The Big Story
The Poison Pen Murders
by
The Big Story presents dramatized crime stories drawn from newspaper reporting, bringing the work of journalists and the events they uncovered to radio. This episode, “The Poison Pen Murders,” follows the investigation into the killing of Cincinnati laundry owner Adolph Woest and the shooting of salesman Jacob Lange in 1933.
The account centers on Richard Keller, the ex-convict suspected of the crimes, and the long effort to find him. After fleeing to Chicago, Keller was eventually recognized during an attempted grocery-store robbery in Minneapolis. Lodovico Nardi, an Italian immigrant and First World War veteran, subdued him using a hold, while Nardi’s young daughter went for the police. The story also recounts how Belle Jones helped investigators by identifying Keller and providing the gun for testing.
The episode traces the case through Keller’s conviction, failed appeals, and execution in 1936, including the crowded, noisy scene at the Ohio Penitentiary. Its newspaper-based approach gives the drama a documentary edge, combining a pursuit across cities with the human details and public attention surrounding the case.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.
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