Historic crimes: cases involving the electric chair, "Gun Girl," a mayor and more

<p dir="ltr">Small cities and towns in Indiana often seem tranquil, but they periodically have been the settings for murders that made national headlines. They have also been the birthplaces of suspected killers, including a notorious native of <strong>Elwood</strong> dubbed "Gun Girl" by the national press during the<strong> Great Depression.</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">For one of our periodic shows exploring true crimes, Hoosier History Live will delve into several sensational murder cases that drew national attention to the state between 1869 and 1950. Among the cases will be some that illuminate aspects of social history, including the use of capital punishment, the insanity defense (which frequently was used by defense attorneys during the 19th century), and attitudes about women on trial for first-degree murder.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src= "http://hoosierhistorylive.org/images/Book-cover-No-Place-Like-Murder.JPG" alt="Book Cover: No Place Like Murder by Janis Thorton." width= "244" height="355" align="right" />The historic crimes are among those included in <strong><em><a href= "https://iupress.org/9780253052780/no-place-like-murder/">No Place Like Murder</a></em></strong> (I.U. Press), a new book by <strong><a href="http://www.janis-thornton.com/">Janis Thornton</a></strong>, an author of true crime and town history books who is based in <strong>Tipton</strong>, Ind. Janis, who has <strong><a href= "http://www.janis-thornton.com/blog/my-road-trip-with-the-dead-stop-16-nora-coleman-sepharna-gleason">researched the murders and even visited the gravesites of several of the victims</a></strong>, will be Nelson's guest to explore cases involving:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr">The first two men to die in the electric chair in Indiana. On the same day in 1914, <strong>John Chirka</strong> and <strong>Harry Rasico</strong> were executed in <strong>Michigan City </strong>at the<strong> Indiana State Prison</strong>. Although their crimes were unrelated, both men were convicted of murdering their wives - and, in Rasico's case