65 - The Ratcliffe Highway Murders

In December 1811, two households in the borough of Wapping, one of the docks districts of east London were annihilated in a pair of brutal and apparently motiveless crimes. After the crimes, the murderer was disposed of in a novel and unusual fashion. Twenty years later, they were described in Thomas De Quincey's satirical essay “On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts” as “the sublimest and most entire in their excellence that ever were committed.”
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Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Classic Horror 1" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
"Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
Caledonian Mercury, September 21, 1812.
Ipswich Journal, December 28, 1811.
“Another horrid murder!” Bury and Norwich Post, December 25, 1811.
“Another massacre – coroner's inquest on the dead bodies of Mr. Williamson, and family.” Leeds Mercury, December 28, 1811.
“Important examination.” Leeds Mercury, December 28, 1811.
“Murder of Mr. Marr and family.” Caledonian Mercury, December 14, 1811.
“Murder of Mr. Marr and family.” Hull Packet and East Riding Times, December 17, 1811.
“Murder of Mr. Marr's family in Ratcliff Highway.” London Observer, December 15, 1811.
“Murders in New Gravel Lane.” London Morning Chronicle, December 24, 1811.
“Murders in New Gravel Lane, &c.” London Times, December 24, 1811.
“The late murder in Ratcliffe Highway – examination of suspected persons.” Jackson's Oxford Journal, December 21, 1811.
“The late murders.” Jackson's Oxford Journal, January 4, 1812.
“The Marr's murder.” Exeter Flying Post, June 1, 1815.
“Williams, the murderer.” Caledonian Mercury, January 4, 1812.
“Williamson's murder.” Jackson's Oxford Journal, February 1, 1811.
De Quincey, Thomas. “Postcript to 'On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts.'” On Murder. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. https://books.google.com/books?id=sww0kGQ5AFkC&pg=PA95&lpg=PA95&dq=postscript+to+murder+as+one+of+the+fine+arts&source=bl&ots=LZhKTGKaaB&sig=ACfU3U11QoFgOth13xjI_QQr-qRjmWEZKg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjdwPKYhNrnAhUaknIEHWPnDdE4FBDoATAAegQIChAB#v=onepage&q=postscript%20to%20murder%20as%20one%20of%20the%20fine%20arts&f=false
The Literary Panorama, Vol. XI. London: Cox and Baylis, 1812. https://books.google.com/books?id=UZLfAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA359&lpg=PA359&dq=Roxburgh+Castle+(1809+ship)&source=bl&ots=KxKyfUQM-l&sig=ACfU3U1r4OtmDCpT60PvubrRTDn9PqSp2g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjX7tWbq9nnAhVslXIEHdV7DUYQ6AEwBXoECA0QAQ#v=onepage&q=Roxburgh%20Castle%20(1809%20ship)&f=false
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratcliff_Highway_murders
https://www.murdermap.co.uk/historical-murders/mapping-the-ratcliffe-highway-murders/
http://www.thamespolicemuseum.org.uk/h_ratcliffehighwaymurders_8.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxburgh_Castle_(1809_ship)

64 - The Ships on the Ice

The HMS Terror and the HMS Erebus disappeared on the Franklin Expedition searching for the Northwest Passage in 1845. Six years later, a ship bound for Canada from Ireland saw two ships on an iceberg off Newfoundland. Were they the lost Franklin Expedition?
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Floating Cities" and "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
Barr, William and Glenn M. Stein. “Frederick J. Krabbé, last man to see HMS Investigator afloat, May 1854.” 2017. https://www.hakluyt.com/PDF/krabbe.pdf
Carney, Peter. “Further Light on the Source of the Lead in Human Remains from the 1845 Franklin Expedition.” 2016. https://www.hakluyt.com/PDF/carney_franklin.pdf
Gould, Rupert T. Oddities: A Book of Unexplained Facts. University Books: New Hyde Park (NY). 1964 ed.
O'Farrell, Joe. “The Search for HM Ships 'Erebus' and 'Terror'.” 2008. http://www.ric.edu/faculty/rpotter/Search_for_H_M_Ships.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fata_Morgana_(mirage)