Episode #81: 1870 Timeline Twist & The Murder of A.P. Crittenden

2/9/2026: On today’s episode, Valerie presents a bit of history, including some firsts for African Americans in the USA, balloon mail, “Bourbon’s First Bottler”, an early solution to tinned food, the “Early Bustle Era” (can you say TRIM?), and a massive beer and BBQ party in Syracuse, NY, in the 1870 Timeline Twist. Next, Amy Jo covers the excessively familiar story of a jilted lover turned murderess, but with a dash of extra-dramatic flair. It’s a story involving a gentleman with two first initials (hello 1800s), a ferry (Boat Watch!), a long black veil, a wild west silver mining town, first wave feminism in Gilded Age San Francisco, and not one, but two trials with groundbreaking outcomes. These are a few of our favorite things!

Cover Photo: Portrait of Alexander Parker Crittenden and Laura Fair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYU3F8uUGiw

The view of Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan

Old Forrester 1870 Original Batch Whiskey

Rotary can opener of 1870 by William Lyman. A side view is added below the handle.

1870 June Godey’s Lady’s Book

Invitation to Greenway's Barbecue on New Year's Day 1870 in Syracuse.    Onondaga Historical SocietyOnondaga Historical Association

Greenway’s Grand Barbecue: This northerly looking view captures the enormous scope of the event. The 100-foot table is visible in front of the massive crowd. The old Post-Standard Building occupies the site of the Empire House. The Syracuse Savings Bank building (right) was replaced by the current Victorian Gothic structure in 1876. Onondaga Historical Association

Portrait of Laura Fair

San Francisco harbor in 1850 or 1851. During this time, the harbor would become so crowded that ships often had to wait days before unloading their passengers and goods.

C & C Shaft – Virginia City, Nevada 1876

The ferry El Capitan

Close up drawing of Laura Fair with veil

The Trials of Laura Fair, Sex, Murder, and Insanity in the Victorian West, by Carole Haber, Published by The University of North Carolina Press

Sources/Photo Sources

Intro Sources:

https://womenshistory.si.edu/blog/history-mothers-day-global-peace-greeting-cards

Timeline Twist Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1870

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lyman_%28inventor%29# 

https://historicalsewing.com/bustle-era-changes-the-highs-lows-in-the-1870s-1880s 

https://www.oldforester.com/products/old-forester-1870-original-batch-whisky/ 

https://www.syracuse.com/living/2024/01/wheres-the-beef-remembering-greenways-grand-barbecue-of-1870.html 

https://www.whiskeyuniv.com/george-girvin-brown 

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

https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1870

Timeline Twist Photo Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Bridge#/media/File:Brooklyn_Bridge_Manhattan.jpg

https://www.periodpaper.com/products/1870-ad-madam-foys-corset-skirt-supporter-bustle-new-haven-ct-victorian-ypm3-230736-ypm3-083

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lyman_(inventor)#/media/File:LymanOpener.JPG 

https://historicalsewing.com/bustle-era-changes-the-highs-lows-in-the-1870s-1880s 

https://www.bourbonguy.com/blog/2015/7/23/the-year-1870-and-old-forester-1870-original-batch 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Democraticjackass.jpg 

https://www.syracuse.com/living/2024/01/wheres-the-beef-remembering-greenways-grand-barbecue-of-1870.html

The Murder of A.P. Crittenden Sources:

https://uncpress.org/9781469626468/the-trials-of-laura-fair/

https://www.historynet.com/femme-fatale-laura-fair/

https://simanaitissays.com/2025/02/15/laura-d-fair-femme-fatale-extraordinaire-or-a-woman-scorned-part-1/ 

https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/fury-of-a-woman-scorned/article_17a45a64-0cce-5ab2-b038-e7156fa9ad0c.html 

https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/The-case-of-Laura-Fair-San-Francisco-1870-5585715.php

https://www.murderbygaslight.com/2013/04/the-woman-in-black.html

https://www.cschs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/2006-Newsletter-Spring-Laura-Fair-Affair.pdf

https://law.digital.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/1051402

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pWbiEmlRUs

https://yesteryearsnews.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/murderess-laura-d-fair/

https://youtu.be/2cEkLz8KuS4?si=ce9RcFGn5gbQCbsj

PODCAST: Most Notorius! EP 385: The 1870 Murder of A. P. Crittenden

https://www.mostnotorious.com/2025/04/13/the-1870-murder-of-a-p-crittenden-w-gary-krist/

https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/The-case-of-Laura-Fair-San-Francisco-1870-5585715.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Fair 

The Murder of A.P. Crittenden Photo Sources:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Laura_Fair.jpg/500px-Laura_Fair.jpg

https://www.historynet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ferry-el-capitan-ww-winter-2024-1200x1240.jpg

https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/sfexaminer.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/ad/eadf27cf-c934-5c32-b001-5684b8717f75/628ce66c496f1.image.jpg?resize=990%2C743 

https://www.historynet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/laura-fair-ww-winter-2024.jpg 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_San_Francisco#/media/File:SanFranciscoharbor1851c_sharp.jpg 

https://westernmininghistory.com/6126/comstock-lode-photos/

https://www.amazon.com/Trials-Laura-Fair-Insanity-Victorian/dp/148292420X