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In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we dive into the twisted story how a night at the circus turned deadly. Thirteen-year-old Willie Snyder was just trying to enjoy the show when a clown named Manuel Reys took his routine to a whole new level —and things went terribly wrong. Join us as we share the story of how a clown’s over-the-top performance turned a fun night out into a tragedy, proving that sometimes, the joke really is on you.

If you'd like more information about the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death, check out these links:

• https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/big-bertha-heyman-the-confidence-queen/article_289d524f-7865-5b03-b344-8a7c6456ec99.html
• https://www.thedeadhistory.com/blog/killed-by-a-circus-clown
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64461187/william-bernard
• https://medium.com/marvels-of-history/who-was-the-man-known-as-oofty-goofty-f249e664d52d
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap_made_from_human_corpses#:~:text=Many%20bodies%20had%20incompletely%20decomposed,turned%20into%20candles%20and%20soap
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/americas-big-circus-spectacular-has-long-and-cherished-history-180962621/

KEYWORDS:

Circus gone wrong

Tragic clown performance

Willie Snyder tragedy

Manuel Reys clown accident

True crime podcast

Circus mishap

Dark circus history

Over-the-top performance tragedy

Night at the circus death

Clown routine turns deadly

Tragedy strikes circus

Circus accident true story

Unfortunate circus performance

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In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we explore the unfortunate fate of Tom “Black Jack” Ketchum, an outlaw whose last heist went off the rails—literally. After being caught, Tom faced the gallows, but when the big moment came, Tom’s execution made him the most infamous—and headless—outlaw in the West. Join us for the story of how one man’s life of crime ended in a way no one saw coming.

If you're interested in the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death, check out the links below:

***Please note that this 1st link contains graphic images that may be disturbing ***

• https://www.executedtoday.com/2010/04/26/1901-black-jack-tom-ketchum-clayton-hanging/
• https://dustyoldthing.com/strange-tale-black-jack-ketchum/
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-blackjackketchum/
• https://site-3320323-4618-2049.mystrikingly.com/blog/tom-black-jack-ketchum-last-words#tom-black-jack-ketchum-last-words

KEYWORDS:

Tom Black Jack Ketchum execution

Wild West outlaw

Crime podcast Western history

Gallows gone wrong

Infamous Wild West criminals

Outlaw life of crime

Failed heist in the West

Gruesome execution story

Headless outlaw legend

Historical true crime stories

Tom Ketchum outlaw legend

Gallows mishap in history

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In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we uncover the story of how an ordinary day at the Wells Fargo office took a sudden turn when a curious team of employees decided to investigate a leaky crate. What they discovered inside set off a chain of events that literally shook San Francisco. Join us as we explore how one small crate proves that sometimes, curiosity really can be explosive.

If you'd like to read more about the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death, try these links:

• https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/tcrr-nitroglycerin/
• https://railroad.lindahall.org/essays/black-powder.html
• https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna53197053
• https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1866/05/13/79805983.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/man-who-invented-nitroglycerin-was-horrified-dynamite-180965192/
• https://www.acs.org/molecule-of-the-week/archive/n/nitroglycerin.html
• http://cprr.org/Museum/Newspapers/Nitroglycerine.html

KELYWORDS:

Explosive event

San Francisco disaster

Leaky crate mystery

Office investigation

Curiosity gone wrong

Wells Fargo incident

Mysterious crate

Uncovering secrets

Historical mystery

Unexpected discovery

Chain reaction

True story unraveling

Office thriller

Shock in San Francisco

Unusual office day