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HISTORICAL TRUE CRIME

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The Vault
In the 1920s, a lawman in North Dakota had a dark secret — He was Al Capone’s brother
Sometimes called 'the white sheep' of the family, what would make Vincenzo Capone choose to fight the booze trade that was making his little brother Al the most powerful gangster in the world?
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The Vault
Trial of Kid Trailer, Ky Matthews meant 'end of organized rustling' in the Dakotas
Trailer's own pal turned him in for the reward money. The trial and conviction marked the last days of cattle rustling in the Dakotas, as the Old West faded away.
February 15, 2023 12:24 PM
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The Vault
Outlaws, lawmen and colorful characters: Who built the legend of Deadwood
A look into some of the personalities that created the legend of Deadwood, one of the Wild West's most infamous towns.
January 20, 2023 03:29 PM
Pictured is Al Capone, along with two photos of the Naniboujou Lodge, where he is rumored to have stayed. The Lodge is located along Minnesota's North Shore.
The Vault
Al Capone, Alcatraz escape and kidnappings: Top 7 mobster and gangster stories - Best of The Vault 2022
Where did Al Capone and other mobsters hunker down in in the Upper Midwest? Who was 'Creepy' Karpis? What happened in the Bohn kidnapping? All these stories and more in Best of The Vault 2022.
December 28, 2022 01:18 PM

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Latest Headlines
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The Vault
How a frontiersman's tie to a gang of horse thieves likely cost him his life
Few are aware of how active vigilantes were in 1880s Dakota Territory. Ron Berget's book, "Montana Stranglers in Dakota Territory," tells a largely forgotten story.
December 17, 2022 07:16 AM
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By  Patrick Springer
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The Vault
Comedy of errors marked 1897 Belle Fourche bank robbery
Members of the Sundance Kid’s gang failed to get away with the goods
October 28, 2022 05:00 PM
 · 
By  Erik Kaufman
Minnesota Point, 1892
The Vault
The murder of Lena Olson: Haunted by a century-old case, author dives into a Minnesota mystery
Author and archivist Jeffrey Sauve has delved into the curious and difficult case that stumped Duluth detectives for years.
October 18, 2022 12:49 PM
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By  Peter Passi
Pictured are Fern Sankey, Verne Sankey and their Kimball, South Dakota home.
Exclusive
The Vault
Minnesota millionaire's kidnapping ends in tragedy for captor
Haskell Bohn, heir to a refrigeration fortune, lay face down on the ground as his kidnappers drove away into a dark summer night, in Minnesota, 1932, according to a police transcript exclusively obtained recently by Forum News Service. He had been ransomed. It was the end of Bohn's ordeal. His captors wouldn't get away with their crime.
October 13, 2022 10:03 AM
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By  Trisha Taurinskas
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The Vault
Prohibition-era bootleggers made southeast Minnesota a booze smuggling hotspot
Prohibition-era runners brought thousands of gallons of booze into the area, and despite law enforcements raids and arrests, there was plenty of demand for 'the devil's water.'
October 11, 2022 10:03 AM
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By  Mark Wasson
Displayed is a collage of photos, including an image of the house Haskell Bohn was held hostage for six days in 1932.
Exclusive
The Vault
Police transcript reveals 6-day kidnapping ordeal of heir of Minnesota millionaire
Haskell Bohn, kidnapped for ransom in St. Paul in 1932 because he was heir to a refrigeration fortune, struck up an unlikely 'friendship' with his Sankey Gang captors, talking baseball and bull riding, according to police records exclusively obtained from a descendent by Forum News Service.
October 06, 2022 10:31 AM
 · 
By  Trisha Taurinskas

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The Vault
How an ND woman kidnapped by gangster 'Creepy' Karpis and shot in his getaway car finally got justice
The mystery of who robbed a Wahpeton bank in September 1932, endured until the man bragged about it 40 years later. He was 'Public Enemy No. 1' and 'the scourge of the Midwest.'
October 04, 2022 10:03 AM
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By  Tracy Briggs
Barbed wire sits along a wall at the State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. (Republic file photo)
Members Only
The Vault
The legend of William Kunnecke, one of South Dakota's oldest and most mysterious serial killers
With little information on his last known whereabouts and no justice for his victims, the elusive serial killer William Kunnecke remains somewhat of a legend for South Dakota.
October 02, 2022 06:30 PM
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By  Cassie Williams
Pictured are three photos depicting the kidnapping of Haskell Bohn in 1932.
The Vault
Unlikely millionaire's heir held captive for 6 days in Minnesota basement in 1932
The son of Minnesota manufacturing millionaire, Haskell Bohn appeared to be a flashy guy. Unfortunately for the Bohn family in St. Paul, Bohn's flash caught the attention of the Sankey Gang, a notorious criminal organization housed out of neighboring Minneapolis.
September 28, 2022 01:45 PM
 · 
By  Trisha Taurinskas
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