True Crime Historian

The Cincinnati Tanyard MurderJump to the AD-FREE Safe House EditionEpisode 17 is a report from Lafcadio Hearn, on of my favorite Pioneers of True Crime. Although he became better known late in his career for his books on travel and on Japanese legends and ghost stories, Lafcadio Hearn began his professional writing career as a staff correspondent for the Cincinnati Enquirer. He was such a devotee of Edgar Allen Poe that he carried the nickname The Raven, given to him by an early mentor, throughout his life. The devotion shows in much of his writing, including this account of what’s commonly known to local history as “the tanyard murder” in 1874. His account of the crime helped, I’m sure, make it one of the most well-known of Cincinnati’s historical murders. Hearn is also well-known for his essays about the poorest parts of Cincinnati.Even though the author was visually impaired (he carried with him both a magnifying glass and a telescope), Hearn's account of this ghastly crime contains graphic details of the