Dark Poutine - True Crime and Dark History
True crime, legends, folklore, dark history and other creepy topics from the perspective of real live Canadians.
Fredericton’s Last Execution: The Murder of Norman Burgoyne
Episode 378: Fredericton, New Brunswick, in the sultry summer of 1949, was a community caught between the relief of peacetime and the tensions of post-war hardship. Along the margins of this tidy city lived George Hamilton (25) and Rufus Hamilton (23), two young black brothers whose lives had been fraught with poverty, exclusion, and desperation. These would be factors in the horrific actions they took, which would soon propel them into local infamy as the last men ever executed in Fredericton.
At the heart of this tragedy was Norman Burgoyne: a respected, 35-year-old taxi driver, decorated war veteran, and devoted family man whose sudden, violent death would shatter the sense of safety in the city.
Podcast Promo:Brew Crime Podcast
Episode Sources:Norman Burgoyne - Search - Newspapers.com™May 20, 1949, page 8 - Daily Gleaner at Newspapers.comJul 27, 1949, page 9 - Daily Gleaner at Newspapers.comJul 27, 1949, page 1 - Telegraph-Journal at Newspapers.comThe O'Ree and Lawrence FamiliesBlack New Brunswickers reflect on past and modern racism | CBC NewsBlack History Walking Tour“bad characters”: The Execution of George & Rufus Hamilton in Fredericton, 1949 | AcadiensisLast hanging in FrederictonGeorge and RueView of Grieving the Ungrievable: Negation and Recognition in Execution Poems | Borders: Undergraduate Arts JournalExecution Poems : The Black Acadian Tragedy of George and Rue | Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS)View of Whips, Hammers, and Ropes: The Burden of Race and Desire in Clarke’s George & Rue | Studies in Canadian LiteratureDefinitely not Butch and Sundance
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Podcast Episodes
The Fosterville Murders
Episode 354: In the quiet, close-knit community of Fosterville, New Brunswick, a crime of unspeakable horror shattered the peace on November 26, 1924. Two young sisters, Cynthia (14) and Necia Foster (10), were found bou…
The 2018 Toronto Van Attack
Episode 353: On April 23, 2018, a bright spring afternoon turned into a nightmare when a rented van plowed through pedestrians along Yonge Street in North York, a Toronto neighbourhood. In just minutes, 10 lives were tra…
The Westray Mine Disaster
Episode 352: At 5:18 a.m. on May 9, 1992, in Plymouth, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, in the Westray Mine, a methane gas explosion, followed by a coal dust blast, ripped through the underground tunnels, claiming the lives o…
Killed on the Job: Constable Emmanuel Aucoin
Episode 351: On March 8, 1987, a routine Sunday morning traffic stop on a quiet stretch of Route 640 between Yoho Lake and Hanwell to the southwest of Fredericton, New Brunswick, turned into a tragedy that shocked the na…
Transatlantic Tragedy — The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth
Episode 350: Ashley Wadsworth’s story is one of hope and adventure turned into a nightmare. Originally from Vernon, British Columbia, Ashley travelled to the UK to be with her boyfriend, Jack Sepple, whom she had met onl…
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The Gay Purge in Canada Part 2: The 1960’s -1990's
Episode 348: This is part 2 of our coverage of the Gay Purge in Canada. Last week, we uncovered the origins of the Canadian government’s purge of gays and queer folk, a campaign that began in the early years of the Cold…
The Gay Purge in Canada Part 1: The 1940’s-1960’s
Episode 347: In this episode, part one of two, thanks to Mathew’s intrepid and unflinching research, we’re peeling back the layers on one of the most harrowing chapters in Canadian history: the Gay Purge. Officially, the…
Complex Justice: The Tragic Story of Annie Mae Pictou Aquash
Episode 346: In this episode, we look into the life and mysterious murder of Annie Mae Pictou Aquash, a prominent Indigenous activist whose story continues to haunt the corridors of justice and activism alike. During th…
Particularly Cruel: The Murder of Baylee Wylie
Episode 345: In December 2015, the quiet city of Moncton, New Brunswick, was shaken to its core by a brutal crime that would leave an indelible mark on the community. Eighteen-year-old Baylee Wylie was found dead in a bu…
