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Ep. 153 The Infernal Machine
- Murder in the Rain
- Aug 14, 2023
- 2 min read
For millennia, we've heard of Pandora's box and the dangers held within. For Fern Bowden, a warning to stay away wasn't enough to keep her from opening the strange container her husband kept in the basement. With the lift of a lid and the blink of an eye, lives would literally and figuratively be blown apart. Today I'll be talking about Portland's Pandora's Box murder- and how a man's paranoia drove him to build an infernal machine.
For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog.
Episode Host: Josh McCullough
James Bowden, Fern Bowden
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Murder House - Portland Mercury | slabtown chronicle: The Pandora's Box Murder | Portland area residents unaware of their homes' creepy histories | KATU | Bowden Family Tree - Ancestry | Detonator - Wikipedia | Flax | Description, Fiber, Flaxseed, Uses, & Facts | Fibre From Flax (1940-1949) | Spinning Flax (1940-1949) | Byssinosis Information | Mount Sinai - New York | Objects of Intrigue: The Infernal Machine - Atlas Obscura | Pandora | Myth & Box | Pandora's Box | Brooklyn Museum: Pandora | Mason Cooley quote: I love you is the inscription on Pandora's box. | Prometheus | God, Description, Meaning, & Myth | Blasting rock at Rocky Butte quarry, with Multnomah County Jail - OHS Digital Collections | Auto Freight Transport Building | Woman blown to pieces in trunk blast | Portland Man Says Wife Died 'By Mistake' | Booby Trap Killed Woman | Fatal Bomb Made To Kill Rival, Not Wife, He Admits | Wife Is Blown Up by 'Pandora's Box' | Bowden faces murder charge | Intended Bomb For Rival | 'Pandora Box' Tragedy Told; Husband Faces Murder Charge | Woman's Curiosity | James Bowden Murder Trial to Begin Monday | Bowden on Trial | Jury Advises Life Sentence | 'Pandora Box' Slayer Gets Life Imprisonment | Life Sentence Given After Guilt Denied | Salemite heads American Legion | Home Blast Kills Woman; Four Die In Bingen Crash | Explosion Damages Home; Husband Questioned | Husband Confesses Making Booby Trap | Husband's Bomb Meant For Rival | The Case of the Curious Wife | Signs and Symptoms | CDC | 2124 SE Yamhill St, Portland, OR 97214 | Zillow
The way you described it already gave me chills — I can’t imagine the kind of horror that unfolded after she opened that box. Definitely sounds like one of those “curiosity killed the cat” moments. Can’t wait to hear the full story about the Qwave Headwear Portland Pandora’s Box murder!
Incredibly haunting story. The way Fern Bowden’s curiosity unraveled a terrifying truth is both tragic and gripping. The idea that someone could build something so destructive out of fear is deeply unsettling. After listening to stories like this, I find it grounding to relax in small comforts—like laying on soft cheap pillowcases after a long day.
The story of Fern Bowden and the so-called Infernal Machine is both scary and heartbreaking, a sobering reminder of how obsession may lead to disaster. Cases like this necessitate in-depth study, which Phd research methodology writers frequently perform to unearth psychological and cultural undercurrents underlying such events.