Forgotten Felonies
Forgotten Felonies revisits historical crimes that were forgotten—or remembered incorrectly. It’s tempting, looking backward, to fill in the gaps with conclusions that feel obvious now. But that isn’t how history works. Through original newspaper reporting, period advertisements from the years the crimes occurred, and a blend of forensic psychology and genealogical research, each episode restores context to cases history left behind—asking not only what happened, but why.
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Forgotten Felonies
Pearl Bryan, Part 2: The Last Days of Pearl Bryan
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After Pearl Bryan's identity is finally discovered, investigators begin the difficult task of answering an even larger question: What happened during her final days in Cincinnati?
Following newspaper accounts, trial testimony, and contemporary records, we retrace Pearl's last known movements—from train depots and hotels to piano stores, saloons, and a visit to a mysterious trance medium. Along the way, witnesses begin to emerge, conflicting stories multiply, and detectives struggle to separate fact from fiction as two young dental students each point the finger at the other.
As the investigation gathers momentum, one overlooked witness may hold the key to where Pearl spent the final hours of her life.
This is Part 2 of our in-depth series on the 1896 murder of Pearl Bryan.
"Pearl Bryan" by The Phipps Family Band, used with permission from Smithsonian Folkways Records. (Thanks again!)
"A Mother's Appeal to her Boy" performed by Joy Byers (The best piano teacher in the West! 😁)
Vintage ads:
- Parks Vaginal Suppositories (1896)
- Hypnotism lessons by Dr. Stuard (1896)
- Dr. Conway's Bust Tabloids (1896)
- The When - Bicycle Exhibit (1896)
