Before Jack: The Cases They Dismissed - Whitechapel Chronicles1
News of the Times Episode 500 | 1888
"Before the name carved itself into history… before the letters, before the myth… there was only blood.”
Step into the smoke-choked alleys of 1888 Whitechapel, where dread slinks behind every corner and the gaslight barely pierces the gloom. In this premiere episode of Whitechapel Chronicles, we delve into a London not yet haunted by Jack the Ripper — but already gripped by his shadow.
The world remembers the Canonical Five. But before them came other names, almost forgotten:
Ada Wilson. Annie Millwood. Emma Smith. Martha Turner.
Women struck down with ferocity, their stories scattered and dismissed — victims of what the press called chance, what the police called coincidence. But something far more insidious was taking root.
Drawing solely from the newspapers of the era, we retrace the mounting horror that clawed through the East End long before the Ripper’s signature arrived. There were suspects — soldiers with bloodied hands, women with secrets, whispers in every tenement and tavern. Testimonies changed. Witnesses vanished. And still, the city looked away…
Until it was too late.

This is not yet the legend.
This is the forewarning.

And in our Further Particulars segment: it is the year 1887, and the Old Bailey hears a most peculiar case — a widow sues a dead man for breach of promise. Truth, as ever in Victorian England, is stranger than fiction.

Hosted by Robin Coles.

#NewsofTheTimes #truecrimedocumentary #truecrime #truecrimepodcast #victorian #history

Patreon: patreon.com/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime
YouTube Chronicle of the Times: @chronicleofthetimes2024

EPISODE
If you like this, here are links to some other recommended videos:
1845 - 1888: Murder and Cannibalism | Ep247
https://youtu.be/5NTs38FEmBA
1808 & 1888: The Butcher Bichel - The Butcher and the Ripper | EP408
https://youtu.be/NL-BKDIkpYk
1888 - 1925: A Round Robin of December Murders | EP417
https://youtu.be/wnIVPmRuEUY
1888: The Huddersfield Murder | EP429
https://youtu.be/5wdWCcatYKc
1888: Case of the 1888 Marylebone Murder Mystery | EP435
https://youtu.be/JgLiiT-f_xY

***
Who are News of the Times?
We are an independent group of historians, researchers , and actor with a passion for historical crime!

Unlocking the Vaults of Historical Crime, your gateway to a captivating journey through the darker pages of history. We dive deep into the annals of crime, unearthing forgotten stories, unsolved mysteries, and notorious criminals from the past.

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

Murder, Matrimony & Misfortune: The Curious Case of Mrs Portbury
News of the Times Episode 499 | 1872
In 1871 London, scandal brews as the respectable widow of a beloved doctor, Amelia Muldola, shocks society by marrying her 17-year-old groom, Henry Portbury. What begins as a salacious romance spirals into a Victorian nightmare: theft, kidnapping, and ultimately—matricide.
When Amelia’s fortune vanishes, and her children are taken by the courts, chaos erupts. A courtroom circus, deceitful oaths, and a violent family feud culminate in the death of her mother under deeply suspicious circumstances.
Was it a tragic accident or a calculated killing?
This tangled web of greed, betrayal, and scandal gripped the Victorian press.
And in today's end of episode Further [particulars segment, we have a darkly humorous bonus tale from the gallows that only Georgian / Victorian black comedy could deliver.
Hosted by Robin Coles.

#NewsofTheTimes #truecrimedocumentary #truecrime #truecrimepodcast #victorian #history

Patreon: patreon.com/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime
YouTube Chronicle of the Times: @chronicleofthetimes2024

EPISODE
If you like this, here are links to some other recommended videos:
1878: The Canadian Monster - Joseph LaPage | EP380
https://youtu.be/wB_gjPMsNn4
1864 & 1878: Distrubing Cases of Matricide | EP393
https://youtu.be/zvn0Jq3d75A
1879 - 1893: The Worst Woman on Earth - Serial Killer Lizzie Halliday | EP410
https://youtu.be/w7DpCYJNRfw
1877?: The Case of Edinburgh's Last Public Execution | EP437
https://youtu.be/i3RUIBSuJbI
1878: The Case of the Bodies in the Dung Heap | EP445
https://youtu.be/RzNM8NsheFY
1877: The Isle of Wight Murder of 1877 | EP459
https://youtu.be/dGIcAuTsldA
1851 & 1875: Cases of Double Black Widows | EP464
https://youtu.be/k9YYxpoQ9Go

***
Who are News of the Times?
We are an independent group of historians, researchers , and actor with a passion for historical crime!

Unlocking the Vaults of Historical Crime, your gateway to a captivating journey through the darker pages of history. We dive deep into the annals of crime, unearthing forgotten stories, unsolved mysteries, and notorious criminals from the past.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

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

Hidden Wealth, Brutal Death: The Murder That Rocked Blaw Wearie
News of the Times Episode 53 | 1840
When greed turns deadly in the Scottish hills
In today’s episode, we travel back to 1844, to the windswept isolation of Blaw Wearie, near West Calder, Scotland.
A remote and quiet community is shaken to its core by the brutal murder of 60-year-old John Geddes — a solitary man, whispered to be sitting on hidden wealth.
When neighbours grow concerned after days without sight of him, they force open his door... and uncover a scene of unthinkable violence. Geddes is found with his eye crushed into his fractured skull, ribs shattered, nose and finger severed. It is a scene of sheer horror.
What happened in that lonely house? And who could carry out such a savage killing?
Then, in our end-of-episode "Further Particulars" feature: the year is 1801. A mysterious teak box washes ashore. Inside — wrapped in tea leaves — lies a corpse.
Hosted by Robin Coles.

#NewsofTheTimes #truecrimedocumentary #truecrime #truecrimepodcast #victorian #history

Patreon: patreon.com/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime
YouTube Chronicle of the Times: @chronicleofthetimes2024

EPISODE
If you like this, here are links to some other recommended videos:
1844: Murder of Sarah McFarlane | EP367
https://youtu.be/5UlAJcSm9g0
1842 - 1929: Scotland Yard Case Files Crime Compilation | EP370
https://youtu.be/aNi9afML4WQ
1766 - 1848: Shocking Dark Crime Tales of Britain | EP373
https://youtu.be/WIvzA4DAwUA
1849: The Curious Case of the Harvard Murder | EP378
https://youtu.be/n23PlQFqhlw
1844: The Case of The Colwick Murders And The Subsequent Tragedies | EP389
https://youtu.be/GgyyTQFkL6A
1836 & 1843: The Trouble with Harriet | EP398
https://youtu.be/BrZh10eMQ0s
1844: The Demon Drummer of Cartechy Castle | EP401
https://youtu.be/9PYsoYkqLhA

***
Who are News of the Times?
We are an independent group of historians, researchers , and actor with a passion for historical crime!

Unlocking the Vaults of Historical Crime, your gateway to a captivating journey through the darker pages of history. We dive deep into the annals of crime, unearthing forgotten stories, unsolved mysteries, and notorious criminals from the past.

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