Common Conflicts - Of Hobos & Buried Legs
Prairie Tales
This episode traces several 1889 newspaper excerpts detailing criminal and unusual incidents in Kansas. The primary focus is a series of events in Burrton involving "tramps" and train-men, escalating from a fight and shots exchanged to a serious incident where a passenger was nearly killed by a bullet fired into the train. Subsequent reports track the arrests and sentencing of those involved, highlighting the widespread "complaint along the line on account of tramps." Additionally, this episode includes a humorous anecdote from Sedgwick about a misidentified...
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Crimes & Punishments - Ralph, Haber, Coffee Jim, & Fosdyk
Prairie Tales
This podcast presents several distinct criminal cases from 1888 Kansas, each offering a snapshot of local legal and social issues on the Prairie. The newspaper articles detail incidents ranging from a violent land dispute between farmers that escalated into a shooting, to an assault with a razor, and even the capture of an elderly man accused of incest. A particularly dramatic case involves a woman shooting a man she believed had "ruined" her young daughter, highlighting themes of personal justice and public reaction. Overall, this episode serves as a record of individual...
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Victims of Circumstance
Prairie Tales
What do a horse thief, a county seat war, and a man buried under a cloud of murder rumors have in common? In late 19th-century Kansas, the answer lies not in fiction—but in the yellowed pages of local newspapers, where truth and speculation often shared the same column. Welcome to Prairie Tales, where forgotten headlines come alive and the past refuses to stay buried. In this episode, we journey back to Newton and Sedgwick, Kansas, during the turbulent years of 1887 and 1888—a time when justice was swift, rumors ran wild, and the line between coincidence and conspiracy blurred. We begin...
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When Bitterness Takes Root - The Murder of Phoebe Wilcox
Prairie Tales
n the shadowed corners of 1886 Kansas, a chilling tale unfolds—one of obsession, vengeance, and the unraveling of a man consumed with bitterness. This episode dives deep into the murder of Phoebe Wilcox in 1886, a crime that shocked the community and exposed the dark undercurrents of a long-standing feud. We trace the twisted path of Alfred Denham: from the brutal act that ended Mrs. Wilcox’s life, to the courtroom drama that followed, and the disturbing descent into madness behind prison walls. Denham’s story is not just one of violence—it’s a haunting study of resentment left...
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The Heart of Night - Behind Closed Doors
Prairie Tales
In the dusty rail-town of Newton, Kansas—where steam engines whistle through the prairie and justice rides a slow train—tragedy and truth clash across the 1880s frontier. From the chilling discovery of an infant left on the tracks to shootouts that echoed down Main Street, today we delve into a decade defined by lawlessness, vigilance, and moral reckoning. Most hauntingly, we retrace the convoluted case of J.M. Flowers, convicted for the shooting of Santa Fe brakeman Morris Fort—who, in a twist befitting a dime novel, soon became a defendant himself. This is not just a catalogue of...
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Death By Sandbag - Adam Kuntz
Prairie Tales
A shattered skull, a silent jury, and a Civil War veteran buried far from the town where his final breath drew suspicion—this is the story of Adam Kuntz. In the waning heat of late August 1877, a German immigrant was found bloodied and unconscious beside the railroad tracks in Newton, Kansas. What looked at first like a tragic accident soon unraveled into something darker. This episode dives deep into the tangled mystery surrounding Adam Kuntz—a man whose death triggered a flurry of accusations, a murky inquest, and more questions than answers. We trace Kuntz’s journey from war-torn...
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Runaway! Travel Dangers On The Frontier
Prairie Tales
Imagine the thundering sound of hooves echoing down a dusty Kansas street—startled screams, overturned wagons, and the chaos left in the wake of panicked horses. Between 1884 and 1887, Newton, Kansas found itself repeatedly at the mercy of runaway teams, their unpredictable bolts through town leaving behind splintered carriages, shattered bones, and shaken lives. These real-life historical newspaper excerpts reveal a forgotten frontier danger—when simply walking down the street could mean staring down a horse-drawn disaster.
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Why Was Nellie Naughty?
Prairie Tales
What happens when a murder mystery meets the Wild West, and the woman at the center becomes both a suspect and a sensation? In 1883, the death of Clement Bothamley in Indian Territory set off a whirlwind of scandal, suspicion, and sensational headlines. At the heart of it all was Nellie (Benthusen) Bailey — a young woman whose life story reads like a Victorian thriller. Was she a cold-blooded killer, a master manipulator, or an innocent caught in a web of lies and lawlessness? In this episode, we unravel the tangled narratives of Nellie's trial, her shadowy personal life, and the public’s...
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Home Fires Burning - Dangers of The Prairie Home
Prairie Tales
1882-21. Imagine your dress catching fire from a single spark—no synthetic fabrics, no fire extinguishers - just blazing skirts and helpless screams. In the late 1800s, everyday chores often turned into deadly infernos, and women and children paid the price. Today, we unearth shocking, real-life newspaper tales of clothing-fired tragedies — and one remarkable survivor who rolled herself back from the brink of death.” These are the stories our ancestors would have read about, and the dangers they themselves faced every day on the Prairie.
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Deliver Us From Evil - The Taylor Brothers
Prairie Tales
In the winter of 1882, as John Taylor stood shackled for murder of Captain Fletcher, a small riverboat owner, John's brothers Andy and Bob unleashed a hail of bullets on a train rolling through a sleepy Missouri town—killing Sheriff W.S. Cate and Deputy John Conway in a desperate bid to free him. What follows is a whirlwind manhunt that ends in a bloody standoff, a dramatic confession in Kansas, and a courtroom showdown where Andy Taylor defiantly courts the gallows as if it were his greatest triumph. This is the gripping saga of loyalty turned murderous, of outlaw legend forged in gun...
info_outlineThis episode paints a vivid picture of life in Kansas cattle towns during the early 1870s, highlighting the danger and lawlessness that often accompanied the arrival of the railroad and the cattle trade. From actual newspaper accounts, we describe violent incidents, such as the fatal shooting sparked by a cornfield dispute and mandatory jury duty at gunpoint, alongside the boisterous and sometimes morally questionable atmosphere of establishments catering to cowboys and gamblers. The accounts, including one from "Buffalo Bill" Cody, emphasize the reputation of towns like Newton as wild and unruly places where strict rules about what you wore and how you acted, was more important than what you actually did. A joyful day resulted from seeing the Santa Fe locomotive finally pull into Newton - but the town wasn't ready to calm down yet...
Special thanks to Dr. Brandon Ward at Ward Chiropractic in Halstead and Hutchinson, Kansas, for their support of Prairie Tales.
For a teachers and self-study guide, and to see the original newspaper articles from the time, visit www.PrairieTales.US