Bridget Durgan: The Maid, The Murder, and the Smile That Haunted 1867
News of the Times | Episode 515 | 1867
Domestic Servant or Cold-Blooded Killer? The Gruesome Case That Shocked 1867

In a quiet New Jersey town in 1867, a physician’s wife is found brutally murdered — stabbed, slashed, and burned — and the only suspect? Her Irish maid, Bridget Durgan. With 50 wounds, bite marks, and a suspicious lack of robbery, this was no ordinary Victorian murder…

Was Bridget a jealous killer or the perfect scapegoat in a time steeped in prejudice and paranoia?

Join us as we unravel one of the most horrifying domestic crimes of the 19th century — a case so shocking it made headlines across the Atlantic.

But that’s not all…

In our “Further Particulars,” we uncover the bizarre tale of The Iron Masked Man — a mystery gent pushing a pram across Britain in a wager worth a fortune.
👤 Hosted by Robin Coles

📅 New uploads every Monday, Wednesday & Friday
🎥 Special 2+ hour compilation on the **last Sunday of every month**

▶️ **Related episodes from the vault:**
1861 & 1881: Murders in Cheshire | Ep260
https://youtu.be/KGeOfdR5ivY
1868: Baroness Killing of a Countess | EP288
https://youtu.be/eJ-zRG4G8eA
1837 & 1861: Stories of Inconvenient In-Laws | EP307
https://youtu.be/iPGLnzWXhgs
1860: The Sinister Schoolmaster | EP314
https://youtu.be/p27_HuNNZEs
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🕯 About News of the Times
We are a small (and mildly chaotic) band of history enthusiasts uncovering the darker corners of Britain’s past. No corporate sponsors, no boardroom edits — just a genuine love of weird and wonderful crime.

Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs.

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Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

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If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

Murder in the Woods: The Forgotten Case of the Wigwam Girl
News of the Times | Episode 513 | 1942
[In one of wartime Britain’s most haunting and tragically overlooked murder cases, 19-year-old Joan Pearl Wolfe—forever remembered as the "Wigwam Girl"—is found hastily buried on Hankley Common.

Who was this quiet, vulnerable girl? And why was a Canadian soldier—August Sangret—accused of her brutal killing?

With love letters, forensic breakthroughs, and courtroom drama that gripped the nation, this is a tale of young love turned deadly.

Betrayal, mystery, and murder beneath the heather.

Settle in for a powerful story of justice and sorrow, told straight from the original 1940s news reports—untouched, unfiltered, and heartbreakingly real.
👤 Hosted by Robin Coles

📅 New uploads every Monday, Wednesday & Friday

▶️ **Related episodes from the vault:**
1919: The Mysterious Murder of Nellie Rault | EP465
https://youtu.be/kOX5mRlG_as
1919: The Case of the Marie Empress Mystery | EP467
https://youtu.be/Dv4Gfcsjwjw
1920: A Case of Family Obsession and Murder | EP476
https://youtu.be/EIPHlzVerd4
1902: The Case of the Clonbrok Murder | EP477
https://youtu.be/M908ewkwXy4
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Every bit helps keep our small team caffeinated and Colin the Cactus in monocles.
--
🕯 About News of the Times
We are a small (and mildly chaotic) band of history enthusiasts uncovering the darker corners of Britain’s past. No corporate sponsors, no boardroom edits — just a genuine love of weird and wond

Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs.

Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Support the show

Thanks for listening! You can also connect with us on
Our YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimes
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Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at newsofthetimespodcast@gmail.com
If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

The Regent’s Park Murder of 1888
News of the Times | Episode 511 | 1888
While all eyes were fixed on the shadowy lanes of Whitechapel, murder found its way into the genteel heart of London.

In this gripping episode, we unravel the tragic and mysterious killing of Joseph Rumbold — a young printer, stabbed to death under the gaslights of Regent’s Park. Was it mistaken identity? Gang rivalry? Or something more sinister lurking in the shadows of respectable society?

Featuring period newspaper accounts and vivid testimony from the time, we walk through a case that stunned a city already on edge — from the moment of the crime to the courtroom’s final judgment.

And in our Further Particulars segment, we shine a sombre light on a grief-stricken mother’s desperate public plea to view the Ripper victims, believing one may be her missing daughter — a haunting reminder that not all horror wore a headline name.

☞ True Victorian crime
☞ Gang rivalries and mistaken identity
☞ Real newspaper accounts from 1888
☞ Forgotten voices, real testimonies
👤 Hosted by Robin Coles

📅 New uploads every Monday, Wednesday & Friday
🎥 Special 2+ hour compilation on the **last Sunday of every month**

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Enjoying the tales of murky mischief and historic mayhem? Help us keep the archive candle burning:

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📖 NEW: Slightly Unreliable Memoirs – Volume 1
A gloriously illustrated 24-page PDF packed with whimsical tales, mysterious cacti, and the occasional scandalous goat.
🎩 Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

🌐 Explore the full Robin & Co. Curios Collection on Ko-fi:
Behind-the-scenes whimsy, digital oddities, and more delightful nonsense:
https://ko-fi.com/robinandco

☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you?
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Every bit helps keep our small team caffeinated and Colin the Cactus in monocles.

Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs.

Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

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Support the show

Thanks for listening! You can also connect with us on
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Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at newsofthetimespodcast@gmail.com
If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

The Man Who Vanished: Whitechapel’s Other Attacker
News of the Times | Episode 510 | 1888
Before Jack the Ripper cast his long shadow over London, Whitechapel was already soaked in fear. In this gripping episode, we follow the shocking case of Richard Patterson, a dock labourer turned violent fugitive, whose stormy night of rage left two victims gashed and bleeding — and the police scrambling.

On 26 June 1888, just weeks before the Ripper’s infamous spree began, a thunderstorm roared over Grove Street. Amid the rain and lightning, a young woman — her throat slashed — stumbled into the street. Behind her, her brother, also brutally wounded. The man they named as their attacker? Her husband. Then… he vanished.

Patterson’s rampage, escape, and dramatic return stunned a city already teetering under the weight of poverty and panic. Though not a Ripper killing, this case was part of a rising tide of violence that left London terrified — long before the Ripper ever lifted his blade.

👉 Featuring original newspaper accounts, testimony from survivors, and the involvement of Inspector Reid (yes, that Reid), this true crime tale is a vivid, violent portrait of East End desperation.

✨ In our Further Particulars: While British detectives stumbled through the fog, American cities were already deploying telephone patrol boxes, dawn courtroom sessions, and telegraphed justice. A Pall Mall Gazette correspondent asks: Are the Americans beating us at our own game?

👤 Hosted by Robin Coles
📅 New uploads every Monday, Wednesday & Friday
🎥 Special 2+ hour compilation on the **last Sunday of every month**

▶️ **Related episodes from the vault:**
1889: Florence Maybrick | Ep133
https://youtu.be/xV8BsTNREkM
1886 - 1946: Lancashire Murder Stories | Ep166
https://youtu.be/AEJxlmxF7u4
1881: The Mysterious Murder of Georgie Moore | Ep200
https://youtu.be/dba4Zel0IXo
1882: Scandal and Murder on Merseyside | Ep206
https://youtu.be/QmSsd1et-iI
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❤️ Support the Channel
Enjoying the tales of murky mischief and historic mayhem? Help us keep the archive candle burning:

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Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs.

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Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

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If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

The Chilling Walthamstow Mystery That Shocked Victorian London 1888
News of the Times | Episode 509| 1888
London, 1888 — the Ripper loomed large in the East End’s imagination… but just a few miles away, another case was unfolding. One with no mutilations, no blood-stained alleys—just a quiet note, a mysterious bottle, and a young woman who never came home.
When newlywed Annie French stepped into a local chemist’s parlour in Walthamstow, she expected pain relief—perhaps a friendly chat. Two hours later, she was unconscious. The air reeked of chloroform, the till was empty, and William Barber, the nervous chemist’s assistant, had vanished.
Was it a botched procedure? A tragic accident? Or something far more sinister?
Join us as we unravel one of Victorian London’s most haunting and strangely overlooked mysteries—where rumour ran wild, evidence evaporated, and a case of suspected murder was lost in the shadow of Whitechapel’s terror.

👍 If you enjoy historical true crime with a touch of wit and wistfulness, do like, subscribe, and share with your more curious friends — and possibly that one relative who insists on narrating every TV crime show before the reveal. You know exactly who we mean.
Hosted by Robin Coles

📅 New uploads every Monday, Wednesday & Friday
🎥 Special 2+ hour compilation on the **last Sunday of every month**
--
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📖 NEW: Slightly Unreliable Memoirs – Volume 1
A gloriously illustrated 24-page PDF packed with whimsical tales, mysterious cacti, and the occasional scandalous goat.
🎩 Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

🌐 Explore the full Robin & Co. Curios Collection on Ko-fi:
Behind-the-scenes whimsy, digital oddities, and more delightful nonsense:
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And if donations aren’t your thing, a like, comment, or share is just as cherished — and rumour has it, Colin blushes green when you hit that thumbs up. 🌵
--
🕯 About News of the Times
We are a small (and mildly chaotic) band of history enthusiasts uncovering the darker corners of Britain’s past. No cor

Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs.

Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Support the show

Thanks for listening! You can also connect with us on
Our YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimes
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Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at newsofthetimespodcast@gmail.com
If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

Was This the Ripper’s Comeback? The 1889 Whitechapel Murder
News of the Times | Episode 508 | 1889
Welcome to News of the Times — where sinister shadows of history refuse to stay buried.
In this chilling episode, we return to the gaslit alleys of Victorian London. It’s July 1889, and another woman is found brutally slain in Castle Alley — her throat cut, her body mutilated. The location? Just streets away from Jack the Ripper’s infamous killing grounds.

Was this the return of the Ripper himself?
Or a cunning copycat exploiting London’s darkest fears?

Meet Alice McKenzie — a hard-working washerwoman, not the typical “unfortunate” cast by the press. Her quiet life and sudden, savage death stoked panic among police and public alike. With suspects ranging from madmen to maritime butchers, and a new letter ominously signed “Jack the Ripper”, the streets of Whitechapel descended once more into dread.

Was the killer interrupted mid-mutilation?
Did a foreign cattle-boat butcher slip back into the fog?
And what chilling "further particulars" did The Pall Mall Gazette reveal about Whitechapel’s women?

Featuring the tragic letter of Annie Chapman’s sister — this episode pieces together the forgotten horror of the Ripper’s suspected return.

👤 Hosted by Robin Coles
📅 New uploads every Monday, Wednesday & Friday
--
❤️ Support the Channel
Enjoying the tales of murky mischief and historic mayhem? Help us keep the archive candle burning:

👉 Patreon – Early access, no ads, and over 650 exclusives with extra content:
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📖 NEW: Slightly Unreliable Memoirs – Volume 1
A gloriously illustrated 24-page PDF packed with whimsical tales, mysterious cacti, and the occasional scandalous goat.
🎩 Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

🌐 Explore the full Robin & Co. Curios Collection on Ko-fi:
Behind-the-scenes whimsy, digital oddities, and more delightful nonsense:
https://ko-fi.com/robinandco

☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you?
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Every bit helps keep our small team caffeinated and Colin the Cactus in monocles.

And if donations aren’t your thing, a like, comment, or share is just as cherished — and rumour has it, Colin blushes green when you hit that thumbs up. 🌵
--
🕯 About News of the Times
We are a small (and mildly chaotic) band of history enthusiasts uncovering the darker corners of Britain’s past. No

Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs.

Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Support the show

Thanks for listening! You can also connect with us on
Our YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimes
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Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at newsofthetimespodcast@gmail.com
If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

Bradford’s Jack the Ripper: The Mutilation of John Gill
News of the Times | Episode 507 | 1888
In December 1888, the brutalised body of 8-year-old John Gill sent shockwaves through Bradford — a young boy mutilated and arranged in a grotesque parcel, echoing the horrors of Jack the Ripper just weeks earlier. As panic swept the streets, suspicion fell on a familiar milkman, and London detectives were summoned to examine the boy’s remains for Ripperesque parallels. The case exploded into national headlines, yet despite the chilling circumstantial evidence, the trial ended in discharge… and the crime remains an open wound in Victorian criminal history.

Further Particulars:
Also in Bradford, a young woman with a flair for drama is arrested for sending "Jack the Ripper" letters — to the press, to the police, and presumably anyone with a postal address. Her motive? “To make a sensation.” And she certainly did.

👤 Hosted by Robin Coles
📅 New uploads every Monday, Wednesday & Friday
🎥 Special 2+ hour compilation on the **last Sunday of every month**
--
❤️ Support the Channel
Enjoying the tales of murky mischief and historic mayhem? Help us keep the archive candle burning:

👉 Patreon – Early access, no ads, and over 650 exclusives with extra content:
https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime

📖 NEW: Slightly Unreliable Memoirs – Volume 1
A gloriously illustrated 24-page PDF packed with whimsical tales, mysterious cacti, and the occasional scandalous goat.
🎩 Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

🌐 Explore the full Robin & Co. Curios Collection on Ko-fi:
Behind-the-scenes whimsy, digital oddities, and more delightful nonsense:
https://ko-fi.com/robinandco

☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you?
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

Every bit helps keep our small team caffeinated and Colin the Cactus in monocles.

And if donations aren’t your thing, a like, comment, or share is just as cherished — and rumour has it, Colin blushes green when you hit that thumbs up. 🌵
--
🕯 About News of the Times
We are a small (and mildly chaotic) band of history enthusiasts uncovering the darker corners of Britain’s past. No corporate sponsors, no boardroom edits — just a genuine love of weird and wonderful crime.

Expect forgotten headlines, dusty trial transcripts, and the occasional Victorian scandal involving pie theft or a rogue vicar.

If you like your true crime with a splash of dry wit and no ad

Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs.

Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Support the show

Thanks for listening! You can also connect with us on
Our YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimes
Our Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405
Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at newsofthetimespodcast@gmail.com
If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd