“Superman: Truth, Justice, and the American Way”…. 

That’s what the emblem stands for on Mark Pott’s polo shirt…. He grins and peppers his conversation with many adjectives, as he delights in his historical finds….  He’s not a professional private investigator, not a law enforcement officer, not a forensic scientist. Rather, he is a history buff, with an inquisitive mind and a thirst for solving particular unsolved cases!

He hails from Reading, PA and searches in his spare time… His goal is to assist, to “put a new spin on things” and remain in the background, much like the little known historical facts he unearths.  However, his claim to fame has evolved from his out -of –the- box thinking, producing “golden nugget” clues… and startling revelations in the case of Dr. HH Holmes… aka “Jack the Ripper” aka Herman Mudgett.

On the latest episode of “Shattered Lives” radio, Ladyjustice and Delilah had the pleasure to learn how this amateur sleuth “puts it all together” or…. “takes it apart” as the case may be …and then passes it on to whichever law enforcement authority is appropriate.   Come join the fun exploration    …or should we say, excavation?  There are “links galore” to Mark’s current research projects:  Check them out below!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

• Introduction to our guest
• Mark explains how he began his hobby of investigating due to his love of history and background with a small police department…
• When computers caught up…investigating opened up….
• How to get credible information…even far back in time…
• Starting his journey…“by accident” beginning with Jack the Ripper
• HH Holmes and “Jack the Ripper”- comparisons never done before
• Philadelphia police mug shots, their descriptions and factual information only
• Conflicting information re “odd history” and HH Holmes’ travels….
• How to find someone to help in Mark’s search… the White Chapel Society in London- The foremost historian for the area in which the murders occurred  http://www.whitechapelsociety.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=10&Itemid=39
• A favorite story about HH Holmes’ con game….
• Putting things on line…. and meeting descendent and author Jeff Mudgett
• http://imaginepublicity.com/clients/jeff-mudgett/
• http://bloodstainsthebook.com/
• Description of Jack the Ripper… http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6164544.stm;
• Continuing research on a bloody hatchet found in the basement of the Murder Castle…  OOOOH!!!
• Gas versus chopping wood… Who was Mary Kelly?
• http://www.jack-the-ripper.org/mary-kelly.htm
• Austin & San Antonio Historical Societies- Going the Extra Mile…
• Delilah asks about the “Zodiac Killer” from California…
• A World War II Submarine as part of the Zodiac story….
• Never throw out evidence….and can we take this to court?
• Plugging the  new show, “Cold Justice” with Yolanda McCrary & Kelly Siegler
• http://www.tntdrama.com/series/cold-justice/?SR=cold%20justice&SR=Cold_Justice
• A discussion of Mark’s research with Roswell, New Mexico and Kenneth Arnold UFOs in Washington State
• http://www.history.com/videos/ufo-sightings-kenneth-arnold#ufo-sightings-kenneth-arnold;
• Military findings unearthed by Mark re UFO sightings….
• Delilah asks about connecting reality with fantasy re the aliens and UFO frenzy …and “top secret info”  according to Mark
• Roswell UFO Museum- http://www.roswellufomuseum.com/
• Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Patterson_Air_Force_Base
• The Gary Redner Murder:  http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/Gary-Redner-s-son-speaks-out-about-dad-s-murder-search-for-justice/-/121418/19242206/-/92jujaz/-/index.html
• The recent massacre at the Washington D.C. Navy yard
• Elf Warrior and possible gaming with the Navy yard shooter…
• http://us-mg205.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.partner=sbc&.rand=3558j43vb6ngh#mail
• http://us-mg205.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.partner=sbc&.rand=3558j43vb6ngh#mail
• Ladyjustice asks about Mark’s contact or opportunity to interface with crime victims in working on cases.
• Interest generated in Jack the Ripper by the Mayor’s office in London …
• Other Societies contacted with Mark’s info “in the hopper re “the Ripper” ” including-
• http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/
• http://thetvdb.com/?tab=series&id=261095
• http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/society/society.php;
• Mark’s work with the Atlantis case and the Plato Society:
• What’s the latest status on the cryptogram machine and the Zodiac killer?

Questions

• What type of clues helped  begin Mark’s journey in identifying HH Holmes as Jack the Ripper?
• What did the police do “to make their theories fit” versus Mark’s approach?
• How long did it take Mark to compile his information on HH Holmes?
• What is the connection to Texas with a weapon found in the Murder Castle?
• Is the access to records a challenge- why or why not?
• Why does Mark want to visit the Austin area for his research?
• What is the “double meaning “and significance behind the “Zodiac”?
• What’s the premise behind the new TNT show “Cold Justice” and how does it relate?
• What discoveries did Mark make regarding the UFO sightings in Washington State and what was found in Roswell?
• What direction did Mark take about the Gary Redner murder?
• What was the “out of the box” theory regarding the recent Navy Yard Shooter which may be related?
• Does Mark work with crime victim families?
• If you are doing similar investigatory work on your own what is Mark’s best advice?

The comments expressed on this website or on the broadcasts of Shattered Lives do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of the hosts, producers, or other guests.