Episode 01: The Mysterious disappearance of Clara Millard
The first time Inspector Vance was called to work on a police investigation was for a missing persons case in 1914. Charles and Clara Millard lived in Vancouver’s West End with their 16-year-old Chinese houseboy, Jack Kong. Charles who was an executive with the Canadian Pacific Railway, was away on business, and when he returned home his wife Clara was gone. Had she disappeared without telling anyone? Had she been kidnapped? Was she murdered?
The stories for this first series are from my book Blood, Sweat, and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance (Eve Lazarus, Arsenal Pulp Press, 2017). Vance was one of the first forensic scientists in North America, and during his 42-year-career, helped to solve some of the most sensational murders of the 20th Century. Each episode focuses on one of those cases.
Credits:
Intro and outro music: Duke Ellington’s St. Louie Toodle
Background track created by Nico Vettese www.wetalkofdreams.com
Intro and voice overs: Mark Dunn
Thank you to my first listeners for their feedback and support:
Mark Dunn
Tom Carter
Bill Amos
Amy Erb
Primary source material: Vancouver Sun, Province, Vancouver News Herald, The World; Inquest into the death of Clara Millard; and the personal files of Inspector John F.C.B. Vance.
And if you’d like to sponsor the podcast, my blog, or upcoming books, I’ve set up a page on Patreon.
