456:  Outlaw Public Enemies Ben & Stella Mae Dickson w/ Matt Cecil

456: Outlaw Public Enemies Ben & Stella Mae Dickson w/ Matt Cecil

Author: Blue Ewe Media September 23, 2026 Duration: 1:29:18
On August 25, 1938, twenty-five-year-old Ben Dickson and his fifteen-year-old wife Stella Mae robbed the Corn Exchange Bank in Elkton, South Dakota, making off with $2,187.64. Two months later they hit a bank in nearby Brookings for $17,593 - after waiting two hours for the vault’s time-lock to open while the bank's manager went on processing loans for customers. Unfortunately for these two small-time outlaws, the FBI was in short supply of public enemies at the time, and a newly minted Bonnie and Clyde was exactly what J. Edgar Hoover needed to stoke the agency's public relations machine. My guest is Matt Cecil, author of The Ballad of Ben and Stella Mae: Great Plains Outlaws Who Became FBI Public Enemies Nos. 1 and 2. He has been fascinated with the story of Ben and Stella Mae since he was a teenager, and shares his research with us on this latest episode of Most Notorious. The author's publisher page: https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700623242/ The author's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Matthew-Cecil/author/B00I4BYFRQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Step back in time and explore the darkest corners of the past with Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast. This isn't just another crime show; it's a deep dive into the historical context that shaped infamous acts and the figures behind them. From the ruthless gangsters of the Prohibition era to the chilling methods of Victorian-era murderers, each episode unpacks a story rooted in its specific moment in history. Host Erik Rivenes acts as your guide, conducting thoughtful interviews with authors and historians who have dedicated years to researching their subjects. These conversations move beyond sensational headlines to deliver nuanced narratives filled with detail and scholarly accuracy. You'll hear about forgotten tragedies, legendary outlaws, and societal disasters, all presented with a focus on understanding the why and how within the framework of the past. Tune in for a compelling blend of education and narrative, where every story is a piece of historical truth, often more fascinating and complex than fiction. This podcast from Blue Ewe Media connects the dots between crime and history, offering a rich, thoroughly researched listening experience for anyone curious about the shadows cast across different centuries.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast
Podcast Episodes
American Criminal: Boss Tweed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:45
This is the first episode of American Criminal's latest season - all about Boss Tweed, the Tammany Hall politician who has become synonymous with civic graft and corruption. Listen to my interview with Ken Ackerman about…
446: Bandit Chief Joaquin Murrieta:  Myth Vs. Fact w/ John Boessenecker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:17
Joaquin Murrieta has been remembered as a Robin Hood of the California Gold Rush — a wronged miner turned avenging outlaw, the supposed inspiration for Zorro. The truth is far darker and more complicated: the real Murrie…
445: The Murder of Frances Cochran w/ Robert Fitzgibbon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:15
On July 17, 1941, in Lynn, Massachusetts, attractive nineteen-year-old Frances Cochran stepped off a commuter bus and into a mysterious black automobile. Three days later, police discovered her mutilated body in a Salem…
444:  A Memoir of Murder in the Golden State w/ Debra Miller [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:47
On October 7, 1964, Debra Miller’s life turns upside down when her mother is arrested for the murder of her father. At only fourteen years old, Debra becomes a ward of the court, grappling with the unfathomable trauma of…
443:  Iowa's Notorious Carter Gang w/ David & Rose Donovan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:41
In the first decades of the twentieth century, saloon proprietor Erastus Wallace Scott of Des Moines―with his cousins in the infamous Carter Gang―operated a campaign of murder, fraud, corruption, and prostitution from hi…
442:  The Maplehurst Murder w/ Mark Sebastian Jordan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:40
The night before Easter 1905, Miranda Bricker left her sister’s house and made her way through the darkness. Her destination was her living quarters and place of employment, the Maplehurst mansion, the home of Mount Vern…