How to Kill a Town
11/07/24 • 23 min
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we explore how William G. Butler, a cattleman with a grudge, made sure the thriving town of Helena, Texas dried up faster than a saloon on Sunday. Join us for a tale of how one man’s vendetta wiped a town off the map without firing another shot.
Interested in the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death ? Check out the links below:
- https://westwardsagas.com/helena-the-toughest-town-on-earth/
- https://authentictexan.com/helena-killed-wrong-man-price/
- http://pacweb.alamo.edu/InteractiveHistory/projects/rhines/StudentProjects/2001/Helena/Helena.htm
- https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/texas-history-101-65/
- https://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2012-08-17/day-trips/
KEYWORDS:
William G. Butler revenge
Helena, Texas ghost town
Cattleman’s vendetta in Texas
Old West town wiped out
True crime history podcast
Texas town revenge
Helena ghost town story
Historical vendetta in Texas
Forgotten Old West town
William G. Butler and Helena
Texas town dried up
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we explore how William G. Butler, a cattleman with a grudge, made sure the thriving town of Helena, Texas dried up faster than a saloon on Sunday. Join us for a tale of how one man’s vendetta wiped a town off the map without firing another shot.
Interested in the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death ? Check out the links below:
- https://westwardsagas.com/helena-the-toughest-town-on-earth/
- https://authentictexan.com/helena-killed-wrong-man-price/
- http://pacweb.alamo.edu/InteractiveHistory/projects/rhines/StudentProjects/2001/Helena/Helena.htm
- https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/texas-history-101-65/
- https://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2012-08-17/day-trips/
KEYWORDS:
William G. Butler revenge
Helena, Texas ghost town
Cattleman’s vendetta in Texas
Old West town wiped out
True crime history podcast
Texas town revenge
Helena ghost town story
Historical vendetta in Texas
Forgotten Old West town
William G. Butler and Helena
Texas town dried up
Previous Episode
The Bloody Benders
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we dive into the bizarre and bloody tale of the Bender family, who turned their Kansas inn into the final stop for unlucky travelers in the 1870s. With a dad who muttered like a horror movie villain, a mom who could make Medusa look friendly, and a daughter who combined fortune-telling with cold-blooded murder, the Benders were a family that really knew how to keep secrets buried in their orchard. Join us as we delve into the macabre world of the Bender family and the mystery that remains unsolved to this day.
If you're interested in the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death , check out these links:
- https://www.humanitieskansas.org/get-involved/kansas-stories/people/true-crime-in-kansas-the-mystery-of-the-benders
- https://kansasreflector.com/2021/10/31/a-mysterious-murder-site-has-a-new-owner-hes-looking-for-answers-about-the-bloody-benders/
- https://www.joplinglobe.com/news/bill-caldwell-bloody-benders-were-frontier-serial-killers/article_f6349444-0acf-11ee-974c-53c671e62b02.html
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-benders/
KEYWORDS:
Bender family mystery
1870s Kansas inn murders
Bloody Benders true crime
Unsolved murder case
Serial killing family
Fortune-teller murderess
Macabre innkeepers
Cold-blooded family crime
Frontier crime history
Bender family orchard secrets
Gruesome family murders
True crime frontier podcast
Unsolved Bender murders
Next Episode
'Til Death Us Do Part
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we delve into the curious case of Minnie Wallace Walkup, a teenage bride whose wealthy husband suddenly dropped dead just a month into their marriage. Was it the aphrodisiac he was taking, or did Minnie have a more hands-on approach to becoming a wealthy widow? With arsenic, strychnine, and a suspiciously timed death, this tale of love, poison, and courtroom drama will have you wondering if Minnie was just unlucky—or a master of the marital exit strategy.
If you'd like to learn more about the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death , check out the information below:
- https://www.grunge.com/1356474/minnie-wallace-teen-accused-of-killing-husband-1885/
- https://bayoujustice.com/2024/02/minnie-wallace-gold-digger-or-murderess/
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/169506226/minnie-estelle-keating
- https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-des-moines-register-minnie-wallace-w/18279321/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=AhaKyRTT54I
- The Adventuress: Murder, Blackmail, and Confidence Games in the Gilded Age (McConnell, 2010)
KEYWORDS:
Minnie Wallace Walkup case
Teenage bride murder
Arsenic and strychnine poisoning
Suspicious death of a wealthy husband
Victorian crime story
Poisoning mystery in marriage
Courtroom drama and deadly romance
True crime historical podcast
Minnie Walkup murder trial
Marital exit strategy by poison
Wealthy widow mystery
Love and poison crime
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