Tales of old-school murder in Dayton just in time for Halloween

The old Ridge Avenue Bridge where Bessie Little was murdered as it appeared around 1910. It was replaced by the current bridge in 1927, which will soon be demolished. ARTICLE: Dayton’s Ridge Avenue Bridge has haunted history as site of notorious 19th century murder

The old Ridge Avenue Bridge where Bessie Little was murdered as it appeared around 1910. It was replaced by the current bridge in 1927, which will soon be demolished. ARTICLE: Dayton’s Ridge Avenue Bridge has haunted history as site of notorious 19th century murder

As the old saying goes, everyone has a story. Some of those stories just happen to involve MURDER.

Angie Hoschouer of Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum returns to the "What Had Happened Was" podcast to share shocking tales of Dayton murders pulled right from the Gem City's distant past.

>> See the gravesites of these Dayton dames involved in the city’s most gruesome murders 

Homicide victim Bessie Little. Little was 23, nearly three years older than Albert Frantz, when the two met. Her body was found in the Stillwater River and closer examination revealed two bullet wounds in her left ear. ARTICLE: Dayton’s Ridge Avenue Bridge has haunted history as site of notorious 19th century murder

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Angie shares the tragic story behind the Bessie Little Bridge, a mother murderer who ended up in a place worse than jail and the mom who gave her daughter one fatal whack and didn't live to tell about it.

>> RELATED:  Meet the Miamisburg man behind ‘True Crime All the Time’ 

But this episode is not all about creeps, ghosts and supposed ghouls. Angie tells America about famed former slave Jordan Anderson and how he left a legacy of defiance with the help of one of Dayton's most well-known citizens.

>> RELATED:  Letter from former slave living in Dayton hits the web

Jordan Anderson, an escaped slavery, made it to Dayton. CONTRIBUTED

Credit: HANDOUT

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Credit: HANDOUT

A 19th century prison mug shot photo of Albert Frantz, convicted in the murder of Bessie Little. Frantz was only the fourth man in Ohio history to meet death in the electric chair. ARTICLE: Dayton’s Ridge Avenue Bridge has haunted history as site of notorious 19th century murder

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ABOUT THE PODCAST

"What Had Happened Was" is a podcast for Dayton, powered by Dayton.com. You won't believe the stories that come from right here. Host Amelia Robinson shares the best tales from the Gem City, Land of Funk and Birthplace of Aviation: Dayton, Ohio.

This podcast is brought to you by Cox Digital Marketing.

>> “What Had Happened Was...” podcast a finalist for prestigious Marconi award

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