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Episode 382: On April 2, 1885, the tranquil settlement of Frog Lake in what is now Alberta became the scene of a devastating tragedy. Known as the Frog Lake Massacre, this violent…

On a warm summer evening in June 1887, 17-year-old Mary Pickering Tuplin vanished from her family's farm in Margate, PEI. A search and a grim discovery followed that would rock the quiet farming community to its core. Mary's body was found in the Southwest River, weighed down by a heavy stone, with two gunshot wounds to her head. The subsequent investigation would uncover a web of secrets, including the fact that Mary was six months pregnant. Circumstantial evidence led to 19-year-old William Millman's arrest, allegedly Mary’s lover. The shocking facts of the crime and its investigation led to a sensational trial that captivated the entire country. Millman was convicted and sent to the gallows in April 1888. Was justice indeed served, or, as some speculate, was an innocent man sent to the gallows?

On the evening of December 21, 1883, near Bloomfield, Ontario, visitor Peter Lazier was murdered by two intruders at the farmhouse of Quakers Gilbert and Margaret Jones. The community, deeply affected, quickly organized a search. They traced footprints in the snow, leading to Joseph Thomset and the Lowder family's homes near West Lake. By the next day, Joseph Thomset and brothers David and George Lowder were arrested and charged with murder. The legal process moved rapidly. The coroner's inquest began the next day, followed by formal proceedings within a week. The trial, held at the Prince Edward County Courthouse in Picton just five months later, suggested the motive was robbery, aimed at stealing the $555 Gilbert Jones earned from selling hops. George Lowder and Joseph Thomset were found guilty of murder and hanged in June of 1884. Many felt justice was served, but others believed the law got it wrong, acting hastily without sufficient evidence.

On July 3, 1884, the Daily Colonist newspaper in Canada reported the capture of "Jacko," described as a human-like creature resembling a gorilla near Yale, British Columbia. Some Bigfoot enthusiasts later cited this story as evidence for Sasquatch's existence. The tale gained prominence and drew much speculation from only a single story reprinted in numerous newspapers. Jacko’s story has been featured in various books, documentaries and television shows. Other articles from 1884 dismiss the story as a probable hoax, yet some continue to believe he did exist.

Episode 221: On the morning of December 31, 1888, in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, friends found 61-year-old fisherman François Coupard dead in his fishing shack. Someone had brutally slain Coupard and had mutilated his body horribly after his murder. A quick investigation led to two men, Auguste Neel and Louis Ollivier, trying to flee to Newfoundland on a stolen fishing boat. The pair later admitted their roles in the murder and were tried and convicted. Ollivier was sentenced to 10 years at hard labour, while Neel, against whom the evidence was more solid, received a death sentence, which was carried out on August 24, 1889. This execution was the first and last in North America using a guillotine to do the deed.Sources:ExecutedToday.com » auguste neel19/02/1930 : Affaire NEEL Auguste et OLLIVIER Louis – Saint-Pierre et Miquelon : Ephéméridesaffaire néel - Histoire des îles St Pierre et MiquelonSaint Pierre and Miquelon - WikipediaL’Île-aux-Marins - WikipediaCanada’s top court says voluntary extreme intoxication a defence in violent crimes | Globalnews.caR. v. Brown, 2022 SCC 18 (CanLII), the dive spell: Saint Pierre Island: site of the only guillotine execution in north americaLa Veuve de Saint-PierreHistory of the Guillotine8 Things You May Not Know About the Guillotine - HISTORYThe Paris Review - The Bloody Family History of the GuillotineLouis XVI - WikipediaDoes the head remain briefly conscious after decapitation (revisited)? - The Straight DopeExploring The French Instrument Of Death: The Guillotine | Thought CatalogGuillotine by Robert Frederick Opie - Ebook | ScribdExecution by Geoffrey Abbott - Ebook | ScribdThe Widow of Saint-Pierre - WikipediaSt. Pierre, a Tiny Pin Point of France and Al Capone’s Prohibition Haunt: Canadian Odyssey on the Looney Front — Part 10 | HuffPost LifeSept. 10, 1977: Heads Roll for the Last Time in France | WIRED5 really cool things about Saint-Pierre and Miquelon - Newfoundland and Labrador, CanadaSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/darkpoutine