The Retribution of Wash Smith

A Murder on Christmas

On December 26, 1908, the nude body of a woman was found in Lampblack Swamp along the Passaic River in Harrison, NJ. Police determined she was murdered on Christmas night. For eight days she remained in the morgue unidentified, until police tracked down a piece of clothing found near the body and her sister identified her as Lena Whitmore, even though just a day earlier Lena's husband, the last person known to see her, claimed it wasn't his wife. Hear the full story of the murder of Lena Whitmore, and her husband's two murder trails, on this episode of Crimes We Forgot. www.crimesweforgot.com REDRUM True Crime is a podcast focusing on the true victims of crime. Each episode focuses on a new story. Real life, real victims, real crime. This is REDRUM. Written and presented by Grace Cordell. ⁠Spotify link⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4HGAfq0aAOrD14SVtgk5cE?si=SyLbt9nORrmozejNjqNHLA] ⁠Apple link⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/episode-114-jasmin-and-aaliyah/id1515905584?i=1000653449591] Or search REDRUM True Crime, wherever you get your podcasts.

The Night Dorothy Was Taken

In the dark, early morning of May 29th 1928, a man entered a room shared by three sisters, when he left he held 7-year-old Dorothy Selangowski tightly in his arms, his hand over her mouth. A search soon started, with police and neighbors looking, then a grisly discovery was made only doors away, on the porch of the child’s grandfather. Suspects would emerge, including one of the girl’s brothers, but the evidence pointed to someone else, another family member who had at one time lived with Dorothy and her family.   Hear the full story of the taking of Dorothy Selangowski and how police and a female reporter were able to track down the one who abducted and murdered her on the latest episode Crimes We Forgot. REDRUM True Crime is a podcast focusing on the true victims of crime. Each episode focuses on a new story. Real life, real victims, real crime. This is REDRUM. Written and presented by Grace Cordell. Spotify link [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4HGAfq0aAOrD14SVtgk5cE?si=SyLbt9nORrmozejNjqNHLA] Apple link [https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/episode-114-jasmin-and-aaliyah/id1515905584?i=1000653449591] Or search REDRUM True Crime, wherever you get your podcasts. Sources: Lancaster New Era – May 29, 1928 – Stolen from Her Home, Strangled Beaten to Death The Cincinnati Post – May 29, 1918 – Kidnaped Girl Found Slain Near Home Petaluma Daily Morning Courier – May 30, 1928 – Girl, 7, Victim of Fiend The Daily Times – May 30, 1928 – Police Hold 3 Relatives of Dead Girl The Herald Press – May 30, 1928 – City Aroused Over Kidnaping, Slaying of Girl Sapulpa Herald – May 31, 1928 – Chauffeur Admit He Slew Girl The Belleville News Democrat – May 31, 1928 – Trap Fiend Who Kidnaped, Killed Girl The Daily Advocate – June 1, 1928 – Young Victim of Kidnaper Buried Today The Daily Times – June 1, 1928 – Fear Slayer May End Life The New Messenger – June 1, 1928 – Insanity Plea to be Used by Child Slayer Wichita Falls Times – June 3, 1928 – Accused Denies Guilt as Slayer of Child The Gailon Inquirer – June 7, 1928 – Attorneys Threatened The Brownsville Herald – June 8, 1928 – Kidnaping Case is Solved by Quick Work of Girl Reporter Marysville Journal Tribune – July 5, 1928 – Hoppe Trial is Delayed The Daily Advocate – July 6, 1928 – Charles Hoppe Admits Series of Brutal Clubbings The Piqua Daily Call – July 7, 1928 – Defense Will Strive to Prove Confessed Club Killed Insane Lancaster Eagle Gazette – July 16, 1928 – Confesses to Killing Lily Croy The Portsmouth Times – July 16, 1928 – Charles Hoppe Is Found To Be Sane The Dayton Herald – July 17, 1928 – Killer Breaks Down in Prison; Weeps in Night The Evening Review – October 20, 1928 – Toledo Girl’s Killer Given Lease of Life Troy Daily News – November 9, 1928 – Clemency is Refuse Slayer of Ohio Child Troy Daily News – November 16, 1928 – Child Slayer Doomed to Die November 30 The Piqua Daily Call – November 30, 1928 – Chair to Kill Two Ohio Men Sidney Daily News – December 1, 1928 – Rucker and Hoppe Pay the Penalty The Plain Dealer – November 4, 1929 – Toledo Girl Is Missing

The Retribution of Wash Smith

In January 1928, 18-year-old Wash Smith walked into a small country store in Banks County, Georgia. By the time he walked out, the store’s owner was dead, and Wash was being hunted down by a posse. It is a story of an interrupted love affair and the vicious retribution by both sides that followed, while bootlegging, hidden witnesses, and recanted testimony point to something almost sinister.  Sound Engineering by Dave Harris Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved. The Atlanta Constitution – January 4, 1928 – Posse Is Seeking Farmer’s Slayer The Atlanta Constitution – March 22, 1928 – State Demands Death for Smith The Macon Telegraph – March 23, 1928 – Smith To Die The Atlanta Constitution – December 16, 1928 – Supreme Court Grants Retrial to Wash Smith The Atlanta Journal – February 26, 1930 - State High Court Denies New Trial for Wash Smith  The Atlanta Journal – March 28, 1930 – Prof. Wells Urges Death Penalty for Slayer of Brother The Macon Telegraph – March 29, 1930 – Youthful Slayer Seeks Clemency The Atlanta Constitution – March 29, 1930 – Youth Under Death Sentence Says Girl Witness Kidnaped The Valdosta Daily Times – April 1, 1930 – Wash Smith Gets His Life Saved The Macon Telegraph – April 1, 1930 – Fate of Youthful Slayer Undecided The Atlanta Constitution – November 8, 1930 – Doomed Prisoner Makes Escape Try The Atlanta Journal – November 9, 1930 – Wash Smith Pleads for Commutation The Atlanta Journal – November 12, 1930 – Conscience-Stricken Man’s Confession Despite Threat of Return to Pen Revealed The Atlanta Constitution – November 14, 1930 – Prison Board Refuses Plea for Mercy for Wash Smith The Atlanta Journal – November 14, 1930 – Governor Plans Mind Test for Wash Smith The Atlanta Journal – November 22, 1930 – Wash Smith Dies in Electric Chair for Wells Slaying The Macon News – November 22, 1930 – Youth Directs Own Death in Chair The Atlanta Constitution – October 12, 1939 – Two Die, One Hurt in Baldwin Crash

A Body in a Trunk & a Son on the Run

On a summer day in 1908, a group of picnickers found an old steamer trunk covered in overgrowth in a ravine in New Jersey. Inside was the partially decomposed body of Solomon Rosenbloom, a merchant from Windber, Pennsylvania, some 240 miles west, who went missing in late 1907. This discovery answered the question of where Rosenbloom went, and also revealed a secret, with Rosenbloom's wife sharing that their youngest son Alex had admitted to killing his father before he himself disappeared. Sound Engineering by Dave Harris Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved. Sources: * Altoona Tribune – November 26, 1907 – A Windber Mystery * The Central New Jersey Home News – August 17, 1908 – Murder Mystery in Jersey * Courier-Post – August 21, 1908 – Victim Practically Identified as Missing Windber Merchant * The Philadelphia Inquirer – August 22, 1908 – Trunk Mystery Now Appears to Near Conclusion * The Pittsburgh Press – August 23, 1908 – Son of Slain Merchant Has Gone to Camden * East Oregonian – August, 24, 1908 – Son Murdered Brutal Father * The Saginaw News – August 24, 1908 – Trunk Victim Killed by Son * Courier-Post – August 25, 1908 – Altoona Man Gave Police First Clue * Chicago Tribune – August 25, 1908 – Clerks May Solve Murder * Pottsville Republican – August 26, 1908 – Rosenbloom, Jr., Left Country * Republican and Herald – August 27, 1908 – Rosenblooms Out on Bail * The Republic – August 27, 1908 – Trunk Mystery Was Solved * The Lafayette Journal – August 28, 1908 – Trunk Crime Clue Leads to Arrests * Pittsburgh Post Gazette – September 9, 1908 – Gov. Stuart Asks for Return of Eglers * The Pittsburgh Post – September 4, 1908 – May Release Englers * Evening Courier – May 7, 1934 – Old City Hall’s Near Murder

Deadly Vows: A May-December Murder

When Roman Luczkowski was married in January 1928, it was likely a surprise to most who knew him, especially considering the 21-year-old was marrying someone nearly 30 years older than him. But the real shock came a little over two months later, when his bride, the former Marie Slade, was found dead and her body crammed into a 3-foot long box. Roman was quickly identified as the culprit, and an avalanche of secrets followed, such as his intimate relationships with other men and the fact that Marie had never divorced her most recent husband before marrying the man young enough to be her son. Sound Engineering by Dave Harris Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved.