In the early 1900s, the name Ernest Bush appeared quietly in Nebraska newspapers — just another name in ink.

But behind that ordinary name was a story of murder, manhunts, prison escapes, and a brazen outlaw who would earn the nickname “The Chain Man.”

Born in Denmark and raised in Nebraska, Bush’s life veered far from the immigrant dream. After a first-degree murder conviction, a surprising pardon, and years behind bars, he resurfaced again and again in headlines across the Midwest.

He escaped from prison.
He stole horses.
He confronted law enforcement while shaving at a roadside camp.
He forced his way into homes and cafes.
And he left entire communities on edge.

By 1922, the man once known as Ernest Bush was making national headlines under a different name — and standing trial before packed courtrooms.

But even in death, the mystery lingered.

When his grave was finally marked, it wasn’t under the name most people knew.

In this episode of Headlines & Tidbits, we unravel the strange, violent, and almost unbelievable story of the man called The Chain Man of Nebraska.

In this haunting episode of Headlines and Tidbits, we uncover the unbelievable true story of Concetto Formica, an Italian immigrant, musician, and carnival worker whose tragic death in 1911 led to one of the most disturbing and misunderstood chapters in American funeral history.

After Concetto was murdered while working with a traveling carnival, his embalmed body was never laid to rest. Instead, it remained in a North Carolina funeral home for more than 61 years, earning him the nickname “The Italian Mummy.” Through newspaper accounts, interviews, and historical records, we trace how Concetto’s body became a fixture of a small Southern town — and why.

But this story doesn’t end there. We also follow the heartbreaking fate of Concetto’s father, Vincenzo Formica, an Italian immigrant and fellow musician, whose own mysterious death less than a year later raises even more unsettling questions. Along the way, we explore carnival life in early 20th-century America, immigrant identity, racial prejudice, ethics in death, and the long fight to finally lay Concetto to rest.

This episode is a deeply human story about loss, dignity, and how history remembers — or forgets — those on the margins.

In August 1909, 17-year-old Anna Schumacher left her Rochester, New York home on a warm summer afternoon to bring flowers to her father’s grave—an ordinary, tender act that would end in tragedy. What followed was one of the most disturbing and baffling unsolved murders of the early 20th century.

In this episode of Headlines and Tidbits, we trace Anna’s final hours, the shocking discovery of her body in the cemetery, and the explosive newspaper coverage that followed. From bungled police responses and public outrage to multiple arrests, false confessions, and sensational headlines, this case drew national attention—and still produced no answers. Years later, dramatic confessions from troubled men promised closure, only to collapse under scrutiny.

Using original newspaper accounts, witness statements, and historical context, this episode explores how Anna’s murder became a cautionary tale, a media spectacle, and ultimately a cold case that refused to fade. More than a century later, the question remains: how did a crime committed in broad daylight, with witnesses nearby, leave behind so much noise—and so little truth?

A haunting true crime story pulled straight from the past, and a reminder of how easily justice can slip away.

What if the thing lurking outside your window wasn’t an animal at all?

In this eerie episode of Headlines & Tidbits, we dig into the chilling legend of the Pigman of Northfield, Vermont—a creature said to be part man, part beast, and entirely nightmare. Described as towering, pig-faced, and covered in white fur, the Pigman has haunted the wooded hills of Northfield for decades, leaving behind whispers, sightings, and unanswered questions.

The story begins with a modern newspaper headline from the Burlington Free Press: “Which monster lives close to you?”—and quickly spirals into folklore, fear, and rumor. From a farmer who claimed to see a pig-like figure digging through his trash, to teenagers who said they were chased from their high school by something charging out of the woods, the legend only grows darker.

We also explore one of the most unsettling theories tied to the Pigman: the disappearance of 17-year-old Sam Harris in 1951, who vanished on the night before Halloween and was never seen again. Some believe the Pigman is Sam—or something he became.

Along the way, we examine how urban legends are born, why they endure, and what these stories reveal about fear, memory, and community. As always, we close the episode with vintage newspaper tidbits pulled straight from the past—strange, surprising, and unforgettable.

If you enjoy urban legends, cryptids, folklore, unsolved mysteries, creepy small-town stories, and strange newspaper history, this episode is for you.

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On New Year’s Eve 1915, a quiet street in Douglas, Alaska became the scene of one of the North’s most chilling crimes. An Italian immigrant named Mike Defino was shot multiple times in broad daylight—by a man he knew, a fellow miner named Nick Facicelli. What followed was not just a murder investigation, but a story tangled in money, silence, missing records, and a justice system stretched thin in a remote American territory.

In this episode of Headlines and Tidbits, we uncover the forgotten newspaper trail behind the murder of Mike Defino—an immigrant whose life exists mostly through prison records and headlines. Using original reporting from early 20th-century Alaska newspapers, we trace the events leading up to the shooting, the frantic manhunt through snow-covered streets, and the unsettling aftermath that included an exhumation, a detailed autopsy, and a trial that never truly happened.

As Nick Facicelli waited in jail, his mental state deteriorated. His prosecution was delayed—partly due to the capture and dramatic escape of Alaska’s first serial killer, Edward Cross—before Nick was ultimately declared insane and sent to an asylum. After that, both men vanish almost entirely from the historical record. No death dates. No closure. Just silence.

This is a true crime story about what happens when history stops paying attention.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• A New Year’s Eve murder in 1915 Alaska

• Prison records, mugshots, and missing personal histories

• A money dispute that turned deadly

• A manhunt tracked by footprints in the snow

• An autopsy ordered after burial

• The role of Alaska’s first serial killer in delaying justice

• A case that ends not with a verdict—but with disappearance

If you enjoy historical true crime, forgotten newspaper stories, and cases where the truth is buried alongside the past, this episode is for you.

🎧 Subscribe to Headlines and Tidbits for more strange, unsettling, and unbelievable stories pulled straight from old newspapers. New episodes explore the headlines history forgot—and the people left behind.

In December of 1962, just days before Christmas, 35-year-old Virginia Wagner left her Lancaster, Ohio home to pick up her son from basketball practice — and never returned.

When her car was found abandoned later that night, strange details quickly raised concern. Mud on the vehicle. A bloodstain that didn’t match her blood type. And no sign of Virginia herself. What followed was a weeks-long search that gripped the community, unfolding in the pages of the Columbus Dispatch as winter weather, unanswered questions, and fading hope complicated the investigation.

On January 6, 1963, the search ended in tragedy when Virginia’s body was discovered beneath the ice of Raccoon Creek. But finding her did not bring immediate answers. The case went cold, suspects were questioned and cleared, and the Wagner family endured loss upon loss — including another mysterious death connected to their inner circle.

Months later, a chilling confession would finally expose the truth, revealing a violent pattern that should never have been missed — and raising haunting questions about warning signs, parole failures, and how many chances are too many.

In this episode of Headlines and Tidbits, we trace Virginia Wagner’s story from devoted mother to tragic headline, following the investigation as it unfolded in real time and examining the disturbing history of the man responsible.

Plus, in the second half of the episode, we lighten the mood with holiday-themed newspaper tidbits — bizarre vintage Christmas ads, strange marketing choices, and reminders that even in dark times, the past is full of unexpected details.

This is a story about loss, justice delayed, and the question that was never fully answered: why?

Step inside one of America's most chilling family histories — a story woven from beer, wealth, secrets, scandal, and an unbelievable string of tragedies. In this episode, Stephanie uncovers the haunting legacy of the Lemp family, St. Louis’s once-powerful brewing dynasty whose name became synonymous not just with success… but with sorrow.

From German immigration and the rise of the Western Brewery, to the family’s strange traditions, heartbreaking losses, rumored hidden child, decadent cave parties, and a series of shocking suicides, this story takes the listener behind the walls of the grand yet cursed Lemp Mansion — today considered one of the most haunted places in America.

You’ll hear about
🍺 the brewing innovations that made the Lemps a household name
🏛️ the attic where a child was said to be hidden
💜 the Lavender Lady and her chaotic marriage
👻 the ghosts still said to roam the mansion’s halls
🕯️ eerie sightings, unexplained noises, and paranormal encounters shared by guests and staff

It’s a blend of chilling history, family drama, and ghost-filled mystery — all uncovered one newspaper at a time.

Episode 8: The Lemp Family shows how even the wealthiest families can be haunted by more than money can fix.

This Veterans Day, we’re saluting courage, camaraderie, and one very unlikely hero — a beer-loving duck named Sergeant Siwash.

During World War II, Siwash marched (or rather, waddled) alongside the Marines of the Second Division, earning headlines, battle stars, and even a promotion for her fearless “fight” against a Japanese rooster during the Battle of Tarawa. From poker games in New Zealand to war bond rallies in Chicago, this little duck became a Marine legend — proving that even in wartime, humor and heart can go hand in hand.

Join Stephanie as she tells the unbelievable true story of the Marine Corps’ most famous duck, followed by a few quirky tidbits from old newspapers that remind us how strange and wonderful history can be.

🎧 Headlines and Tidbits — Stories too unbelievable to stay buried.