Just after midnight on July 6, 1932, twenty-year-old Zachary Smith Reynolds, a renowned aviator and an heir to the R.J. Reynolds tobacco fortune, was shot in the family's summer home in what is now Winston-Salem, North Carolina. While some believed the moody young man had committed suicide, evidence suggested someone else had pulled the trigger, and eventually Reynolds' wife, Broadway actress Libby Holman, and his best friend, A.B. Walker, would be indicted for murder.

I'm joined by Phil Archer, the Betsy Main Babcock Deputy Director at Reynolda House Museum of American Art. He helped create Reynolda's popular exhibition, called "Smith & Libby: Two Rings, Seven Months, One Bullet", which can now be experienced in a condensed form on the very porch where Smith died.

More about the Reynolda Museum here: https://reynolda.org/

Watch the original exhibition trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bVYrVhMK7M&t=5s

Libby Holman sings the traditional folk song "House of the Rising Sun": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4ZGrlO7JU4

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This week we revisit one of my favorite Most Notorious episodes. In the small town of Isadore Michigan in 1907, a young nun named Janina disappeared. Ten years later, her body is discovered by a priest intent on building a new church on the foundation of the old one. Mardi Link, author of "Isadore's Secret", chats with me about the terrible circumstances surrounding the death of Sister Janina.

The author's website: https://www.mardilink.com/

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On a warm August day in 1910, Sheriff Jake Houpt and his deputies attempted to arrest brothers George and Oscar Chitwood outside the Garland County Courthouse in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A gunfight soon erupted, leaving both the sheriff and George dead. And when Oscar himself was killed in December under the protection of deputies, a mob of mysterious masked men were blamed for the lynching. But evidence suggests the story of Oscar's death might have been a cover for something else.

My guest is Christopher Thrasher, who along with fellow author and historian Guy Lancaster wrote the book "The Murder of Oscar Chitwood in Hot Springs, Arkansas". He summarizes this fascinating story for us on this latest episode of Most Notorious.

Christopher Thrasher's Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Christopher-Thrasher/author/B0C3Z3ZGQK

The book's publisher page: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/9781467153270

The Encyclopedia of Arkansas: https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/

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Six months after losing a world title fight that remains infamous as one of the last mob fixes in boxing, Tyrone “The Butterfly” Everett—a flashy, handsome lightweight southpaw on the verge of stardom—was dead. Only twenty-four years old, he was shot in the head by his girlfriend, Carolyn McKendrick, who claimed that Everett had abused her throughout their relationship. But for years, street corner talk raised doubts about what actually took place in Philadelphia at 2710 Federal Street on May 26, 1977.

My guest is journalist Sean Nam, author of "Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, Fixed Fights, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing." He gives us an outline of the drama and shares theories regarding who might be responsible for the up-and-coming fighter's demise, including the possible involvement of a violent Philly organization called "The Black Mafia".

The author's website: https://www.murderonfederalstreet.com/

The author on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/seanpasbon

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Today we have special back-to-back episodes from the History Daily podcast. The first shares the story of the capture of one of the UK's most notorious serial killers, the Yorkshire Ripper, and the second is about the tumultuous life of Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible.

Visit the History Daily website for more information about the show. https://historydaily.org/

More about the Most Notorious podcast here: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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On September 30, 1955, 24-year-old James Dean became immortal. While his young life ended in a car crash, James Dean passed into the realm of American folklore, where his memory remains today. What exactly happened on that fateful day 60 years ago? What events led to the tragic accident that cost Dean his life? What became of the people and vehicles involved in that unguarded moment at Cholame? Is there any truth to the idea of a "curse" associated with Dean and his Porsche Spyder?

My guest is James Dean historian and author Lee Raskin. He has been on a lifelong quest to not only learn everything he can about life and death of Dean, but also the journey of the car he died in. His book is called "James Dean: On the Road to Salinas".

The author's website: http://leeraskin.net/

More about him at Stance & Speed: https://www.stanceandspeed.com/lee-raskin/

Visit us at https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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There were few experienced swimmers among over 1,300 Lower East Side residents who boarded the General Slocum on June 15, 1904. It shouldn’t have mattered, since the steamship was chartered only for a languid excursion from Manhattan to Long Island Sound. But a fire erupted minutes into the trip, forcing hundreds of terrified passengers into the water. By the time the captain found a safe shore for landing, 1,021 had perished. 

"Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum" draws on firsthand accounts to examine why the death toll was so high and how the city responded. Masterfully capturing both the horror of the event and the heroism of men, women, and children who faced crumbling life jackets and inaccessible lifeboats as the inferno quickly spread, historian Edward T. O’Donnell brings to life a bygone community while honoring the victims of that forgotten day.

Edward O'Donnell's website: https://edwardtodonnell.com/

The author on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inthepastlane/

The author on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@inthepastlane

The author on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/InThePastLane

The author on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InThePastLanePodcast

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Phebe Wise was believed to be a witch by many locals in late 19th and early 20th century Mansfield, Ohio. Bucking societal norms, she lived alone on a large piece of property and would often march into town wearing her deceased mother's antique Civil War gowns. She also had her share of adversity, which included being the target of violent robbers and an obsessed stalker.  And her showdown with her stalker would lead to gunfire and death.

My guest this week is Mark Sebastian Jordan, author of "The Witch of Mansfield: The Tetched Life of Phebe Wise." He shares stories from the life of this remarkable and eccentric woman. 

The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mark.jordan.794

The author's publisher page: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/9781467155212/

Buy the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Witch-Mansfield-Tetched-Phebe-Generic/dp/1467155217/

The author's Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/MarkSebastianJordan

This episode is sponsored by Factor. Go to https://factormeals.com/notorious50 to get 50% off! Use code notorious50.

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William J. Flynn, nicknamed "The Bulldog Detective", had a fascinating and accomplished career in law enforcement. While in the Secret Service he not only battled the Mafia in New York City, but also uncovered a sophisticated German spy ring on the cusp of America's entry into World War I.  As Director of the Bureau of Investigation, he devised the first counterterrorist strategy in United States history. He was a writer as well, contributing articles both to journals and to a true crime detective magazine which bore his name. 

My guest is author and terrorism expert Jeffrey D. Simon, and his recently published book is called "The Bulldog Detective: William J. Flynn and America's First War against the Mafia, Spies, and Terrorists." He shares highlights from Flynn's riveting life and career. 

Jeffrey Simon's website:  https://www.futureterrorism.com/

This episode is sponsored by Factor. Go to https://factormeals.com/notorious50 to get 50% off! Use code notorious50.

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My guest this week is bestselling author Lou Ferrante. He was an associate in the Gambino crime family before going to prison, where he studied history and began writing books. He joins us to talk about the origins of the Sicilian Mafia and how they followed Italian immigrants to the United States, initially establishing themselves in crime-ridden New Orleans alongside a corrupt police force. 

His new book is called "Borgata: Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia", the first volume of his Mafia trilogy. 

More about Lou Ferrante and his work on his website: https://louisferrante.com/

Lou Ferrante's Simon & Schuster Publisher Page: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Borgata/Louis-Ferrante/Borgata-Trilogy/9781639366019

Lou Ferrante on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/louferrante

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Lana Turner's meteoric rise to fame after being discovered at a soda fountain by a talent scout in 1936 is a legendary Hollywood story. From that point forward, the starlet's life had been a series of exhilarating highs - including award-worthy performances in critically acclaimed films, and terrifying lows - as she suffered abuse by multiple men over the years. Among the men who terrorized her was her gangster boyfriend Johnny Stompanato, a bodyguard for Los Angeles crime boss Mickey Cohen. Cohen and Stompanato had been working together to extort money from Lana, but on April 4, 1958, that partnership ended when Stompanato was stabbed to death in Lana's home. Her daughter, Cheryl, would ultimately be tried for the killing. 

My guest is New York Times bestselling author Casey Sherman. He shares details from his new book "A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown's Most Shocking Crime". 

Casey Sherman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caseyshermanwrites

Casey Sherman on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/caseysherman123

Casey Sherman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casey.sherman/

Help the show out by filling out this brief survey. A big thank you from Erik!  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/mostnotorious

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