Get it on Google Play

The Willie Starchfield Murder Mystery

The Willie Starchfield Murder Mystery

Author: Ben Cutmore September 8, 2026 Duration: 1:00:12
Dark Histories
History
On a cold, grey January afternoon in 1914, a railway carriage travelling through north London shuttled along its route, carrying a grim secret. Beneath a third-class carriage seat lay the body of five-year-old Willie Starchfield, strangled and carefully concealed from view. Earlier that day, Willie had been sent out on an errand and never came home. The police launched a struggling investigation, hampered by a voracious press and conflicting witnesses, that eventually concluded with the arrest of Willie’s own father. Yet when the case finally reached court, the truth remained frustratingly out of reach. SOURCES The Star (1914) N.L.R. Train Murder. The Star, Fri 9 Jan 1914, p1. London, UK. Bradford Daily Argus (1914) Revenge? Bradford Daily Argus, Fri 9 Jan 1914, p1. Bradford, UK. The Star (1914) London Train Murder. The Star, Sat 10 Jan 1914, p1. London, UK. The Star (1914) N.L.R. Train Murder. The Star, Fri 9 Jan 1914, p1. London, UK. The Star (1914) Scotland Yard Dilemma. The Star, Mon 12 Jan 1914, p1. London, UK. The Star (1914) Hunt For Train Murderer. The Star, Tues 13 Jan 1914, p1. London, UK. The Star (1914) Tube “Clues” To N.L.R. Murder. The Star, Wed 14 Jan 1914, p5. London, UK. The Star (1914) Train Murder Inquest. The Star, Thurs 15 Jan 1914, p1. London, UK. Londonderry Standard (1914) The Body Under The Seat. Thurs 15 Jan 1914, p1. Londonderry, UK. Lloyd’s Weekly News (1914) The Murder Of Willie Starchfield. Sun 1 March 1914. P1. London, UK. Leicester Daily Post (1914) London Train Mystery. Leicester Daily Post, Fri 16 Jan 1914. P1. Leicester, UK. The Star (1914) The Starchfield Drama. The Star, Thurs 2 April 1914, p4. London, UK. The Star (1916) Starchfield Dead. The Star, Sat 22 April 1916, p4. London, UK. John Bull (1914) Starchfield’s Untold Story. John Bull, Sat 11 April 1914, p8. London, UK. ------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://author.to/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dark Histories merch is available here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3GChjk9⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with us on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or find us on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://twitter.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or you can contact us directly via email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@darkhistories.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or join our Discord community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every two weeks, Ben Cutmore invites you into the shadowy corners of our past, where facts blur with folklore and case files remain stubbornly open. Dark Histories is less a lecture and more an exploration, weaving meticulous research into compelling narratives that linger long after the episode ends. You’ll hear detailed accounts of events that defy easy explanation, from long-forgotten crimes and bizarre hoaxes to oddities that shaped societies. The focus is always on the human stories within these enigmatic tales, told with a careful balance of skepticism and an appreciation for the strange. This isn't just about ghosts or monsters, but the very real, often unsettling peculiarities documented throughout history. Each installment of this podcast feels like piecing together a puzzle where some pieces are forever missing, offering no easy answers but plenty to ponder. It’s for anyone who finds themselves drawn to the edges of the map, where the documented record meets the unexplained. Settle in for a journey through the archives of the bizarre and the unresolved, where every story is a reminder that the past is rarely as simple as it seems.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Official website RSS
instagramyoutubediscordspotifyapple_music
Dark Histories
Podcast Episodes
The Big Grey Man of Ben MacDui [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:26
High in the mist-shrouded Cairngorms, where the winter wind bites like a vice, lies the domain of a long-spoken, unsettling presence. For over a hundred years, the climbers of Ben Macdui have told stories of a towering f…
The Ghost Ship Carroll A. Deering [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:30
In January 1921, a five-masted schooner was discovered run aground off the coast of North Carolina with no crew aboard and no clear signs of struggle. Personal belongings, navigation equipment, and the ship’s lifeboats w…
The Witches of Warboys [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:09
In the late 16th century, in the small village of Warboys, just outside Cambridge, everyday life was unsettled by growing fear and uncertainty, when family members of the local gentry began suffering from strange illness…
The 19th Century West Ham Vanishings [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:06
The East London district of West Ham might be best known globally for the football team of the same name, but in the late 19th century, the area became famous for something much darker. West Ham, and in particular, a sin…
George Psalmanazar, The Man From Formosa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:29
In the early 1700s, when maps still had blank spaces and “here be dragons” felt like a reasonable warning, a stranger arrived in Europe with a fantastic story to tell. Calling himself George Psalmanazar, and claiming to…
George Joseph Smith: The Case of the Brides in the Bath [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:32
At the turn of the twentieth century, a pattern of unusual deaths began to surface, when three unrelated women were found drowned in their bathtubs, following a fit or a feinting. The cases seemed unconnected, scattered…
The Curious Case of Edgar Vandy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:01
In 1933 when a young, London inventor died under suspicious circumstances, his two surviving brothers turned to the talents of spiritualist mediums in the hopes of finding some answers to the many questions they had foll…
Christmas Campfire 2025 (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:48
Happy New Year! Here is part two of the Christmas Campfire for 2025, though I guess it's more of a New Years Campfire! I hope you enjoy it, it's been another great year for the Christmas Campfire and a huge thank you for…
Christmas Campfire 2025 (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:32
It's Christmas Eve, so it must be time for the Christmas Campfire! Thank you so much to everyone that submitted their stories this year, it's been another great year for entires and there's plenty enough for two episodes…
The Spirit of Old Jeffery: John Wesley & The Epworth Poltergeist [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:39
Over the Christmas of 1716, during a time of political tension and uncertainty in England, strange events began to trouble Epworth Rectory. After nightfall, the home of Reverend Samuel Wesley was disturbed by unexplained…

«12345»