 1926.
“Murder in Chicago is Not Solved.” Sioux City Journal, June 5, 1927.
“No Sign of Fight Found By Police.” Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, April 29, 1927.
“Police on Strangler’s Trail.” Winnipeg Tribune, June 13, 1927.
“Shirt Murder Still Baffles Bluffs Police.” Des Moines Register, December 26, 1926.
“Take Up Murder Theories.” Kansas City Star, December 29, 1926.
“Which Will Be Next City to Harbor Death Fiend Now Crossing Country?” Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, January 6, 1927.
“Woman Thwarts Attempted Attack.” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 20, 1927.
“Young Girl Seized By Phila. Strangler.” Camden Courier-Post, April 29, 1927.
Atlas of Kansas City, Missouri and Environs. Tuttle-Ayers-Woodward Co., 1925.
Schechter, Harold. Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster. New York: Pocket Books, 1998.
The police are on the trail of “Adrian Harris,” even as Earle Leonard Nelson leaves the West Coast behind for a cross-country killing spree at a considerably quickened pace. But his spree comes to an end in June, 1927...
Podcast Site: https://forgottendarkness.podbean.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agable_fd/
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
Intro music “Strange Dream” by David Hilowitz.
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
“Assailant Uses Telephone Cord.” Owensboro (KY) Messenger, June 3, 1927.
“Buffalo Murderer Eludes Detectives in All-day Search.” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, June 1, 1927.
“Buffalo Police Cannot Find the Murderer.” Dunkirk (NY) Evening Observer, May 31, 1927.
“Butcher’s Helper Quizzed in Slaying.” Washington Evening Star, June 3, 1927.
“Clues Lacking in Dual Killing.” Detroit Free Press, June 7, 1927.
“Crime Puzzles Police.” York (PA) Dispatch, April 28, 1927.
“Detroit Police and a Double Murder.” Greenfield (IN) Daily Reporter, June 7, 1927.
“Dragnet Out For Strangler of Philadelphia Woman.” Scranton Times-Tribune, April 28, 1927.
“Fiend Suspect Tries to Enter W. Phila. Home.” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 29, 1927.
“Find Strangler Placed Another Woman in Terror.” Davenport (IA) Daily Times, December 25, 1926.
“Find Woman Dead Behind Furnace.” Lincoln (NB) Journal Star, December 24, 1926.
“Finds Wife Slain in Home.” Kansas City Times, December 28, 1926.
“Funeral Rites For Mrs. Ida Ann Clements Held Friday Afternoon.” Hennessey (OK) Clipper, July 1, 1948.
“’Gorilla’ Kills Woman.” Arizona Republic, June 3, 1927.
“Housewives Murdered By ‘Phantom Strangler’.” New Castle (PA) News, January 3, 1927.
“Mrs. John Berard, Former Hennessey Woman, Murdered.” Hennessey (OK) Clipper, December 30, 1926.
“Murder in Chicago is Not Solved.” Sioux City Journal, June 5, 1927.
“No Sign of Fight Found By Police.” Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, April 29, 1927.
“Police on Strangler’s Trail.” Winnipeg Tribune, June 13, 1927.
“Shirt Murder Still Baffles Bluffs Police.” Des Moines Register, December 26, 1926.
“Take Up Murder Theories.” Kansas City Star, December 29, 1926.
“Which Will Be Next City to Harbor Death Fiend Now Crossing Country?” Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, January 6, 1927.
“Woman Thwarts Attempted Attack.” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 20, 1927.
“Young Girl Seized By Phila. Strangler.” Camden Courier-Post, April 29, 1927.
Atlas of Kansas City, Missouri and Environs. Tuttle-Ayers-Woodward Co., 1925.
Schechter, Harold. Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster. New York: Pocket Books, 1998.
Previous Episode
73 - Earle Leonard Nelson, Part One
Throughout 1926 and 1927, a so-called "Dark Strangler" roamed up and down the West Coast and eventually across the country. Earle Leonard Nelson was one of the more prolific American serial killers, but his name isn't as well known as many others. In the first part, I'll look at his crimes on the West Coast.
Podcast Site: https://forgottendarkness.podbean.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agable_fd/
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
“6th Murder Laid To New Strangler.” Oakland Tribune, August 19, 1926.
“Admits Attack On Many Women.” Muncie (IN) Star-Press, August 13, 1926.
“Aged Victim, Choked, Ribs Crushed, is Found Dead.” San Francisco Examiner, June 11, 1926.
“Alameda Girl Routs Attacker.” Oakland Tribune, June 13, 1926.
“Bay Woman Will Bury Slain Sister.” Oakland Tribune, October 25, 1926.
“Cafe Owner of San Jose is Held As Strangler.” Sacramento Bee, October 20, 1926.
“Dark Killer Strangles S.F. Woman.” Oakland Tribune, November 19, 1926.
“Dark Strangler Suspect Laborer on Merced Ranch.” Modesto News-Herald, August 19, 1926.
“Dark Suspect Identified As Old Offender.” San Francisco Examiner, August 22, 1926.
“Death Witnesseses To Face Suspect.” Oakland Tribune, August 22, 1926.
“Finds Mother Murdered in Attic Trunk.” Salem (OR) Capital Journal, October 20, 1926.
“Fingerprints Only Clues in Strangling.” San Francisco Examiner, February 22, 1926.
“Foster Kin of Mystery Victim Finds Body in Attic.” San Francisco Examiner, February 21, 1926.
“Jewels Held As New Clew to Strangler.” San Bernardino County Sun, December 2, 1926.
“Key, Jewels Give Clue To Strangler.” Oakland Tribune, November 20, 1926.
“Landlady of Yoloan is Victim of Strangler.” Woodland Daily Democrat, March 6, 1926.
“Man Sentenced For Attack.” San Francisco Examiner, December 11, 1926.
“Maniac Held For Slaying; Doubt Sanity.” Albany (OR) Democrat-Herald, August 12, 1926.
“Mysterious Strangler Kills Woman in Portland.” Sacramento Bee, November 30, 1926.
“New Clues Spur Search For Slayer.” Oakland Tribune, August 17, 1926.
“Police Sure ‘Strangler’ Was Fulton St. Slayer,” San Francisco Examiner, November 20, 1926.
“Says Suspect Not Slayer of His Aunt.” Modesto News-Herald, June 16, 1926.
“S.F. Woman Attacked in Bed at Home.” San Francisco Examiner, June 14, 1926.
“S.F. Woman Strangled to Death.” Oakland Tribune, February 21, 1926.
“Spouse Finds Rich Woman Strangled.” San Francisco Examiner, March 3, 1926.
“Strangler Identified.” Pottsville (PA) Republican, August 12, 1926.
“’Strangler’ Kills S.F. Woman, 63.” Oakland Tribune, June 11, 1926.
“Third Woman Found Victim of Strangler.” San Francisco Examiner, March 5, 1926.
“Two Women Beat Off Strangler.” Oakland Tribune, March 6, 1926.
“Wealthy Widow Slain in Home.” Spokane Chronicle, November 25, 1926.
“Withers Case Jury Fails To Reach Verdict.” Roseburg (OR) News-Review, October 28, 1926.
“Woman Foils Strangler in Apartment House Attack.” San Francisco Examiner, March 14, 1926.
“Woman Found Strangled in San Jose Home.” Stockton Independent, March 3, 1926.
Graysmith, Robert. The Laughing Gorilla: The True Story of the Hunt for One of America’s First Serial Killers. New York: Berkley, 2009.
Schechter, Harold. Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster. New York: Pocket Books, 1998.
Next Episode
75 - Earle Leonard Nelson, Part Three
The Canadian authorities put Earle Leonard Nelson on trial for the two Winnipeg murders, and he meets his eventual fate. There’s also discussion of his bizarre past, and some other crimes that may or may not be his handiwork.
Podcast Site: https://forgottendarkness.podbean.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agable_fd/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/787544518302500/
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
“Apron-String Murder Gives Police Puzzle.” Los Angeles Times, November 12, 1926.
“Buffalo to Move for Trial of Strangler.” Windsor (Ont.) Star, June 21, 1927.
“Chain of Evidence Against Nelson Welded.” Regina Leader-Press, November 3, 1927.
“Detectives Get New Clews To Carlson Slayer.” Oakland Tribune, March 27, 1920.
“Earle Nelson Sentenced to Hang Jan. 13.” Montreal Gazette, November 7, 1927.
“Girl Routs Stranger in Battle.” Oakland Tribune, March 30, 1920.
“Girl Slain Is Theory of Becker.” Oakland Tribune, March 19, 1920.
“’Gorilla Man’ Believed Bay Girl’s Slayer.” San Francisco Examiner, September 13, 1927.
“Insanity Trump Card in Nelson’s Defence.” Regina Leader-Press, November 4, 1927.
“Knife a Clue in 2 Murders.” Detroit Free Press, June 24, 1927.
“’Murder or Pneumonia?’ Ask Probers.” San Francisco Examiner, September 17, 1925.
“Nelson Guilty; Dies on Gallows on January 13th.” Calgary Herald, November 5, 1927.
“Nelson’s Trial Tragic, Swift Moving Drama.” Regina Leader-Press, November 4, 1927.
“New Mystery Stirs Probe in S.F. Murder.” San Francisco Examiner, October 3, 1926.
“Newark Murderer Left Cigarettes.” Brooklyn Standard-Union, August 10, 1926.
“Photo Proof of Beating By Slayer.” Oakland Tribune, March 23, 1920.
“Police Seek Friend of Slain Widow.” Oakland Tribune, October 2, 1926.
“Seek Clues in Murder of Apartment House Manager.” Colton (CA) Daily Courier, September 17, 1925.
“Slayer of Girl Is Still At Liberty.” Sacramento Bee, March 16, 1920.
“Thug Winds Gems Around Victim’s Neck.” San Francisco Examiner, August 24, 1925.
“Warrant Issued For ‘Gorilla Man’ At Philadelphia.” Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, June 23, 1927.
“Wealthy Widow Found Killed in Apartment.” Camden Courier-Post, May 11, 1926.
“Wealthy Woman Beaten to Death; Curtain Rod Used.” New York Daily News, May 12, 1926.
“Woman Slain By Strangler in Her Home.” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 11, 1925.
“Woman, Victim of Strangling, Now Declared to Have Committed Suicide.” Los Angeles Evening Express, November 12, 1926.
“Woman’s Death From Natural Causes.” San Francisco Examiner, August 25, 1925.
“Young Woman Fought Assailant Until Her Breath Stopped.” Oakland Tribune, Match 15, 1920.
Schechter, Harold. Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster. New York: Pocket Books, 1998.
Tredgold, A.F. “The Definition and Diagnosis of Moral Imbecility.” British Journal of Medical Psychology 6:1 (1926). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.2044-8341.1926.tb00622.x
http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/mathers_tg.shtml
http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/macdonald_da.shtml
http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/dysart_ak.shtml
https://psychologydictionary.org/constitutional-psychopathic-inferior/
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