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EPISODE #20 - A DEED OF BLOOD

A Notorious Murderer in Toledo, Ohio

TRANSCRIPTION:

Hi there, this is Kelley Amstutz, The Genealogy Investigator, thank you so much for joining me for another episode of crime travel.

I'm really excited to be with you guys tonight, I have a really great case that I'm calling a DEED OF BLOOD.

It's kind of a little bit of an intersecting case. So I'm going to try not to get us to muddled into it all.

If you saw my social media, I am trying to build up some engagement. And I proposed a question to everybody. What is the strangest item in your family arc. And I had a couple of clients that had great, great things for me that I shared. One of them had a walking cane that they were asking around about, they had never seen it before. And they started asking around about it. And they found out that they had an ancestor that was a mule trader at one time, which is fascinating. And this cane had just been handed down after generation and generation. There was another client that I had that found like a little tin. And inside there was Pete's and was just like super weird. He didn't really tell me the specifics. But he said that his grandmother, I believe it was had brought it over from Ireland when she came here when she was 10 years old. So just some really cool stories. I can't wait to read your responses. It's on Instagram and Facebook. So please, share, I would love to, you know, tell your story on the podcast, I want to start telling some stories on the next episode. I think it's December 6, I could be a little wrong. And then I have one more for the end of the year. So plenty of opportunity to share, please engage. I can't wait to hear.

And then just a little housekeeping. I just want to highlight that the world's largest genealogy conference is getting ready to happen in 2024, which is roots tech. I'm not a paid sponsor, but I'm still super, super excited. I'm a fellow attendee. And registration is open. So what are you waiting for? The conference is going to take place February 29 through March 2 2024. There's two ways that you can experience this year, you can go in person to Salt Lake City, there's options for three day passes at $99. And one day passes and $69. Or you can experience the entire conference, including those pasts, conference speaker sessions free online. Because I am not a traveler I'm going to be attending online. And I cannot wait to hear about the incredible 200 plus new online sessions that are going to be taking place. And I get to do it from the comfort of my own office here. Plus, when you attend online, you still get access to digital syllabuses of any class handouts for any sessions that you opt in to attend. Last year, I learned so much from the SEC conference as they do every year and I know it's 2024 is going to be no different. There's so much valuable information and it really just helps keep me up to date with all the new and up and coming trends within the genealogy community. So it's a really valuable tool for me personally, you can register now online for free, or you can get your tickets to go to Salt Lake City. It attached it's it happens February 29 through March 2 2024. And More details can be found at www.familysearch.org/roots tech.

So please be sure to check that out. It's super, super exciting.

Okay, so we're going to go ahead and get in to our stories tonight.

It is Thanksgiving, so I do want to just take a moment and say Happy Thanksgiving.

I know you're not supposed to do that on your podcast, but you guys it is what it is. So I'm super, super excited. I hope everyone's having a great Thanksgiving. I am not recording this live. So I am a little bit a little bit ahead. Not much. It's just it's it's Monday here so the Monday before but I have things tomorrow and I have things on Wednesday we have a tradition.

Speaking of family traditions, we have a tradition where we make our own stuffing and it's all the women in the family gets together on my kids take part as well. So that's it's gonna be a really busy rest of the week as it is I'm sure for most people.

So we're gonna go ahead and jump in. And as I said, Tonight's our episode is called a deed of blood. We're gonna go to the Fremont weekly journal. It's the 14th of January 1854. It's a Saturday and this made page to the headline reads another murder in Toledo. And it says to women a bad repute, named BIDDY FURY and Catherine Gildner had a quarrel about a pair of gloves and you did hear me right? I said, gloves. The wretch I'm reading this word for word we will not call her woman. Fury, Biddy Fury, she drew a large jerk knife and stabbed Catherine Gildner in the left press penetrating through the stomach and liver causing almost instant death. So I don't know what was so fancy about these gloves. But Biddy was not having it. The writer of this article then put, they were both drunk. And then she proposed her here they propose a question who sold the liquor, who owns the Saloon in the upper part of the city. And this did happen in Toledo, Ohio. So um, so this is how we're going to start our story off. button times, right. So now, as we dig in a little bit more, it's January 18. So so it's like five days, four days later, right. 1854. This is from the Cleveland Herald. And it was on page two and it says we are called upon to chronicle a deed of blood. Within a few months, we have published details of two murders happening in Toledo, Ohio. Today we add a third one to the list. So I'm just gonna pause there for a minute because that made me start thinking like there's two other murders that happened in skeletal around the same time like what is going on?

So I put my little detective hat on and I go to work.

I unfortunately can only find one other murder.

And it happened on the 29th of December of 1853. The the headline it really it was kind of like a sob. It was on page one but it was like a sub article. And it just read murder in Toledo John Fisk last Thursday night assaulted a man named Arthur green, which resulted in the death of the ladder on Saturday morning. The circumstances of the murder were briefly the screen of Fisk and company with several others called at a grocery near the first lock on the evening of the murder, accompanied by a woman of ill fate. Are you seeing a trend here because we're dealing with prostitutes. They drink several times, and some of them including the deceased and the prisoner became much intoxicated. Fisk then began to boast of his ability to whip any man who said he could work Big Joe, one of the company. He made some hostile demonstrations against Mr. Green, and the latter was persuaded to leave while Mr. Fisk was kept in the store for some time. When he did leave, he went up the canal in pursuit of Mr. Green, and he ended up knocking him down. I don't have specifics of exactly what happens. But Mr. Green died. The murder was Mr. Fisk. He was arrested and held in $10,000 for his appearance that the next term of the comment, please. Now in full disclosure, this was my very first story. This was the one that I had picked us My Story number one for tonight. But this is it. There's no other articles out there. There was no other trail that led to John Fisk, Arthur green, this was it. And it's boring. Like any more what happens what happened to Fisk I know green dive will happen to Fisk was he? Was he imprisoned for 10 years? Was he in prison for ever? Did he go back to prison at any point like found nothing. So that's our one of our other murders that happened. I don't know what the other one is.

I was unable and unsuccessful in finding that. But it's just really interesting that they both have to do with prostitutes, right?

So then this we're back to our story at January 18 1854. And it continues, it happens at two women a bad repute. Again, there's that bad repute or prostitutes, temporary living at a house of ill fame. It'll fame near the distillery of how in cross. So now we know that question that that first article said, like what was the saloon that serve them? I believe they were at how in cross. So they came to town yesterday for noon and became intoxicated in a saloon in the upper part of the city. There until you know so their names as given on the examination are Biddy fury, the murderous, a native of Cincinnati and Catherine Gildner, the murdered woman who said she belong to Cleveland. They arrived in town on Saturday, and put up at the house above mentions So they're living at a, at a prostitution house right when they left the saloon and arrived at the Zen, which is what they're calling it, about two o'clock in the afternoon a coral rose between them about a pair of gloves. The merits of the coral we did not learn, but it appears that this Kilner, the one who died was standing in the kitchen when Miss vide fury came up to her and all educated about the gloves, and on muscular saying she knew nothing about who had stolen them. Miss fury drew a large jerk knife from under her shot and stabbed her near the left breast penetrating through the stomach and liver and causing death almost instantly. She was arrested by Deputy Marshal Mae home, taken before the mayor of Toledo for examination. And by him she was committed to jail to stand trial at the next term of the Court of Common Pleas. So we're learning a little bit more about what happens biddies gloves were stolen. She thought Catherine stole them Catherine proclaimed that she had not sold them. But he wasn't hearing it but he said you saw my gloves. She stabbed her to death. So vide sounds like a really she sounds like a firecracker right. So now we kind of move and I found vide pop up once again. It's June 6 of 1855. This is from the Cleveland Herald. And the article was kind of it was weird because it was like inside again. But it didn't even have a title. And it just said there are seven women's Shut up within the walls of the Ohio penitentiary under the care of a matron Betty fury. So who do we think Billy Fury is because you know when I like first started doing my research, I was like Who is this lady like she just sounds like a firecracker right? Well vide is actually an Irish woman. She has red hair, gray eyes and a sharp nose. She is one of the seven women at the Ohio penitentiary. And this goes on to read that video was well named. When excited her temper was ungovernable. And in one of her tantrums in Slidell, Ohio, she stabbed a woman who we know is Catherine gildner. As to cause her death, for which event she was convicted of manslaughter in April of 1854. And then she was sentenced to the penitentiary for 10 years. After being shut up for four months, another little fury came into the world. And Biddy after being allowed to keep it a year sent us away to be taken care of by your parents living in Cincinnati. So Vidya was pregnant when she was sentenced, she had a baby. She was allowed to keep her baby for a year. And then she sent it to her parents live, which is really, really interesting. So my journey kind of continued, and on September 20 of 1855, same year, you know, that was in June. Now we're in September a couple months later in the GL Apalis and I probably destroy that and I apologize journal. I must be down near Cincinnati here. On the 20th of September is a Thursday on page three, the title reads escape of two females from the penitentiary you know where I'm going. So last Sunday, vide fury and now she has a friend Margaret munhu. They made their escape from the Hab penitentiary in the following manner. They use the board to reach the roof of the female department and then they attach some web of muslin to a piece of iron fastened to the wall. They just let themselves down from there. Her friend Margaret was sent up from Gil Apalis, Ohio for one year. gala polis sorry for one year having been found guilty of stabbing with the intent to kill. Now we learned a little bit more about vide so video was many years a resident Cincinnati, Ohio and notorious and police corps. She murdered Catherine gildner in Toledo in 1854 and was sent out for 10 years they were well both probably make their way to Cincinnati, Ohio. There was a reward that was offered for their apprehension. But then my case went a little cold. But don't worry, I found something else. So I was kind of hunting around a little more which we all know this is what I do. And guess who pops up in 1881 So in the Cincinnati Enquirer on the 25th of December 1881 This is Sunday on page 12. Baby fury pops up again. And the title read the murder of George T horror a mystery. So I just found this really, really fascinating because her story is not finished and it's actually it's tape or T A B O O R sorry. And it's it reads many years ago, beyond a quarter of a century there was a scene of blood and murder at a body. It's a body house or it's a bag Neil, and I might be butchering that too. I apologize. Um, it was kept by notorious and infamous woman known by the name of none other than Biddy fury. The Destry putable den was and then getting that done was one of two brick houses known as the twin bricks on Canal Street near owl. So this is in Cincinnati again. The name of the young man murdered in the affray was George tabber. One evening he was a visitor at the miserable place, when from some unknown cause a quarrel occurred between him and another male visitor, and finally the ladder drew for the pistol and drove a bullet in his the head of Mr. Tab or, and the victim fell to the floor and died in a very in very few minutes, the assassin immediately fled from the terrible scene and from the house and triumphantly escapes, and he was never since been found or arrested, even who he was, is yet a mystery. Several parties as being concerned in some way in the dreadful affair were arrested, but there was no testimony against them. And they were discharged. The women of the house were called off as witnesses. But curiously, though, usual enough, they could not or would not throw any sort of light upon the affair, and the whole matter yet remains a mystery. Biddy fury, the keeper of the house was, however, obliged to close her door and to leave the city. And she, it seems, was afterward heard of as keeping the same sort of house in the city of Toledo, and herself committing murder for what she was sent away to the penitentiary for a term of years. So I just found that really, really fascinating that she pops up in 1881. Like she has notoriety, she committed an awful crime. And it seems like she just could not escape from this cloud of around her prostitution. And it followed her I mean, I don't even know if she's alive in 1881. I Unknown Speaker 17:19 literally her trail goes dry. I don't know if she was caught. I'm assuming not because there was nothing published. So who is Biddy fury? And man, does she have a story? I just thought this one was fascinating. I'm not done digging. I'm still digging even though I'm giving you this.

I'm so excited. I have to share. I'm gonna have done digging. I want to know who is Biddy fury?

Does she have a family?

Who is this child that she had, and how was their upbringing.

So it's really fascinating. If you guys know anything about Biddy fury, please share. I'm not done yet though. Like I said, I am going to keep keep digging a little bit, just because it's a fascinating story, you gotta admit, it's fascinating. Um, so I'm gonna go ahead and wrap it up for us tonight.

Now, I am going to publish this on Thursday. And I do have a really awesome, I mean, it's like I, I've lost my mind, right? I have a great deal going on. So I created the genealogy Academy. And it is a program that is a self pace. It's about six weeks, fully comprehensive certificate program, that basically I created when I could not find a program that suited my needs. Um, many of you know my story and my path to becoming a full time professional genealogists. I had to leave the corporate world, I had to kind of put certain things on hold, in order to get my business up and running. And I couldn't find a program that was showing me like, yep, you need to do this in your business, you need to make sure that you are, you know, citing sources this way, you need to make sure that you know, you have this as part of your business model. You know, your marketing in this manner. This is how you find clients. I just I there was a really big disconnect. I was purchasing programs, and I really was not getting what I was paying for. So one of my goals was, as I as I was building my business was to create a program that allowed others that would like me to start a business, a genealogy business, I give you everything from A to Z, I left all the fluff aside. One of my really big goals was to make sure it was affordable. Everybody knows that genealogy businesses are one of the most inexpensive businesses that you can start. So I'm not going to have you pay $1,500 or more because it's worth more For a course, because I really want everyone to succeed. And part of that is making sure that I'm at a price point that is affordable, but it's not full of fluff. Thus, the genealogy Academy was born. And so regularly $149.99, I have gone crazy, I have slashed my prices, it is 75% off until Friday at 11pm. Eastern Standard Time. So it is 3799. And it is jam packed full of content, everything you need to know out of the box on starting your genealogy business. There's no better time. Let me tell you with all of the DNA tests going out right now, with all of the push for ancestry in their commercials, there's no better time to level up and be professional genealogists. Because let me tell you, it is not plug and play like they make it look on TV, you really need somebody that knows what the heck they're doing. Being a great researcher is the name of the game. I feel like I'm in that level. And I give my all what makes my course different is the fact that while you're going through it, you get access to me the entire time, I'm a real person is only me. But it does help because if something's not making sense, you can stop, you can reach out to me, we can work it out together, because I want everyone to succeed that goes through my course, this is my best selling course. I'm super, super excited about it. So if you're interested, I have links all over the place. Just make sure that you are putting Black Friday all caps in the coupon code altogether. And you're gonna save 75% And this is wild. And I will not offer this ever again like this. So please take advantage of it. Um, I do also have gift certificates that are available. When you start thinking about the upcoming holidays and shopping. There's those dreaded folks that seem to have everything. So when I give them a gift that keeps on giving. And that's the gift of genealogy, it's really, really special. It's thoughtful, I have gift certificates available that are perfect for printing up and adding to the stocking. Four hours of research time is $200 Jump on that though, because I am getting ready to stop working with clients for a little bit. And it's just because I'm growing and I'm just kind of refocusing. But if you do grab the research time, it includes a free kickoff consultation, a customized research report to help your loved ones learn their ancestors stories and share for generations to come as well as options to add a customized family tree that you can print and display so there's tons of options. You can also use a gift certificate to pay for the course it is lifetime access for the course and I don't just have the genealogy Academy program. I also have a DNA and genetic genealogy program which is insane like it's there's so much it's jam packed. It's like 29 modules and it is a lot but if you're looking to level up that's also available and then I have Elkhart courses and I have a workshop program as well. So you know, definitely check out the store. If you're looking to display your family tree can help celebrate and share your ancestors by having a custom family tree made for prints. Family Tree displays, they really make great thoughtful gift for your loved ones. And they can even serve as icebreakers for curious relatives, their valuable research tool that really helps sum up your family history process. They can share up any genealogy gaps that you have and really help provide an added glance reference reminder to where you come from. family trees are also popular features for family reunions, and even weddings, which is a lot of fun. Church and trees are really a great way to show your family members the geographic areas and time frames of how your family moves through the past. It's an incredibly powerful and could show names and or photographs of your ancestors within it, which is really neat. I offer a few customizable options and I create them using your guidance and send to you in a file that is your forever to keep to print to distribute as needed. The family trees can be printed and displayed on a wall or use within a family research binder to bring all your research together. My family trees are creative and unique as I work with you to tell your ancestor stories, really in a beautiful way that can be displayed and carried on for generations to come. I'm really a sentimental person. So I'm all about having something that can be carried on. So that's going to wrap it up for us tonight. I really hope that you guys enjoyed our story. If you learn anything more about Betty fury, please share. I'm going to keep doing my research and due diligence. So look for BIDDY FURY story in the future as well. Have a great Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for listening, and I'll see you guys in two weeks.

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Family tree displays can make thoughtful gifts for your loved ones - or even serve as ice breakers for curious relatives. They are valuable research tools that help sum up your family history process, sure up genealogy gaps, and help provide an at-a-glance reference reminders of where we come from. 
Family trees are also popular features at family reunions and weddings. 

Charts and Trees are a great way to show family members the geographic areas and time frames of how the family has moved through the past. It is incredibly powerful and can show names and/or photographs of your ancestors. 

I offer a few customizable options that I create using your guidance and send in a file that is yours forever to print and distribute as needed. The family trees can be printed and displayed on a wall or used within a family research binder to bring all the research together. 

My family trees are creative and unique as I work with you to tell your ancestors stories in a beautiful way to be displayed and carried on for generations to come. 

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