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“Because they treated him like a beast of burden…”
Those were the words of Antoine LeBlanc as he awaited the gallows in Morristown, New Jersey.

In this episode, The History Chick takes you through one of the strangest murders and executions in NJ history. From LeBlanc’s desperate search for fortune to the brutal killings at the Sayre farm, his capture at the Mosquito Tavern, and even the bizarre experiments on his corpse, this is a tale of opportunity gone horribly wrong.

💀 What you’ll hear in this episode:

• The background of Morristown in the 1830s
• Antoine LeBlanc’s troubled past and failed American dream
• The murders of Samuel, Sarah, and Phoebe Sayre
• The trial, confession, and execution before a crowd of 10,000
• The shocking aftermath: galvanic experiments, flayed skin, and ghostly legends

✨ Connect with The History Chick:

• 📧 Email: historychicktours@gmail.com
  
  
• 🌐 Website: www.historychicktours.com
  
  
• 🎥 TikTok & Instagram: @historychicktours
• 💌 Join my email list via the website for tour updates, spooky extras, and first dibs on new episodes!

🎙️ If you enjoyed this story, please share the podcast, leave a review, or forward it to a friend who loves history with a spooky twist.

Thanks for listening!

Want to walk the very streets where this chilling story unfolded? Join me on one of my History Chick Tours in Asbury Park, NJ. Visit historychicktours.com for upcoming dates and tickets.

💌 Contact:
Got an idea for a future episode? Want to be a guest? Email me at historychicktours@gmail.com

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In 1910, 10-year-old Marie Smith disappeared just 600 feet from her home in Asbury Park, New Jersey. What followed wasn’t just a tragic murder — it exposed the racial tensions, investigative failures, and dark underbelly of a resort town trying to maintain its pristine image.

Join host Lesley Schierenbeck (aka The History Chick) as she unpacks one of the most shocking — and nearly forgotten — true crime cases in New Jersey history. This episode takes you from the rushed arrest of Tom Williams, to the arrival of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, to a professional “roper” who lured the real killer into confessing inside an Atlantic City hotel.

🕵️‍♀️ It’s a story of injustice, persistence, and a chilling confession — all set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Asbury Park.

📚 Further Reading:
This episode was inspired in part by The Rope: A True Story of Murder, Heroism, and the Dawn of the NAACP by Alex Tresniowski — a gripping account that dives even deeper into this case and its national implications.

📖 Find The Rope on Amazon

Thanks for listening!

Want to walk the very streets where this chilling story unfolded? Join me on one of my History Chick Tours in Asbury Park, NJ. Visit historychicktours.com for upcoming dates and tickets.

💌 Contact:
Got an idea for a future episode? Want to be a guest? Email me at historychicktours@gmail.com

Send us a text

We're back in action! And just in time for Summerween! We're kicking off these sweltering days with a true crime story that is sure to leave you shuckin' for more!

Join Lesley Schierenbeck this week as she delves into the true crime story of the Summer Solstice Murder of 1901 - which happened in Tuckerton, New Jersey. Hear about how one clammer's fate brought an oyster watchman to vengeance!

Thanks for listening!

Want to walk the very streets where this chilling story unfolded? Join me on one of my History Chick Tours in Asbury Park, NJ. Visit historychicktours.com for upcoming dates and tickets.

💌 Contact:
Got an idea for a future episode? Want to be a guest? Email me at historychicktours@gmail.com