26. The Gruesome Crimes of Anton Probst

Nov 21, 2017

Anton Probst was a carpenter's son from (probably) Wiesbaden, Germany. After being deservedly dumped by his betrothed, he embarked upon a criminal escapade with a not-too-bright friend that put the friend in prison and sent Anton on the run. 

 

Eventually, in 1863, Anton arrived in the US, and nothing around him was ever pleasant again. He lied, cheated and stole his way from state to state, at one point mutilating himself to avoid taking guard duty. Misery followed misery, and fate led Anton to the Deering (also spelled Dearing in some sources) family farm in rural Philadelphia. What followed would be so gruesome as to make newspapers across the world, and by far the worst crime we've covered on the show.  

 

Also, Violet's got some correspondence from Australia as a wizened and bitter person critiques the poetry of a child. 

 

Sources used in this episode:

 

http://lawcollections.library.cornell.edu/trial/catalog/sat:1709

britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

trove.nla.gov.au

newspapers.com

 

Yesterday's Chip Paper is a podcast where two keen, amateur researchers on opposite sides of the Atlantic delve into newspaper archives to resurface the stories hidden in the pages. From true crime to mad scientists, there's no limit to what we can discover. 

 

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