Latest / The Mind of a Man / (1885_ Texas) Macabre Saloon Tales _ The Women Who Fed Outlaws Human Stew

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(1885_ Texas) Macabre Saloon Tales _ The Women Who Fed Outlaws Human Stew · The Mind of a Man

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome to this journey through one of the most disturbing
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: cases recorded in the history of Texas. Before we begin,
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: I invite you to leave in the comments where you're
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  Speaker 1: watching from and the exact time you're listening to this narration.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: We're interested to know what places and what times of
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  Speaker 1: day or night these documented stories reach. In the year 1885,
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  Speaker 1: the frontier town of Bitter Creek, Texas, situated some 40
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: miles east of Fort Worth, bore witness to a series
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: of events that would remain buried in county records for
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: nearly a century. The case became known as the Bitter
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Creek Boarding House, though locals referred to it simply as
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: the kitchen. What follows is compiled from county sheriff reports,
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: newspaper clippings from the Fort Worth Gazette, church records, and
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  Speaker 1: testimonies collected by Texas Ranger James Calloway between February and
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: September of 1885. The establishment in question stood at the
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: edge of town, a modest two-story structure built in the
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: late 1870s during the cattle boom. Constructed of weathered pine
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: with a sloping tin roof that rattled during the frequent
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: Texas thunderstorms, the building featured a saloon on the ground
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  Speaker 1: floor and six rental rooms above. A separate kitchen stood
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  Speaker 1: connected by a covered walkway. Unusual in its size for
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: such an establishment. Behind the main building, partially obscured by
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: cottonwood trees, a root cellar had been expanded, well beyond
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  Speaker 1: typical dimensions, a fact that would later take on sinister significance.
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  Speaker 1: By all accounts, Martha Thornhill, a widow in her early forties,
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  Speaker 1: ran a respectable boarding house and saloon that catered primarily
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  Speaker 1: to cattle drivers, railroad workers, and the occasional outlaw seeking
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: temporary refuge from the law. Martha stood about five feet
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: four inches tall with a sturdy build, her brown hair
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  Speaker 1: streaked with gray, was typically pulled back in a severe bun,
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  Speaker 1: and those who knew her described eyes as dark and
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  Speaker 1: unreadable as a well at midnight. According to the town ledger,
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  Speaker 1: Martha had arrived from Georgia in 1877 following the death
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  Speaker 1: of her husband, purchasing the property with funds that no
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: one quite questioned. Parish records from St. Matthew's Church indicate
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  Speaker 1: Martha claimed to be the widow of Confederate Captain Harold Thornhill.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: who supposedly died of wounds sustained at Petersburg. Later investigation
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  Speaker 1: by Ranger Calloway found no record of a Captain Harold
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: Thornhill in Confederate Army registries, raising questions about Martha's background
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: that were never fully resolved. The town banker, Theodore Wilson,
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  Speaker 1: recalled that Martha paid for the property entirely in gold
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: double eagles, a transaction unusual enough to remember years later.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: What distinguished Martha's establishment was her renowned cooking. Travelers would
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: detour miles from their intended routes to sample what many
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: described as the most satisfying stew west of the Mississippi.
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  Speaker 1: The rich, hearty dish had a distinctive flavor that patrons
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: found difficult to identify but impossible to forget. Martha would
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: only reveal that it contained a special blend of seasonings
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: from the old country. and meat raised with particular care.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: The saloon's popularity grew steadily between 1881 and 1884, particularly
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: among certain outlaw gangs who frequently disappeared into the territories
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: after visiting. Court documents suggest at least 14 known criminals
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  Speaker 1: stopped at Martha's establishment before vanishing entirely from official records.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: Former Deputy Samuel Hawkins remembered, the Burleson gang... Five men
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  Speaker 1: who'd robbed banks from San Antonio to Oklahoma all stayed
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  Speaker 1: at Martha's place in June of 83. We had warrants,
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: but were told they'd moved on. Never heard of those
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: men again. At the time, we counted it as good fortune.
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: Now I wonder if we should have looked harder. Similar
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: patterns emerged with members of the Carson brothers, the Sutton-Taylor
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: feud participants, and various lone desperadoes whose descriptions matched those
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: in Martha's ledger, but who were never apprehended. The first
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: indication that something wasn't right came in January 1885, when
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: a cattle buyer named Thomas Wentworth failed to arrive in
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  Speaker 1: Fort Worth after reportedly staying at Martha's boarding house. Wentworth,
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  Speaker 1: a representative of the Chicago meatpacking firm Armour & Company,
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  Speaker 1: had been traveling through Texas, purchasing cattle for northern slaughterhouses.
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  Speaker 1: His business associate, Henry Miller, told the Fort Worth Gazette,
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  Speaker 1: Thomas was a man of precise habits. When he didn't
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: arrive with the contracts, I knew something had happened. Miller
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  Speaker 1: rode to Bitter Creek himself, only to be told by
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  Speaker 1: Martha that Wentworth had departed two days prior, heading south.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: What Miller noticed, however, was a distinctive pocket-watch chain hanging
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  Speaker 1: from Martha's apron, identical to one he had gifted Wentworth
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  Speaker 1: the previous Christmas. The chain featured small gold nuggets interspersed
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  Speaker 1: with links, crafted by a jeweler in Chicago and, according
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  Speaker 1: to Miller, unlike any other I'd seen in Texas. When questioned,
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  Speaker 1: Martha claimed it was a trinket left by another boarder
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  Speaker 1: as payment. Miller's suspicions were raised, but without evidence, local
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: authorities dismissed his concerns. Sheriff William Hargrove reportedly told Miller, Mrs.
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  Speaker 1: Thornhill is a respected businesswoman. We can't go accusing her
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  Speaker 1: of theft because a man changed his travel plans. Miller
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  Speaker 1: returned to Fort Worth troubled, making notes of his observations
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  Speaker 1: that would later become crucial evidence. Throughout February of 1885,
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  Speaker 1: three more travelers who registered at Martha's boarding house never
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: reached their destinations. A land surveyor named Robert Keller, working
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  Speaker 1: for the Texas and Pacific Railroad, disappeared after writing to
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: his employers that he would be staying at the boarding
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: house with the excellent stew while completing measurements. Two brothers,
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: James and William Dalton, cattle buyers from Missouri, similarly vanished
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: after their horses were found tied outside Martha's establishment. These
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: disappearances might have continued unnoticed had it not been for
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: an unseasonably heavy rainfall in early March that washed away
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: portions of the creek bed behind Martha's property. exposing what
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: a local boy described as strange white sticks that his
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: dog had dug up while playing near the water. The boy,
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: ten-year-old Samuel Parker, later testified, My dog, Rufus, was digging
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: something fierce in the mud where the creek bank had
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: washed away. I thought he'd found a rabbit hole, but
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: when I looked, I saw these long white things sticking
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  Speaker 1: out of the dirt. I pulled one out, and it
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  Speaker 1: had a funny shape at the end. Pa said not
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: to touch anything else. and went straight for the sheriff.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: The boy's father, recognizing these sticks as human finger bones,
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  Speaker 1: immediately alerted Sheriff William Hargrove. Initial excavation of the area
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: revealed scattered human remains that had been partially dissolved by lye,
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: a common household chemical used for making soap. According to
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: Hargrove's report, dated March 12, 1885, the remains appeared to
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: belong to at least two adult males, The condition suggests
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: deliberate dismemberment and chemical treatment to accelerate decomposition. Most disturbing
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: is the apparent precision of the cutting, indicating knowledge of
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: human anatomy or butchery techniques. Dr. Edgar Simmons, the county
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: physician called to examine the remains, noted in his report,
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: the bones show evidence of having been cut with a
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  Speaker 1: saw rather than broken or chopped. The joints have been
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  Speaker 1: separated with the skill of someone familiar with the dismemberment
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  Speaker 1: of livestock carcasses. Most notably, certain bones show scrape marks
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: consistent with the removal of meat from the bone, similar
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  Speaker 1: to what one would observe in prepared animal remains from
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: a kitchen. When Sheriff Hargrove questioned Martha about the discovery,
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: witnesses reported her demeanor remained unnervingly calm. She offered me stew,
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  Speaker 1: Hargrove wrote in his official statement, insisted. I must be
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: hungry after working in the cold mud. This detail would
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: later take on a more sinister meaning when the investigation
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  Speaker 1: expanded to Martha's kitchen. Hargrove, perhaps sensing something amiss, declined
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  Speaker 1: the meal, but took the precaution of posting a deputy
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  Speaker 1: to watch the boarding house while he telegraphed the Texas
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  Speaker 1: Rangers for assistance. Martha Thornhill wasn't alone in her enterprise.
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: County records indicate that in late 1882 she had taken
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: in a young woman, named Ruth Collins, described as no
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: more than 20 years of age, slight of build, with
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: unusually quiet demeanor. The circumstances of Ruth's arrival in Bitter
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: Creek remained unclear, though one stagecoach driver recalled bringing a thin,
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  Speaker 1: pale girl with no luggage, save a single carpet bag
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  Speaker 1: and what looked to be a set of kitchen knives
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  Speaker 1: wrapped in oilcloth. Ruth, whose background remained largely unknown, served
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  Speaker 1: as Martha's assistant in both the kitchen and the boarding
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: house operations. Testimonies collected from townspeople described Ruth as shadow-like
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: and speaking only when spoken to. One regular patron noted,
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: that girl would stand so still behind the bar, you'd
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: forget she was there until she moved. Church records indicate
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: Ruth attended Sunday services regularly, though she never participated in
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: social gatherings afterward. The pastor's wife, Eleanor Reynolds, later testified,
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: She would sit in the last pew, lips moving in prayer,
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: or perhaps just mouthing the words of hymns. After service,
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: she would slip away before anyone could engage her in conversation.
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  Speaker 1: Once I asked about her family, and she said only
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  Speaker 1: that Mrs. Thornhill is all the family I need now.
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  Speaker 1: There was something in her tone that discouraged further questions.
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  Speaker 1: The relationship between Martha and Ruth became a central focus
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  Speaker 1: of the investigation after Sheriff Hargrove noticed the younger woman's
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  Speaker 1: unusual behavior during his initial questioning. According to his notes,
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  Speaker 1: the Collins woman maintains a fixed stare throughout questioning. When
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: asked directly about the meat supplies for the establishment, she
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: began humming softly. Upon further inquiry about the source of
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: their provisions, She deferred to Mrs. Thornhill, stating, Martha knows
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  Speaker 1: what feeds the hungry best. The peculiarity of her phrasing
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  Speaker 1: and manner raised immediate concerns. Deputy James Wilson, who maintained
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: surveillance on the boarding house the night after the bones
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  Speaker 1: were discovered, reported unusual activity that added to the growing suspicions.
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  Speaker 1: Shortly after midnight, he wrote, I observed both women carrying
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: heavy sacks from the main house to the kitchen buildings.
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  Speaker 1: They made three such trips. Later, around 3 a.m., smoke
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: began rising from the kitchen chimney, unusual for that hour.
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  Speaker 1: The smell was unlike normal cooking. It had a strange,
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  Speaker 1: sweet quality that reminded me of the time we found
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  Speaker 1: a dead steer being burned by ranchers after it had
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  Speaker 1: been dead too long to salvage the meat. What happened
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: next would transform a disturbing discovery into one of the
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  Speaker 1: most troubling cases in Texas criminal history. Texas Ranger James Calloway,
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  Speaker 1: responding to Hargrove's request for assistance, arrived in Bitter Creek
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  Speaker 1: on March 15, 1885. A veteran of numerous criminal investigations
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  Speaker 1: and known for his methodical approach, Calloway brought much-needed expertise
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  Speaker 1: to the case. With more authority and investigative experience, Calloway
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: immediately secured the boarding house as a crime scene and
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: conducted a thorough search of the premises. Calloway's first action
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  Speaker 1: was to separate Martha and Ruth for questioning. He interviewed
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: Martha in the saloon while deputies searched the upstairs rooms,
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  Speaker 1: finding little of note besides alleged recording guests dating back
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: to 1881. The entries, while appearing ordinary at first glance,
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: contained unusual notations besides certain names, a small X mark,
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: and what appeared to be measurements written in a numeric code.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: Martha explained these as indications of whether guests had paid
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: their bills, and estimates of how much they had consumed
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: during their stay, explanations Calloway found plausible but unconvincing. In
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: the cellar of the boarding house, behind a false wall
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: disguised as shelving for preserved foods, Calloway discovered what his
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: official report described as a processing room of methodical design.
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  Speaker 1: The space contained butchering tools, several large metal tubs, barrels
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: of lye, and a drainage system leading directly to the creek.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: Most disturbing were the personal effects, watches, rings, boots, and wallets,
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  Speaker 1: organized methodically on wooden shelves, each item apparently kept as
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: a trophy. According to Calloway's report, the collection appears to
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: represent at least 20 individuals, arranged chronologically judging by the
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: dust accumulation and organization system. Each item was tagged with
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: a small paper label bearing a date and what appears
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: to be a weight measurement. Among these items Calloway found
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: Thomas Wentworth's distinctive watch chain, still attached to his timepiece.
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: The initials TW were engraved inside the watch case, confirming
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: Miller's suspicions had been correct. But the implications of the
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: discovery went far beyond simple robbery and murder. The arrangement
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: of the cellar, with its proximity to the kitchen above,
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: suggested a more horrifying purpose for the bodies of those
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: who disappeared. Particularly disturbing was a set of butcher's diagrams,
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: pinned to the wall, showing cuts of meat, but not
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: from any livestock. The drawings, made on brown butcher paper
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: in precise detail, outlined a human form with dotted lines
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: indicating where cuts should be made. Beside these were notes
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: in a delicate feminine hand, later identified as Ruth's, describing
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: the best uses for each section and recommended cooking times.
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: One notation read, thigh section, slow cook, three plus hours
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: with red wine and juniper, best served with story of
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: Texas longhorn steak aged in whiskey barrels. When confronted with
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: the evidence from the cellar, Martha reportedly showed no remorse
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: or surprise. According to the transcript of her interview, she
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: simply stated, waste not, want not. That's what my mama
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: always taught me. Men come through, cause trouble, eat my food,
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: drink my whiskey. Some just need to contribute more directly
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: to the establishment. Ruth Collins, by contrast, collapsed into what
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: the attending physician described as a state of catatonic withdrawal,
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: remaining unresponsive for several days. The investigation expanded to include
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: an analysis of the kitchen and its supplies. Though conclusive
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: forensic techniques were limited in 1885, examination of the meat
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: stored in Martha's kitchen raised disturbing questions. Dr. Joseph Lambert,
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: a physician from Fort Worth who assisted in the investigation,
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: noted in his report, the meat portions in the storage
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: room display cutting patterns inconsistent with conventional butchery of livestock.
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: Several pieces retain what appear to be characteristic features of
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: human anatomy, most notably the One large portion preserved in
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: salt appears to be a human shoulder and upper arm,
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: though prepared in such a way that casual observation might
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: mistake it for a pork shoulder. The kitchen itself was
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: unusually well equipped for a frontier establishment. Imported cast-iron cookware
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: from France, German cutlery of the highest quality, and an
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: extensive array of spices, many exotic for the region, suggested
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: a level of culinary sophistication at odds with the boarding
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: house's rustic exterior. A large copper rendering pot, typically used
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: for converting animal fat to tallow, showed evidence of frequent use.
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: Chemical analysis of residue from this pot revealed traces of
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: lye mixed with organic matter consistent with rendered human fat.
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: Records from the general store in Bitter Creek revealed that
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: Martha purchased surprisingly little meat, given the reputation of her
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: establishment for hearty stews. The store owner, Elijah Peterson, provided
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: ledgers showing Martha's purchases consisted primarily of vegetables, flour, and spices,
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: with only occasional small amounts of beef or pork. Always
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: thought it strange how she fed so many with so little,
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: Peterson testified. She'd joked that her secret ingredient was just
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: a little bit of love. Gives me the shivers now
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: to think on it. The store records also showed regular
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: purchases of lye in quantities far exceeding normal household requirements
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: for soap making or cleaning. When questioned previously about these purchases,
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: Martha had apparently explained them as necessary for maintaining sanitary
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: conditions in a busy boarding house. Peterson recalled, Said she
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: had to keep things extra clean on account of having
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: so many dirty cowboys and travelers coming through. Made sense
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: at the time. Nobody questions a woman who keeps a
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: clean house. As word of the investigation spread, travelers who
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: had previously dined at Martha's establishment came forward with accounts
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: of distinctive-tasting stew that Martha insisted contained special game meat
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: that she acquired through private means. Some reported unusual drowsiness
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: after eating, suggesting the possible use of sedatives to render
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: victims more manageable. A cattle driver named Michael O'Brien testified,
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: ate there in January. Stew tasted different than any venison
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: or beef I ever had. Had a sweetness to it.
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: After eating, I could hardly keep my eyes open. Woke
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: up fully dressed on my bed the next morning with
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: no memory of going upstairs. My money was still in
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: my pocket, so I thought nothing of it then. Now
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: I wonder if I wasn't being sized up for the
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: pot myself. One particularly valuable testimony came from Jacob Winters,
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: a ranch hand who had worked briefly for Martha in
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: late 1884. In his sworn statement, Winters described hearing strange
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: sounds like sawing and chopping from the cellar late at night.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: When he inquired about it the next morning, Martha explained
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: she was preparing special cuts and offered him extra pay
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: to deliver sealed packages to certain recipients in neighboring towns.
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: These packages, wrapped in brown paper and tied with string,
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: were heavy for their size and sometimes leaked a dark
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: fluid that smelled of strong spices. Winters quit the position
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: shortly after, claiming the work made him uneasy in ways
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: I couldn't rightly explain. Winters also recalled an incident that
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: took on new significance in light of the investigation. One night,
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: a drunk cowboy got rough with Miss Ruth, grabbing at
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: her while she served drinks. Martha stepped in, calm as
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: you please, and offered him a special meal on the
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: house to make up for his weight. Next morning, Martha
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: said he'd left before dawn. His horse stayed in the
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: stable three more days before she said she'd sell it
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: for unpaid boarding fees. Never thought much about it until now.
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: The case took an unexpected turn when investigators discovered a
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: small leather-bound book hidden in Ruth Collins' quarters. The journal,
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: written in a meticulous hand, contained what appeared to be
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: a coded record of visitors, including physical descriptions, estimated weights,
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: and cryptic notations about quality. and yield. More disturbing were
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: the recipes, written in the same hand, detailing preparation methods
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: for what the writer referred to only as long pig,
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: a term later identified as a euphemism for human flesh.
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: An entry dated October 12, 1883, read, Subject, Male, approximately
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: 35 years, Trail Boss from Wyoming Territory, Weight Estimate, 190 pounds, Quality, Excellent,
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: Lean Muscle, Minimal waste. Yield, 93 pounds usable. Notes, whiskey drinker.
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: Flesh required extra soaking to remove bitterness. Preparation method number
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: three with extended brine. Reserve heart and liver for Martha's
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: special occasion meals. The journal revealed that Ruth's role was
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: far from that of an unwilling accomplice. Her writing suggested
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: a calculated partnership with Martha, one in which she took
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: particular pride in developing methods to tenderize and flavor their
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: specialized cuisine. In one entry dated November 1883, Ruth wrote,
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: M says my braining method has improved the texture considerably.
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: The rangers who came through yesterday commented it was the
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: finest stew they'd ever tasted. If only they knew they
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: were dining on the marshal from El Paso, who passed
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: through last month. poetic justice as he was here looking
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: for the very outlaws we served him alongside. The mixing
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: of meats creates a complexity of flavor that disguises the
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: true nature of the primary ingredient. Other entries detailed experiments
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: with different preparation methods, aging the meat in the cellar's
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: cool environment, using various marinades to mask any distinctive flavor,
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: and incorporating strong spices, particularly those from Mexican traders who
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: to create the unique taste that had become the establishment's signature.
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: Ruth's writings displayed not just culinary knowledge, but a disturbing
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: pride in her innovations. Traditional butchers weigh so much. I've
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: developed methods to use virtually everything. Bones for stock, fat
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: for cooking. Even the rendered tallow makes superior candles with
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: a distinctive aroma that customers find oddly comforting. The references
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: to specific victims in the journal allowed investigators to begin
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: identifying the remains found near the creek and in various
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: stages of processing throughout the property. By the end of
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: March 1885, they had confirmed at least seven identities, with
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: evidence suggesting the total number of victims might exceed 20
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: over the four-year period of the boarding house's operation. The
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: journal also revealed a careful selection process and business methodology
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: behind the killings. Martha and Ruth apparently maintained relationships with
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: stagecoach drivers and trail guides who, for a fee, would
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: direct specific types of travelers to the boarding house. An
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: entry from September 1884 noted, Driver Simmons delivered as promised.
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: Subject arrived alone, carrying significant funds from cattle sale. No
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: family connections mentioned. No one expecting him in Fort Worth
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: until next week. Ideal candidate. Perhaps most chilling was the
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: apparent selection process Martha and Ruth employed. The journal entries
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: indicated a preference for solitary travelers with quality flesh, particularly
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: those who appeared healthy and well-fed. They specifically targeted individuals
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: who seemed unlikely to be missed immediately, outlaws on the run,
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: drifters between jobs, and travelers who mentioned having no family.
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: According to one entry, the Easterner today said, mentioned writing
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: to his mother weekly. M. says we must let this
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: one go on his way. Too risky. Better to wait
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: for someone with fewer attachments. The cattle buyer arriving tomorrow
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: appears promising. Large, well-fed, and mentioned he's not expected in
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: San Antonio for at least 10 days. Descriptions of the
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: chosen victims often included assessments of their character, suggesting the
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: women viewed their actions as somehow justifiable. when targeting certain individuals.
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: Entries described some victims as cruel to his horse, meat
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: likely tough from stress, spoke disrespectfully about female companions, will
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: enjoy serving him to the ladies' church committee, or boasted
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: of cheating business partners. No loss to the world. This
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: pattern suggested a distorted moral framework in which Martha and
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: Ruth saw themselves as delivering a form of frontier justice
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: while profiting from their victims. The question that haunted the
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: investigation was how Martha and Ruth lured their victims to
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: their deaths. Testimonies from former guests who had survived their
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: stay suggested a pattern. Martha would offer certain travelers, particularly
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: those traveling alone with valuable possessions, special accommodations at reduced rates.
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: These preferred guests would be served a private late dinner,
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: often accompanied by Martha's homemade whiskey, reportedly potent enough to
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: make a man's legs forget their purpose. A traveling salesman
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: named Frederick Johnson, who had stayed at the boarding house
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: in early 1885, provided a potentially crucial account. Mrs. Thornhill
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: took a particular interest in my well-being, insisted I looked
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: too thin and needed proper feeding. She served me personally
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: in a private dining room off the main saloon while
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: Miss Collins tended bar. The stew was unusual but flavorful,
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: and the whiskey had an odd sweetness. After two glasses
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: I felt unusually drowsy. I recall Mrs. Thornhill helping me
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: to my room, saying something about seeing if you're suitable.
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: I woke with a terrible headache and a strange soreness
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: in my arm, where I found a small puncture mark.
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: I assumed I'd scraped against something in my stupor. Now
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: I wonder if I was being sampled. The discovery of
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: a small vial of clear liquid in Martha's personal quarters
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: provided a potential answer. Dr. Lambert's analysis suggested it contained laudanum,
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: a common opiate tincture that, in sufficient quantity, could render
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: a person unconscious. Several empty medicine bottles found in the
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: trash heap behind the kitchen tested positive for chloral hydrate.
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: Another sedative readily available at Frontier Pharmacies has a sleep aid.
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: The working theory became that Martha would drug selected victims
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: who would then be dealt with during the night by
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: both women. Supporting this theory were modifications to one of
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: the guest rooms that distinguished it from the others. This
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: particular room, which Martha's ledger indicated was often assigned to
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: travelers who later disappeared, featured unusual alterations. A reinforced bed
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: frame with leather straps attached to the underside a floor
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: that subtly sloped toward a small drain in the corner,
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: and walls that had been soundproofed with quilted material between
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: the exterior wall and interior paneling. As Ranger Calloway noted
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: in his report, the room appears designed for activities requiring
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: both restraint and discretion. As the investigation continued through April 1885,
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: the response from the Bitter Creek community revealed a complex
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: relationship with Martha's establishment Many expressed shock and revulsion, but
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: others displayed a curious reluctance to condemn the women outright.
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: Several regular patrons admitted to Sheriff Hargrove that they had
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: noticed oddities, strange sounds at night, occasional items of clothing
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: or possessions that seemed to change hands inexplicably, the peculiar
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: taste of the famous stew, but had chosen not to
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: question too deeply. A local rancher, William Teague, expressed a
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: sentiment echoed by several townspeople. You understand, out here, folks
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: mind their business if they want others to mind theirs.
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: Martha ran a clean place, served good food at fair prices.
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: If some drifters or outlaws disappeared after staying there, well,
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: most figured they'd moved on or met trouble elsewhere. Nobody
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: wanted to look too hard at what put meat on
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: their plates, long as it filled their bellies. Ezekiel Johnson,
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: the town barber, perhaps summarized the community's willful blindness most
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: succinctly in his testimony. Folks liked having a place where
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: the food was good and questions weren't asked. Out here,
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: sometimes it's better not to know a person's business too well.
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: Martha kept to herself, but kept our bellies full. Maybe
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: we should have wondered how she managed when the drought
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: killed so many cattle and game was scarce. But nobody
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: goes hungry and then asks why there's food on their plate.
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: The case became more common when investigators discovered financial records
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: indicating that Martha made regular payments to someone identified only
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: as the judge. These payments, delivered quarterly according to the ledger,
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: suggested possible protection from local law enforcement or a judiciary.
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: The amounts, substantial by frontier standards, raised questions about corruption
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: within the legal system that was supposed to protect travelers
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: and residents alike. Sheriff Hargrove, under increasing scrutiny from Ranger Calloway,
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: eventually admitted that Judge Samuel Blackwood, who presided over the
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: county court, dined regularly at Martha's establishment free of charge.
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: The sheriff's reluctance to investigate previous disappearances also came under examination.
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: Hargrove defended his inaction. Travelers come and go all the time.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: We can't launch a manhunt every time someone changes their
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: plans or takes a different trail. Besides, most who disappeared
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: were drifters or men running from something, not the sort
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: folks spend resources looking for. Judge Blackwood, when questioned by
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: Ranger Calloway, denied any knowledge of Martha's activities. but could
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: not explain why he had dismissed previous concerns raised about
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: missing persons in the area. Records indicated that when Henry
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: Miller had attempted to file a formal missing persons report
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: for Thomas Wentworth, Judge Blackwood had refused to authorize an investigation,
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: citing insufficient evidence of foul play and the transient nature
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: of the purported victim. The Fort Worth Gazette reported on
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: April 18, 1885, questions arise regarding the extent of official
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: knowledge or complicity in the Bitter Creek atrocities. Judge Blackwood
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: has taken leave of absence pending further inquiry. Sources close
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: to the investigation suggest financial transactions between the accused and
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: certain officials may have facilitated the prolonged nature of these crimes.
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: Ranger Calloway has requested assistance from Austin to ensure the
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: investigation proceeds without local interference. Evidence of broader community involvement
• 31:58
  Speaker 1: emerged as the investigation continued. A letter found among Martha's
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: possessions from the deacon of the local church thanked her
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: for generous contributions to the building fund and her reliable
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: supply of meat for church suppers during the difficult winter months.
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: The realization that many townsfolk had unwittingly consumed human flesh
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: during community gatherings and added another layer of horror to
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: the case. As one resident told the Fort Worth Gazette,
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: To think we praised her Christian charity while eating. I
• 32:31
  Speaker 1: haven't been able to keep food down since I heard.
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: By early May, Martha and Ruth had been transferred to
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: the more secure jail in Fort Worth to await trial.
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: The women were kept in separate cells, and their behavior
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: during confinement added yet another layer to the disturbing case.
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: According to jail records, Martha remained remarkably composed, requesting cooking
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: privileges in the prison kitchen, which were firmly denied, and
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: often offering cooking advice to the prison staff. She maintained
• 33:02
  Speaker 1: her innocence, claiming the evidence had been planted by business rivals,
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: or men who resented a woman's success. Ruth, by contrast,
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: alternated between periods of catatonic silence and frenzied writing, covering
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: the walls of her cell with recipes and ingredient lists
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: using a piece of charcoal she had somehow acquired. When
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: questioned by prison officials about her writings, she would only say,
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: The methods must be preserved. Future generations will understand the efficiency.
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: Her apparent detachment from the moral implications of her actions
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: disturbed even experienced prison guards. The prison physician, Dr. William Harper,
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: noted in his examination report, that both women showed signs
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: of moral insensibility rather than insanity, he wrote. They comprehend
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: fully the nature of their actions, but appear to lack
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: the normal human response of remorse or recognition of wrongdoing. Mrs. Thornhill,
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: in particular, speaks of her crimes with the same tone
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: one might use to discuss weather or crop yields. Ms.
• 34:11
  Speaker 1: Collins exhibits a more complex condition, combining unusual fixation on
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: culinary methodology with an apparent inability to recognize human beings
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: as anything more than potential ingredients. Neither woman appears to
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: meet the legal standard for insanity, as they understand the
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: nature and wrongfulness of their actions, yet both display profound
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: abnormalities of moral sentiment. As preparations for the trial proceeded,
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: the case attracted attention throughout Texas and beyond. Newspaper accounts,
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: often lurid and sensationalized, spread the story of the cannibal
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: cooks of Bitter Creek, as far as New Orleans and St. Louis.
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: Reporters descended on the small town, interviewing anyone with connections
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: to the boarding house or its proprietors. The publicity complicated
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: jury selection, as finding impartial jurors untainted by newspaper accounts
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: proved increasingly difficult. The case became something of a macabre attraction,
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: with souvenir hunters attempting to take pieces of the boarding
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: house until authorities were forced to post guards. Photographers set
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: up equipment to capture images of the now infamous building
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: selling prints to a public both repulsed and fascinated by
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: the crimes. One enterprising individual even began selling bottles labeled
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: as Martha's Secret Sauce until local authorities intervened. A potentially
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: decisive turn in the case came in late May, when
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: Ruth Collins, apparently seeking leniency, offered to provide authorities with
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: a complete confession. Over three days, Ruth dictated a statement
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: to Ranger Calloway that filled nearly 50 pages, the document,
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: portions of which were sealed by judicial order until 1950,
• 36:02
  Speaker 1: detailed not only the mechanics of their operation, but also
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: its origins. According to Ruth's confession, the practice began not
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: as a planned enterprise, but as a desperate measure during
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: the harsh winter of 1881-1882. A cattle rustler who sought
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: refuge at the boarding house died of pneumonia, and with
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: the ground frozen too hard for burial, Martha stored the
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: body in the cellar. As supplies dwindled and paying customers
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: grew scarce, Martha made what Ruth described as a practical decision.
• 36:37
  Speaker 1: Ruth recounted Martha's reasoning. She said it was no different
• 36:40
  Speaker 1: than what happens in a siege or a harsh winter
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: in the mountains. She'd heard tell of the Donner Party
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: and others who'd done what was necessary to survive. The
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: man was already dead, no additional harm done, and there
• 36:54
  Speaker 1: were hungry mouths to feed. This initial act, presented as
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: a survival measure, crossed a boundary that made subsequent killings
• 37:03
  Speaker 1: easier to justify and implement. The experience, rather than causing revulsion,
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: awakened something in both women. Ruth wrote, Mrs. Thornhill said
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: we had discovered a solution to two problems at once.
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: We would never lack for meat, and troublesome men could
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: finally be of some use to decent women. She laughed
• 37:25
  Speaker 1: when she said it, but I could see she wasn't
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: entirely joking. The next time wasn't about survival. It was
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: about a drunken miner who'd made advances and wouldn't take
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: no for an answer. Martha said she'd show him what
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: happened to men who didn't respect a lady's establishment. That
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: was the first one we planned. Ruth's confession described Martha's
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: background in ways that contradicted her public persona. Far from
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: being the widow of a Confederate officer, Martha had allegedly
• 37:53
  Speaker 1: worked in a New Orleans brothel before fleeing West after
• 37:57
  Speaker 1: killing an abusive client. She had learned butchery skills from
• 38:01
  Speaker 1: her father, who had operated a slaughterhouse in Georgia before
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: the war. These experiences had apparently combined to create both
• 38:10
  Speaker 1: her culinary knowledge and her disregard for human life, particularly
• 38:14
  Speaker 1: male life. Perhaps most disturbing were Ruth's descriptions of how
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: they refined their techniques over time. She detailed their methods
• 38:23
  Speaker 1: for selecting victims, the precise composition of the drugged whiskey,
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: and the most efficient ways to process a body. She
• 38:31
  Speaker 1: even included observations about which cuts of meat were most
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: suitable for different recipes, noting that the thigh provides the
• 38:40
  Speaker 1: finest texture for stew, while the tenderloin requires only minimal seasoning.
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: Ruth explained their business model with disturbing clarity. We calculated
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: that each suitable subject could generate between 15 and 20
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: servings of stew, depending on their size and condition. With
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: each bowl selling for 35 cents, a single traveler might
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: yield as much as $ 7 in revenue, far more than
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: the dollar or two they might spend at the establishment
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: before their contribution. And that's not counting the value of
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: their possessions, which usually more than covered any expenses associated
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: with their processing. Ruth's confession also implicated several others in
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: peripheral roles. Stagecoach drivers who deliberately directed certain travelers to
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: Martha's establishment for a fee a grave-digger. who supplied lie
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: without asking questions and at least two local officials besides
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: Judge Blackwood who had actively helped conceal evidence of disappearances
• 39:39
  Speaker 1: the reach of Martha's influence proved more extensive than initially
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: suspected one of the most disturbing aspects of Ruth's confession
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: was concerned her own background. She claimed to have been
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: the illegitimate daughter of a plantation owner and a kitchen slave,
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: raised in the household, but treated as a servant. Her
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: mother had taught her cooking skills from an early age,
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: creating in her a passion for culinary arts, but few
• 40:06
  Speaker 1: opportunities to pursue them legitimately. After her mother's death and
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: facing abuse from the plantation owner's legitimate family, she had
• 40:15
  Speaker 1: fled west, eventually encountering Martha, who recognized her talents and
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: offered her a position that evolved into their macabre partnership.
• 40:26
  Speaker 1: I never had qualms about what we did, Ruth stated
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: in her confession. In my experience, men had always consumed women,
• 40:33
  Speaker 1: in one way or another. We simply reversed the equation,
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: and I could finally practice my art without limitations, experimenting
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: with techniques no cookbook would ever contain. Mrs. Thornhill provided
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: the opportunity, but I perfected the methods. The praise we
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: received for our cooking was the only recognition of my
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: skills I'd ever known. Martha, when confronted with Ruth's confession,
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: neither confirmed nor denied its contents. Her only recorded response was,
• 41:04
  Speaker 1: That girl always did have an imagination, and a loose tongue.
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: That's a dangerous combination. Whether this was an attempt to
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: discredit Ruth's account, or simply an observation, remains unclear from
• 41:16
  Speaker 1: the historical record. The trial, scheduled to begin on June 15, 1885,
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: never took place. On the morning of June 10, guards
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: discovered Martha Thornhill dead in her cell. The official cause
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: of death was recorded as apoplexy, though rumors persisted of
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: possible suicide or even poisoning. An examination revealed traces of
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: an unidentified substance in her last meal, but technology of
• 41:43
  Speaker 1: the time could not determine its exact nature. Some speculated
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: that Martha's death conveniently silenced someone who could have implicated
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: powerful figures in the region. The Fort Worth Gazette reported, Mrs.
• 41:57
  Speaker 1: Thornhill was found seated at her small writing desk, pen
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: still in hand, apparently in the midst of composing a document.
• 42:06
  Speaker 1: The nature of this final writing is not being disclosed
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: by authorities, though sources suggest it may have contained names
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: of associates or customers with special knowledge of her activities.
• 42:18
  Speaker 1: Whether her death resulted from natural causes or more sinister
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: circumstances may never be determined. Ruth Collins, now the sole defendant,
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: was declared unfit to stand trial after a psychological examination
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: found her detached from reality and fixated on culinary matters
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: to the exclusion of understanding her circumstances. She was committed
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: to the State Lunatic Asylum in Austin, where records indicate
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: she remained until her death from tuberculosis in 1891. Asylum
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: notes describe her as a model patient who volunteered regularly
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: in the kitchen but was kept strictly to vegetable preparation. Dr.
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: Thomas Hadley, who treated Ruth during her commitment, left a
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: more detailed account in his private papers, discovered in 1957
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: that Miss Collins remains one of the most disturbing cases
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: I have encountered in thirty years of practice. She displays
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: perfect lucidity when discussing cooking techniques or recipes, maintaining an
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: encyclopedic knowledge of seasonings and preparation methods, yet she cannot
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: or will not acknowledge the inappropriateness of her former culinary practices.
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: When I attempted to discuss the moral implications of cannibalism,
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: she replied with a discourse on the relative tenderness of
• 43:40
  Speaker 1: different muscle groups and the importance of proper aging techniques.
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: It is as if her mind has compartmentalized her actions entirely,
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: separating the technical aspects of her crimes from their human cost.
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: Most disturbing is her continued insistence that her methods represented
• 43:58
  Speaker 1: a superior form of culinary art that was simply ahead
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: of its time. Ruth's final years were marked by a
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: gradual physical decline but no apparent moral awakening. Asylum records
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: indicate she maintained a journal of recipes until her death,
• 44:16
  Speaker 1: though careful monitoring ensured these contained only conventional ingredients. A
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: nurse who attended her in her final days reported that
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: Ruth's last coherent words were a request that her special
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: recipes be preserved, as she was certain future generations will
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: recognize their value. The boarding house itself became the subject
• 44:37
  Speaker 1: of much debate within the Bitter Creek community. Some advocated
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: burning the structure to the ground as a way of
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: erasing the horror it represented. Others, concerned about property values
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: and the town's reputation, argued for simply repurposing the building.
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: In the end, a compromise was reached. The structure was
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: partially demolished, with the kitchen and cellar filled in with
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: lime and concrete before being sealed completely. The main building
• 45:04
  Speaker 1: was stripped to its frame and reconstructed with new materials,
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: eventually becoming a general store under new ownership. Despite these
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: efforts to move forward, the legacy of Martha's boarding house
• 45:16
  Speaker 1: proved difficult to escape. Business at the general store struggled
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: as customers reported unpleasant sensations and inexplicable unease while shopping.
• 45:28
  Speaker 1: Multiple owners attempted to make the location viable, but by 1890,
• 45:33
  Speaker 1: the building stood empty, gradually falling into disrepair. Local children
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: dared each other to approach the abandoned structure at night,
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: claiming to hear sounds of chopping from the sealed cellar
• 45:45
  Speaker 1: or smell-cooking odors when the wind blew from certain directions.
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: The town of Bitter Creek itself never fully recovered from
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: the notoriety of the case. The population declined steadily in
• 45:58
  Speaker 1: the years following the revelations, with many families choosing to
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: relocate rather than remain associated with the cannibal town. By 1900,
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: what had once been a promising frontier settlement had dwindled
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: to little more than a cluster of buildings around the
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: railroad depot, primarily serving as a way station, rather than
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: a destination. The story might have faded entirely from public memory.
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: Had it not been for Elmer Whitfield, a junior reporter
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: for the Fort Worth Gazette, who had covered the initial investigation.
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: Fascinated by the case, Whitfield spent years tracking down former
• 46:37
  Speaker 1: patrons of Martha's establishment, collecting their testimonies and impressions. In 1901,
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: he published a small volume titled The Bitter Creek Boarding House,
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: a study in frontier justice and human depravity, which preserved
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: the case details for future generations. Whitfield's book included several
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: details that had been withheld from newspaper accounts including the
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: estimated number of victims, which he placed at 23, based
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: on possessions recovered, and excerpts from Ruth's journal that had
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: not been released publicly. He also raised questions about the
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: extent of local complicity, suggesting that the sudden deaths of
• 47:18
  Speaker 1: two potential witnesses during the investigation period were unlikely to
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: be coincidental. The book received little attention outside Texas at
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: the time of its publication, but gained new interest in
• 47:30
  Speaker 1: the 1950s when researcher Margaret Campbell discovered Whitfield's work while
• 47:35
  Speaker 1: studying frontier crime. Campbell's subsequent articles in historical journals brought
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: academic attention to the case, particularly regarding what it revealed
• 47:45
  Speaker 1: about isolation, community dynamics, and the unique vulnerabilities of travelers
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: in the post-Civil War Texas frontier. Campbell also located previously
• 47:55
  Speaker 1: sealed court documents and conducted interviews with elderly residents of
• 48:00
  Speaker 1: the region who still remembered the case. Her research revealed
• 48:04
  Speaker 1: that the effects of Martha and Ruth's crimes extended well
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: beyond their immediate victims. Families who had lost loved ones
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: without explanation finally received answers, though the confirmation that their
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: relatives had met such ends provided little comfort. One such
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: family was that of Thomas Wentworth, the cattle buyer. whose
• 48:25
  Speaker 1: distinctive watch chain had first raised suspicions. His daughter, Elizabeth,
• 48:30
  Speaker 1: wrote to Campbell. In 1952, my mother waited years for news,
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: always believing he would return. When we finally learned what
• 48:38
  Speaker 1: happened in 1885, she said, it would have been kinder
• 48:43
  Speaker 1: never to have known. Some mysteries should remain unsolved. The
• 48:47
  Speaker 1: site of the former boarding house remained undeveloped throughout the
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: 20th century. Local lore held that the land was cursed.
• 48:54
  Speaker 1: and despite the expansion of nearby Fort Worth, the property
• 48:58
  Speaker 1: remained vacant. In 1963, during construction of a highway access road,
• 49:04
  Speaker 1: workers excavating near the former boarding house location discovered additional
• 49:08
  Speaker 1: human remains that had gone undetected during the original investigation.
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: These were buried with proper ceremony in the Fort Worth
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: Cemetery with a simple marker reading, Undetected. Travelers, Bitter Creek, 1885.
• 49:22
  Speaker 1: The most enduring legacy of the case may be its
• 49:26
  Speaker 1: impact on local culture. Throughout East Texas, the phrase Martha's
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: Special Recipe became shorthand for something suspicious or unwholesome. Parents
• 49:37
  Speaker 1: would warn children who asked what was for dinner that
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: it might be Martha's stew if they didn't behave. The
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: cautionary aspect of the story, warning travelers to be wary
• 49:47
  Speaker 1: of too generous offers and isolated establishments, persisted long after
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: the details of the actual crimes had blurred in public memory.
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: Historical assessments of the case have evolved over time. Early
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: accounts tended to portray Martha and Ruth simply as monsters,
• 50:05
  Speaker 1: aberrations in an otherwise orderly society. Later analyses, particularly those
• 50:11
  Speaker 1: from the 1970s onward, placed their crimes in the context
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: of frontier gender relations, economic pressures, and the limited options
• 50:20
  Speaker 1: available to women without male protection in the post-Civil War period.
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: As historian Robert Davidson noted in his 1968 analysis, without
• 50:30
  Speaker 1: excusing their actions, we must acknowledge that Martha Thornhill and
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: Ruth Collins operated in a world where Women's survival often
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: depended on their relationship to men. They inverted this dynamic
• 50:41
  Speaker 1: in the most extreme way imaginable. The case has occasionally
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: resurfaced in popular culture, most notably in a 1959 episode
• 50:50
  Speaker 1: of the radio program Texas Tales and Legends that dramatized
• 50:54
  Speaker 1: a heavily sanitized version of events. The actual details were
• 50:58
  Speaker 1: considered too disturbing for broadcast, with the cannibalistic elements removed
• 51:03
  Speaker 1: entirely and Martha portrayed as a more conventional killer, motivated
• 51:07
  Speaker 1: by robbery. Even this tamed version generated complaints from listeners
• 51:12
  Speaker 1: who found the content unsuitable. In 1967, a collection of
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: Ruth Collins recipes, those for conventional non-human dishes, was discovered
• 51:23
  Speaker 1: among Elmer Whitfield's papers donated to the Texas Historical Society.
• 51:28
  Speaker 1: The recipes revealed a sophisticated culinary knowledge unusual for the
• 51:33
  Speaker 1: frontier and with complex spice combinations and European techniques that
• 51:38
  Speaker 1: suggested formal training somewhere in Ruth's background. This discovery prompted
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: new questions about her origins and how someone with apparent
• 51:46
  Speaker 1: refinement came to participate in such horrific acts. The boarding
• 51:51
  Speaker 1: house ledger, preserved in the Texas State Archives, continues to
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: draw researchers interested in identifying all of Martha's victims. The entries,
• 52:01
  Speaker 1: cryptic but methodical, provide clues about individuals who passed through
• 52:05
  Speaker 1: Bitter Creek between 1881 and 1885. Cross-referencing these entries with
• 52:12
  Speaker 1: missing persons reports and unclaimed property records has allowed historians
• 52:17
  Speaker 1: to attach names to approximately 18 of the estimated 23 victims.
• 52:23
  Speaker 1: What remains most disturbing about the case, according to criminologist
• 52:27
  Speaker 1: David Morrison, writing in 1965, is not merely the nature
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: of the crime's but the community's tacit acceptance that enabled them.
• 52:36
  Speaker 1: For nearly four years, Morrison wrote, an entire town consumed
• 52:40
  Speaker 1: what they later admitted tasted unusual while travelers vanished without investigation.
• 52:46
  Speaker 1: This collective willingness to ignore obvious questions reflects a frontier
• 52:52
  Speaker 1: mentality where survival often meant minding one's own affairs, regardless
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: of the cost to others. The final known victim before
• 53:02
  Speaker 1: the discovery of remains was Robert Keller, a surveyor working
• 53:06
  Speaker 1: for the railroad whose disappearance in February 1885 initially raised
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: no alarms. His equipment was recovered from Martha's trophy collection,
• 53:16
  Speaker 1: and his family later received his surveying tools and personal effects.
• 53:21
  Speaker 1: His sister, Mary Keller Adams, wrote to Sheriff Hargrove in
• 53:25
  Speaker 1: late 1885, I find no comfort in knowing Robert's fate.
• 53:30
  Speaker 1: but I am grateful he is no longer among the
• 53:32
  Speaker 1: countless disappeared whose families live in eternal uncertainty. Closure, even
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: of the most horrible kind, is still closure. Today the
• 53:41
  Speaker 1: site where Martha Thornhill's boarding house once stood remains vacant,
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: marked only by a small historical plaque installed in 1985
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: that makes no mention of cannibalism, but simply notes, Near
• 53:55
  Speaker 1: this location stood a boarding house associated with numerous disappearances
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: in the early 1880s. The case led to significant reforms
• 54:03
  Speaker 1: in Texas law enforcement procedures regarding missing persons investigations. For
• 54:09
  Speaker 1: those who know the full story, the sanitized plaque seems
• 54:13
  Speaker 1: insufficient acknowledgement of what occurred, but perhaps it's fitting that
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: the true horror remains slightly obscured, preserved in archives and
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: historical accounts. rather than prominently displayed. Like the boarding house cellar,
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: some aspects of history are best not brought fully into
• 54:30
  Speaker 1: the light, remembered as warnings, rather than displayed as spectacle.
• 54:35
  Speaker 1: The case of Martha Thornhill and Ruth Collins stands as
• 54:39
  Speaker 1: a dark chapter in Texas history, a reminder of the
• 54:43
  Speaker 1: isolation and lawlessness that could allow such horrors to continue
• 54:47
  Speaker 1: undetected for years. It speaks to the vulnerability of travelers
• 54:52
  Speaker 1: in an era before instant communication, to the desperation that
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: might drive women to monstrous extremes, and to the human
• 55:01
  Speaker 1: capacity for willful blindness when confronting uncomfortable truths. As for
• 55:06
  Speaker 1: the famous stew recipe that brought so many travelers to
• 55:10
  Speaker 1: their doom, it died with Martha Thornhill in that Fort
• 55:14
  Speaker 1: Worth jail cell. Perhaps that, at least, is something for
• 55:18
  Speaker 1: which we can be grateful.