S2E2 Desperate Times

Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.Before the StoryI am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you at the heart of mystery, murder, and mayhem. Some episodes will be my own stories, others will be classics that helped shape the mystery genre we know today. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes (unless it's really bad) This is Season 2. This season contains adaptations of stories published in the 1800s. These stories are some of the first considered to be mysteries. For that reason, this season is called The Originators.Today’s story is about relentless dedication, an eye for detail, and the price of speculation. This is Desperate Times, and adaptation of The Somnambulist and the Detective, by Allan Pinkerton. Our story today was published in 1875 but took place 19 years prior in 1856. Episode Materials Read the original: There are several places where you can find The Detective and the Somnambulist. Gutenberg is one of them. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30636Cast of Characters: Allan Pinkerton, detectiveGeorge Gordon, 28, bank paying-teller, victimThomas McGregor, 60+, bank cashier (a top position)Alexander Bannatine, 50+, president, 50, former lawyerPeter A. Gordon, 50+, vice-president, uncle of deceased John Stolz, 50+, shoemaker, one of last to see George aliveJohn Flanders, 70+, jeweler, George’s, one of last to see him aliveAlexander P. Drysdale, 40+, county clerk, George’sWalter Patterson, 30+, merchant, George’s friendHenry Caruthers, 20+ son of a wealthy planter, George’s friendMy Two CentsThis mystery holds up very well. The logic is all there, the actions and reactions make sense. I suspect one of the reasons it works so well is because it is based on a true story. Pinkerton is a very good storyteller but, to an extent, he did not have to create the characters, their behavior, their motivations. He had to report them. Based on this story, Pinkerton is going to remain on the To Be Read list.There is a second half to this story that details how the Pinkerton detectives get their man. Spoiler alert: If you plan to read the story, mute us for 7 seconds. In essence, three detectives some to town and haunt Drysdale with George’s ghost, driving him to the brink of madness. Drysdale is a sleep walker and leaves his house to return to the place where he hid the money. Eventually, he confesses everything. He had invested / speculated and lost. He had his home and plantation but not the money to run them properly. He went to George for a loan. When he saw the money in the vault, his desperate times led to desperate measures. After confesses, he sends a friend to apologize to his wife and then kills himself. It is an interesting read, but we didn’t include it here because, well, Pinkerton had already solved the mystery.After the StoryThat wraps this episode of Mysteries to Die For. Support our show by telling a mystery lover about us and giving us a five-star review. Sponsor this season. Join our Body Bag Brigade with your donation. Give what you can. Everything is appreciated. DONATE HEREMysteries to Die For is written by TG Wolff with contribution from Jack Wolff and Shannon Leahy. The Thinking Man was written by TG Wolff, adapted from Edgar Allan Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Music and production and by Jack Wolff. Episode art is by Shannon Leahy. www.tgwolff.com/podcastJoin us in two weeks for Human Effect, an adaptation of The House and the Haunters by Edward Bulwer-Lytton