Infamous America

Over the course of five years in the early 1950s, George Metesky escalates a bombing campaign that is designed to hurt his former employer, Consolidated Edison. He writes letters to the press and he revels in the media attention, but he feels angry because no one seems to understand his cause. Soon, his bombs begin injuring innocent people, and the NYPD turns to a radical new tactic to stop him. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1931, George Metesky suffers a injury while working for Consolidated Edison power company in New York. George feels he is not properly compensated for years of trauma and recovery, and he wants vengeance against Con Ed. He begins a bombing campaign to push for justice against his enemies, and his devices mystify the NYPD. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Immediately after the deadly explosion at the L.A. Times building, celebrated detective William Burns begins an investigation. He follows a long trail of clues left behind by the bombers and quickly learns of the identities of the three men who were involved, notably J.B. McNamara. McNamara and his brother enlist famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow as they prepare for the Trial of the Century, but Darrow quickly becomes convinced of their guilt. For the full story of the L.A. Times bombing, check out the fantastic book “Deadly Times” by Lew Irwin. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early 1900s, a new phase starts in the ongoing battle between unions and big businesses. Some union organizers begin using bombs to try to force employers to negotiate. In 1910, the powerful Iron Workers union launches a nationwide bombing campaign against ruthless business owners. On October 1, 1910, notorious bomber J.B. McNamara targets the Los Angeles Times building in one of the worst attacks in American history. For the full story of the L.A. Times bombing, check out the fantastic book “Deadly Times” by Lew Irwin. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The courtroom trials were dramatic. They were surprising reversals and bold acts of jury tampering. But finally, after years of heartbreak, the Osage received some justice. Four men who were involved in many of the killings went to prison. The Bureau of Investigation closed the collective case of the Osage Murders, but that didn’t mean all the crimes were solved. To this day, one hundred years later, mystery still surrounds many of the victims of the Reign of Terror. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Throughout 1925, Special Agent Tom White and his team produced more results than all the other investigators combined. But even White’s investigation stalled. And then, he received a miracle: an inmate in an Oklahoma prison possessed vital information about the murders. The inmate’s confession led to shocking revelations and the first arrests in the cases of the Osage Murders. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mercifully, the murders in the Osage Nation paused in 1924 and 1925. J. Edgar Hoover became the director of the Bureau of Investigation and assigned a new man to the case of the Osage murders. Special Agent Tom White succeeded where all others failed. He eliminated suspects; uncovered lies and corruption; and discovered new evidence. In the process, he believed he learned the identities of some of the killers. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The winter of 1923 saw more murders in the Osage Hills, but no one was prepared for the brazen and brutal attack that happened in March. In the aftermath, the Osage pressed the U.S. government and the state of Oklahoma for help, but their efforts produced few results. And then, criminals in Osage County started dying. The masterminds behind the conspiracy began covering their tracks and further proved no one was safe. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Osage and local lawmen began to investigate the first two murders, but their efforts produced few results. The Osage were scared and frustrated, and the body count started to rise at an appalling rate. The second half of 1922 was the deadliest period to date, but it would be surpassed in 1923. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1921, two murder victims were discovered on the same day in Osage County in northeastern Oklahoma. It was shocking news, but members of the Osage tribe already knew they were in danger. They were some of the richest people on Earth, thanks to the oil under their land, and they had been dying in mysterious ways for years. But when the two bodies were found on the same day, it launched a 5-year period known as the Reign of Terror. No one was safe, and no one could be trusted. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of the Labor Day weekend in 1982, people in the tiny fishing village of Craig, Alaska noticed a boat burning in the harbor. When they raced to help, they realized it was an expensive vessel called the Investor. The eight people who were likely onboard were never seen again. The investigation into the tragedy, which would soon be called murder, would be the longest and most expensive in Alaska history. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A tragedy unfolds on Christmas Eve, 1945 in a small town in West Virginia. The Sodder family – 2 parents and 9 children – go to bed after a happy celebration. But during the night, a series of unexplained events occur. The events culminate in a raging fire that burns the family’s house to the ground. It appears as though five children were lost during the blaze, but the rest of the family embarks on a 20-year campaign to discover the truth of the missing children. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On January 2, 1935, a man who calls himself Roland T. Owen checks into a hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. Over the next 48 hours, the events surrounding Roland Owen grow increasingly strange … until he is discovered badly beaten and locked in his room. It takes years to unravel the mystery of his true identity, but most of the questions about this story remain unanswered. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A year and a half after the first Zodiac crime, a man kidnaps a pregnant mother and her daughter. Their terrifying ordeal becomes associated with the Zodiac and eventually leads reporter Paul Avery to look backward in time for other Zodiac crimes. He discovers a murder in Riverside, California that might be connected. Meanwhile, detectives focus on their top suspect and spend more than 20 years trying to catch him. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two weeks after the attack at Lake Berryessa, the Zodiac shoots and kills a taxi cab driver in San Francisco. Multiple witnesses see the killer, but the police still struggle to find him. The killer sends more letters and now issues threats against school kids in the San Francisco region. At the same time, it appears as though he organizes a stunt with a local TV show. The bizarre TV episode leads to more frustration for police, and more letters from the killer. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two college students relax along the shore of a lake in Napa County, California on a sunny afternoon in September of 1969. Before long, they are interrupted by a man who wears an eerie black hood and carries a gun. The man attacks the students with a knife and leaves them for dead. The killer writes a message on the students’ car and calls the police to take credit for the crime. In the process, he leaves behind new clues that investigators add to the growing list of evidence about the elusive criminal. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the police, the FBI, the U.S. Navy, and random civilians try to break the code of the killer’s cipher, the killer sends another letter to the press. He gives himself a name, the Zodiac, and taunts the police departments that are unable to catch him. Within a few days, a pair of teachers break the code of the Zodiac’s cipher and reveal the twisted ramblings of a killer. Meanwhile, the Zodiac prepares for his next crime. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seven months after two teenagers are murdered outside Vallejo, California, the killer reemerges. He shoots two young people at a park on the outskirts of the city, but this time one of the victims survives. Shortly after the attack, the killer calls the Vallejo police department and sets in motion a pattern of communication that will be unrivaled in American criminal history. A month later, he sends letters to three newspapers and includes a cipher that contains a coded message. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few days before Christmas in 1968, two teenagers from Vallejo, California go on their first date. They park at a lover’s lane pullout off of a dark road outside of town. Within an hour, a stranger parks near their car. He forces the kids out of their car, and then shoots and kills them. Investigators are baffled. There are few clues, no leads, and no suspects. Someone committed a brutal double murder with no motive, and a mystery begins… Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Music from the Infamous America podcast. Songs from Season 4: Dillinger. 0:00 – Infamous America Opening Cue 0:12 – “Hear My Train a’Calling” – Ryan Kickland 2:46 – “Desperate Blues” – Jean Soullier and Fabrice Remy Ploquin 5:48 – “Keep On Walking” – Tom Poole, Peter Simon Beckman, Robin Lawrence Datta, Ben Lord 8:09 – “At The Bottom” – Scott Stallone 11:53 – “Beyond the Wild” – Alex De Menthon and Christopher Timothy White 14:30 – “Long, Long Gone” – Adele Roberts and James Oliver Hutchinson 17:45 – “Far Away Prison Blues” – Luke Austin and Michelle Sundholm 20:44 – “Lonely Man” – Casey McPherson of ALPHA REV 25:07 – “Chain Gang Song” – Bill Baylis and Simon Gerard Lewis Stewart 28:37 – “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” – Mark Alan Morris Infamous America Opening Cue was composed and performed by Robb Vallier for Black Barrel Media. All other tracks are licensed through APM Music. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. For more details, visit our website www.blackbarrelmedia.com and check out our social media pages. We’re @OldWestPodcast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices