Episode #56: Murder on the Great Plains: The Sheedy Murder & the 1891 Zodiac Back

2/5/2025: On today’s episode, Valerie shares the story of the unsolved Gilded Age murder of Mr. John Sheedy, a real estate developer, gaming establishment owner, and all around “sporting” man. We discuss several possible instigators and consider the motivation for the attack, in yet another caning story that also includes adultery, scandal, racism, and greed on the Great Plains! Next, Amy Jo’s 1891 Zodiac Back starts us off with a fable and the roots of fascism, we delve into the February astrology and our sign of the week, Scorpio! We discuss the decline of democracy, talk Pluto Neptune Cycles and their zodiacal dance with Uranus, 1891 comets, and the adventurous life of James Lick and the Lick Observatory.

Cover Photo: -Mrs. Mary "Mollie" Sheedy

1. Ariel Map, Lincoln, Nebraska

2. Mr. John Sheedy

3. Mrs. Mary "Mollie" Sheedy

4. The Sheedy Building

5. William "Monday" McFarland

6. Melick and Malone

7. Popular depiction of the crackdown on the Fasci Siciliani (Il movimento dei fasci siciliani dei lavoratori, 1955, by Onofrio and Minico Ducato).

8. The heads of the Fasci Siciliani in the courtroom cage at the trial in April 1894.

9. February Astrology

10. January 1, 1891 chart

11. December 31, 1891 chart

12. Photo of James Lick

13. Lick Observatory in 1900

14. The Great Lick 91-centimeter (36-inch) refractor, in an 1889 engraving

    
    

Sources/Photo Sources

Intro Sources:

https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/

https://www.snackworks.com/brands/newtons/recipes/

Murder on the Great Plains: The Sheedy Murder Sources:

http://gildedage.unl.edu/ 

https://history.nebraska.gov/the-great-sheedy-murder-trial-of-1891/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporting_man_culture 

https://www.murderbygaslight.com/2010/07/great-sheedy-murder-case.html 

https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=RMD18910119-01.2.2&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA--------0------

Murder on the Great Plains: The Sheedy Murder Photo Sources:

https://www.murderbygaslight.com/2010/07/great-sheedy-murder-case.html 

http://gildedage.unl.edu/archive/document.php?id=ga.img.917.8265.W21.10a 

http://gildedage.unl.edu/archive/document.php?id=ga.npi.lc.18910510.puk.figa

1891 Zodiac Back Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascio 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasci_Siciliani 

https://fasciaguide.com/experts/gil-hedley/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesop 

https://philosopherswheel.com/cosmicclockofcivilization.html 

https://www.khaldea.com/rudhyar/at/at_c3_pp2.shtml

https://www.gaiamind.org/meaning.html 

https://www.palden.co.uk/ephem/more-on-nep-plu.html

https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/1892MNRAS..52..271./0000271.000.html 

https://astrologyforaquarius.com/articles/12516/pluto-democracy-vs-autocracy

 https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/51/8/498/1109064 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lick 

https://www.khaldea.com/rudhyar/at/at_c3_pp2.shtml

https://astrologyforaquarius.com/articles/12516/pluto-democracy-vs-autocracy 

1891 Zodiac Back Photo Sources:

astro-seek.com

https://horoscopes.astro-seek.com/calculate-circular-graphic-moon-calendar/?narozeni_rok=2025&calendar=0&moon_center=&velikost_stopy=1&barva_planet=2&luna_path=0&barva_stopy=4&bg_white=0&barva_invert=0#calendar_graph

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimeograph

https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/history/timelines/entry?etype=5&eid=1 

https://chaninicholas.com/libra-season-horoscopes-2022/