All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories

Latest Episodes:

Raymond Pace Alexander & The Arsenic Murders Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

ABC:LHS 079-5 The tale of the arsenic widows...

...of Philadelphia will never be told fully. Hundreds of men may have died at their hands. Two of the women who looked the guiltiest were saved from a life in prison by brilliant African American defense attorney Raymond Pace Alexander (BBB:LHWS #005).

Victor "Babe" Andreoli: Kill and Be Killed Oct 05, 2025

Show notes

ABC:LHS #079-4 Victor "Babe" Andreoli...

...was raised in East Falls in a large, hardworking family, but fell in with bad company. After a botched robbery attempt, he was sentenced to life at Eastern State Penitentiary. His escape in a laundry truck did not end well.

Willie Lanzetta & His Infamous Brethren Oct 04, 2025

Show notes

ABC-079, part 3

Willie was one of six brothers in the crime business. They never bothered to affiliate with the Mafia, but three of the six brothers were picked off during gang wars. Willie was one of the victims.

"Little Petey" Bisciotti & The Flag Day Massacre Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

ABC:LHS #079-2 Potito "Little Petey" Bisciotti...

...was on the lower rungs of the mob but wanted to move up in the numbers racket. A rendezvous with fellow gangsters in a deserted tea room led to an untimely death by sawed-off shotgun.

Evolution of Philadelphia Crime Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

ABC079-1: How Crime Emerged in the Quaker City

In the early 20th century, ethnic groups clashed over control of gambling operations, protection, the numbers racket, prostitution, and eventually bootlegging. These criminal enterprises weren’t just about making money, but were also about gaining power and influence, sometimes even forging ties with local politicians and the police.

Thugs & Gangsters of Laurel Hill Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

ABC:LHS #079-0 Thugs and Gangsters

Some Laurel Hill residents are remembered today for their involvement with organized crime in the 1930s and 1940s.

Petito "Little Petey" Bisciotti was a wannabe numbers man killed in what has become known as the Flag Day Massacre.

Willie Lanzetti was one of six notorious brothers in constant legal troubles; he met his end in a gangland slaying before his body was cremated and the ashes scattered at Laurel Hill West.

East Falls resident Victor “Babe” Andreoli was a cop-killer and Eastern State Penitentiary escapee who was gunned down at a breakfast café in Chester.

You’ll also hear part of the long sordid tale of the arsenic poisoning for insurance ring that took dozens of lives in the late 1930s. Two women who were tried based on the most circumstantial evidence against them were found “not guilty” when they were represented by Raymond Pace Alexander.

John Henry Fow: Foghorn for the Talk, Ducky for the Walk Sep 14, 2025

Show notes

BBB:LHWS #048 John Henry Fow...

...was a lawyer with two nicknames - "Ducky" for the walk and "Foghorn" for the talk. He was tough and had an uncanny knack for figuring out what was unconstitutional. He debunked the supposed story behind the famous “Washington Crosses the Delaware” painting and then seriously challenged the Betsy Ross flag anecdote.

LTC Edgar Loftus: Facing Down a Nazi Ace Sep 06, 2025

Show notes

ABC:LHS #078-5 LTC Edgar Loftus...

...was a Wharton grad who rose in the Army Air Corps to Lieutenant Colonel. On VE Day, he was ranking officer in charge when a small squadron of German Aces landed and then augured in their aircraft at his air base to end their war. One of them was Hitler's favorite pilot. Yes, this really happened.

Jacques Louis Francine: "I Bombed Japan" Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

ABC:LHS #078-4 Jacques Louis Francine...

...from a well-established Philadelphia family was the ultimate outdoorsman who collected specimens for the Academy of Natural Sciences and established a canoe camp. He rarely mentioned that he was also decorated fighter pilot and bomber pilot with more than 30 missions to his name.

Holger "Hold Your Horses" Hoiriis: Fighting Nazis in the Catskills Sep 04, 2025

Show notes

ABC:LHS #078-3 Holger Hoiriis...

...bought an airplane in 1924 and took up barnstorming. He was the first pilot to carry a paying customer across the Atlantic and the first pilot to complete night airmail delivery for the US Postal service. After the war a story emerged about the time he was hijacked by Nazi agents in the Catskills.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected