Murder, Mischief & Mayhem!

Upon the discovery of the body of Ocey Snead, the three Wardlaw sisters are apprehended and indicted on first degree murder charges. The circumstances surrounding the girl’s passing are incriminating. The “women in black” all steadfastly maintain their innocence in a courtroom unnerved by the untimely death of Virginia Wardlaw (who starves herself in her jail cell) and the egomaniacal ravings of Caroline Martin during the proceedings. However, the trial takes a dramatic turn when a surprise witness, Albert Wardlaw – the sisters’ brother – takes the stand. 

East Orange New Jersey was an affluent, tree-lined, mansion-filled community in 1909, populated by oil tycoons and Newark industrialists. In November of that year, its tranquility was suddenly shattered by a phone call to the police from Virginia Wardlaw, one of the three Wardlaw women (the Sisters in Black) who were well known in East Orange for their weird attire and strange behavior. That disturbing call resulted in a visit by the authorities to the Wardlaw home, where they discovered the body of a 19-year girl, Miss Ocey Snead, in an upstairs bathtub. Despite the protests of Virginia Wardlaw that this was an accident (or a possible suicide) the authorities felt otherwise. The investigation that followed and the evidence that surfaced painted a far different picture of how the three sisters treated the young girl in their care. Hardly the benevolent custodians they claimed to be, the sisters plotted to rob the young victim of her inheritance, her sanity, and her life. Join our host, G.W. Bailey, as we chronicle another true story from America’s criminal past—a tale of betrayal, gaslighting and murder.

Three sisters disturb the peace in East Orange New Jersey in 1909 when they take a 19-year-old girl hostage and imprison her in their hovel. Their plan for the girl (the daughter of one of the sisters) is diabolical: gaslight their victim into submission, gain control over her inheritance, and then starve her to death. 

The trial of Dr. Rosenzweig attracted national attention, thanks to its relentless coverage in the New York press. Abortion was relatively common in Post-Civil War New York. In fact, an underground network of providers openly advertised their services in the classified sections of the local newspapers. However, in 1871, it was an unsafe and often fatal pursuit. The Rosenzweig trial went well beyond arguing the facts of the case; it quickly became a forum on the legality and morality of the practice. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court in 2022, the reproductive rights battle rages on – as contentious and intractable an issue in the 21st century as it was in the 19th. 

Nothing could prepare the baggage handlers on the loading dock of the Hudson River Railroad Depot for what they found when they cracked open a suspicious steamer trunk headed for Chicago. They recoil in horror. The authorities are immediately called in. The New York City Constabulary conducts an investigation with a zeal that befits the enormity of the suspected crime.