Stay Connected“Behind Gray Walls” is a podcast featuring stories from the men and women who lived and worked at the Old Idaho State Penitentiary. Each week, Anthony, Samuel, and Skye explore prisoners whose crimes led them to serve time at the “Old Pen.” Their history is explored in depth and compared to corrections topics faced in communities today.
To support this podcast, visit: https://history.idaho.gov/donate/donation-payment/
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We're just about back with a brand new season! Can you guess the theme? Let us know in our Behind Gray Walls Podcast Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/behindgraywalls).
Skye and Anthony sit down with Ada County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Historian, and Author John Dinger to discuss the crime of Unlawful Cohabitation that targeted members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints during the late 1800s.
In the last episode of Season 3, Anthony and Skye talk about a man whose journey into hypnotism literally made him crazy #852 Henry Wilmbusse (Murder in the Second Degree) and a woman whose sister compared her to Jesus Christ (uhhh....okay....) #8760 Lena Pink Proud (Procurement for Abortion). Trigger Warnings include Gun violence, Suicide, and Abortion.
In this season’s couple’s episode, Anthony and Skye pick up where Anthony left off last week, finishing the story of Reuben Gardner’s accomplices and whole ham stealers #1186 Arthur Allen and #1187 Mary Allen (Burglary in the First Degree).
Skye and Anthony detail former Ohio prisoner turned Boise thief and dog abuser #1158 Reuben Gardner (Burglary) and bookkeeper juggling the accounts "to make ends meet," #7954 Norma Van Ostrand (Embezzlement). Order your copy of Numbered: Inside Idaho's Prison for Women, 1887-1968: https://store.history.idaho.gov/GeneralAdmission.aspx
Anthony sits down with Old Pen Tour Guide Extraordinaire Jack Hourcade who tells the story of William Dreyer who just couldn't stop himself from forging checks. Special thanks to Hidden Shelf Publishing for giving us permission to share quotes from Jerry Clapp's upcoming memoir! (https://hiddenshelfpublishinghouse.com/)
Skye and Anthony detail a persistent parolee violator with a surprise crime spree #9216 & #10587 Virginia Lorene Pugmire (Forgery) and a truly nasty inmate who perhaps deserved what he got #8215 Roberto Samaneigo (Voluntary Manslaughter). Trigger Warning includes gun violence and violent murder.
Anthony and Skye explore the details of a pegged-leg Scotchman #3455 Kenneth McLennan (Murder in the 2nd Degree) and a forger who just couldn’t stay away from troubled men #8446 June Lavon Skinner (Forgery). Trigger Warning includes gun violence.
In this episode of Stool Pigeon Saturday, Anthony sits down with Old Pen tour guide Said Bowen who tells one of his favorite stories from the prison cemetery.
Skye and Anthony parse out the details of a Frenchwomen missing a few teeth #636 Phedora Crawford (Assault with a Deadly Weapon) and a trumpet player with a rhyming name #1934 Ben(jamin) Penn (Assault with a Deadly Weapon); picture in place of Crawford’s mugshot is a photo of “The Remington Ferry docked on the Salmon River below White Bird, about 20 miles from Grangeville.” Found in the J.A. Hanson Photographs collection courtesy of the Idaho State Historical Society.
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