Doppelnamers
Doppelnamers connects the dots between strangers who share the same name. This 11-part podcast tells the story of a pioneer named Elizabeth Russell who was tried for murder in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in 1892. Elizabeth’s story has endless parallels to issues that plague our society today: misogyny; corruption; misinformation; anti-immigrant sentiment; mob mentality; body autonomy; the abuse of sexual power. In addition to Elizabeth’s unbelievable story, we’ll catch a glimpse of late 19th-century life in rural Wisconsin. And spoiler alert: history can be funny. Host Elizabeth (TS) Russell tells the story to co-hosts Mary Jeanne Stead and Cathy Boyle Almeida, who meet the characters and hear the tale for the first time, right along with the listeners.
Episodes
Host Elizabeth (TS) Russell begins the tale of her Doppelnamer, a pioneer named Elizabeth Russell who was tried for murder in 1892. Co-hosts Mary Jeanne Stead and Cathy Boyle Almeida meet characters who will eventually star in Elizabeth's incredible story, all of whom started their lives "somewhere else" but landed in rural Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
In this episode we get a flavor of what life was like in 1890s Eau Claire. (Another of my doppelnamers gets gored by a bull on her way home from church!) Society's concerns back then were profoundly similar to ours, today. Cath and MJ meet two immigrant families, the Jensens and the Ericksons, who figure very importantly in Elizabeth's story. And we conclude the episode with a side of Elizabeth that nobody saw coming.
Peter testifies about Elizabeth's sexual advances. Newspapers of the time deemed his testimony unfit for publication. We'll hear about Peter's life in what today is a Wisconsin "ghost town." Elizabeth's nephew, "Peeping Elmer," describes what was going on between Peter and Sarah; and Elizabeth fires shots in the "Revolver Incident." We start this and each of the remaining Episodes saluting an Eau Claire or story-related character, ...
Adam and Elizabeth greet Peter with a lighthearted charivari, moments before he delivers a bombshell from which they will never recover. Learn whose life will be cut short, and how a cold winter's dance set the tragic events in motion.
Bonus story: We meet Thomas Russell's Doppelnamer
Doctors of the day treat Bertha with poison and dog sedatives. We hear conflicting accounts of her final hours, and we witness Bertha's death. Then wait...was she buried alive??
Bonus Doppelnamer story: William Frawley
Bertha's grave is opened...again. Dr. Chase refuses to perform an autopsy, so an IRS booze inspector presides over a grisly inquest. We consider the murky relationship between inquests and grand jury proceedings, setting the stage for what Elizabeth is about to endure.
Bonus Doppelnamer Story: Ted Kennedy
Finding himself with no evidence to support charges against Elizabeth, Frawley takes matters into his own hands with an astonishing act of misconduct.
Bonus Doppelnamer Story: Russ Whipple
The trial begins, and it's all-out theater, right down to the red carpet. A juror dresses up in drag, and Frawley plants fake news. Judge Bailey is threatened with lynching. Bertha's own mother reveals the likely cause of death...and it's not poison.
Bonus Doppelnamer story: Maggie Jensen
Dr. Judith Ziegler weighs in on medical aspects of the case. Who knew that arsenic was everywhere?
Bonus Doppelnamer story: Judith Ziegler
MJ, Cath, and Judith deliberate as though they were the jury.
Bonus Doppelnamer story: Bill Bailey
The jury returns its verdict. The story doesn't end, though, and neither does Elizabeth's harrowing journey. MJ and Cath learn what happened to the characters later in life, and muse about whether justice was served.
Bonus Doppelnamer story: A Surprise!
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