The Ivory Glove: How a Dockhand's Notes Unmasked Aconite Murder

The Ivory Glove: How a Dockhand's Notes Unmasked Aconite Murder A meticulously placed ivory silk glove on a dead clerk's chest and a ceramic bowl that didn't belong to the shop hint at a planned poisoning that went unchallenged for fifty years; who arranged the glove, who brought the bowl, and why did the official ruling call it a cardiac episode? The case pivots on a dropped syllable, a green notebook and a dying man's written confession-what did those notes reveal that the coroner did not? In this episode, we lay out the sequence of discoveries: the scene on Peking Alley, the missing Thursdays that broke a four‑year routine, the ledger and laboratory records that pointed in different directions, and the single trace alkaloid found in degraded remains-what question finally forced the original ruling to be rethought? Person: John Casey, age 47 Date: December 9, 1923 Location: Pacific Herb and Tea storeroom, Peking Alley Person: Theodore Voss, consulting chemist (laboratory notes in University of California archive) Event: Human remains reported at Pier 38 on December 28, 1923 (trace alkaloid found) - The body of John Casey, age 47, was found December 9, 1923, in the back storeroom of Pacific Herb and Tea on Peking Alley. - An ivory silk evening glove was placed on Casey’s chest with fingers pointing toward his chin and the wrist cuffed back. - Casey had missed his weekly Thursday visit to Albert Nance on November 22 and November 29 after attending on November 15; he had kept that Thursday ritual for four years. - A ceramic bowl not belonging to the shop was found near the body and carried a smell noted by Detective Brian Miller as matching restricted plant preparations. - Remains reported December 28, 1923 at Pier 38 yielded a trace alkaloid per consulting chemist Theodore Voss, while the coroner initially ruled Casey’s death a cardiac episode linked to an herbal preparation. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].