113. Halloween Special: The Asylum Edition
Episode Summary: In our Halloween special, we step into the dark history of women’s mental health in early 20th-century America. Two women — Catherine Ward and Carrie Selvage — entered the asylum system from different directions. One commited a horrific crime. One guilty of nothing. Both lives ended tragically. We explore how fear, misunderstanding, and limited medical knowledge shaped their fates. Themes Included: • Asylums — hope vs. harm • Postpartum mental health • Trauma and “nervo...
Episode Summary:
In our Halloween special, we step into the dark history of women’s mental health in early 20th-century America. Two women — Catherine Ward and Carrie Selvage — entered the asylum system from different directions. One commited a horrific crime. One guilty of nothing. Both lives ended tragically. We explore how fear, misunderstanding, and limited medical knowledge shaped their fates.
Themes Included:
• Asylums — hope vs. harm
• Postpartum mental health
• Trauma and “nervous breakdowns”
• Medication misuse & misdiagnosis
Hosted by:
• Darlene Hildreth
• Melody Gwyn
Male Narrator:
• Curtis Hildreth
🎵 Music Credit
Music: “UNCERTAINTY” by Arthur Vyncke
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 (CC BY 3.0)
Music powered by BreakingCopyright
Artist Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@arthurvost
License Info: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
More music: https://breakingcopyright.com
🔎 Sources & Research
1.“Catherine Ward Murders Her Children.” Pennsylvania Oddities Blog, 1 May 2023. Available online: https://paoddities.blogspot.com/2023/05/catherine-ward-murders-her-children.html
•Contains details of Catherine Ward’s poisoning with mercury bichloride, hospitalisation, lunacy commission, and release June 18 1930.
2.“Why Did Catherine Ward Murder Her Children?” Pennsylvania Oddities Podcast, 15 May 2023. Available on Spotify/Apple.
•Podcast episode summarizing Ward’s case and timeline (March 1928 onward).
3.“Newspaper Clipping of the Day.” Strange Company Blog, 18 September 2013. Covers discovery of skeleton of Carrie T. Selvage in attic of former hospital building.
•Notes the skeleton found in April 1920, last seen March 11, 1900, at former Union States Hospital in Indianapolis.
4.“The Secret Attic | The Strange Death of Carrie Selvage.” M.P. Pellicer, Stranger Than Fiction Stories, 17 April 2024. Available online: https://www.storiesofthesupernatural.info/strangerthanfiction/the-secret-attic
•Background on Selvage’s disappearance, indications of attic hidden body, suggests possible murder or accidental freezing/death in asylum.
5.“Carrie T. Selvage (1856-1900) – Memorial.” Find A Grave. Available online: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46013023/carrie_t-selvage
•Grave/memorial entry for Selvage, includes minimal details of disappearance and burial.
6.“Page 15 — Indianapolis News, April 27 1920.” Indianapolis News (Indianapolis, IN: Daily). Via Hoosier State Chronicles digital collection.
•Newspaper of the period referencing Miss Selvage’s skeleton found after many years.
📰 Suggested Additional Sources
•Indianapolis News (Indianapolis, IN), March 26 1900, p. 4 — “Miss Carrie Selvage” article about her disappearance from Union States Hospital.
📲 Connect With Us
Website: hardtimesandtruecrimes.com
Facebook: Hard Times & True Crimes Podcast
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🗣️ Final Notes
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm, please reach out to professional support:
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.) — call or text 988
You are not alone.
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