Ep. 185 & 186 Freedom Parts 1 & 2

Updated: Apr 8

Part 1: "Butchered Up"

By the mid-nineteen-nineties, the United States population of train tramps and hobos dropped to only a few thousand from their Depression-era numbers of two million plus. This turn-around began in 1941, when the U.S. began actions during WWII, which led to the military draft, and "the creation of millions of jobs in defense and war industries.” The man we're telling you about today started hopping the rails as a full-time hobo lifestyle in 1991, half a century after the Second World War. He lived as ruler in a kingdom as expansive as the contiguous United States, yet as slim as the space between the rails of the nearly 140,000 miles of freight tracks that crisscross the country. A nearly unstoppable man, in a world where violence was the law. He called himself Sidetrack.

Part 2: "The High Line"

Last week, I told you about Robert Silveria aka Sidetrack aka The Boxcar Killer, and his years-long series of murders. Sidetrack traveled at will, with no record of his movements, and his pool of victims were the unhoused, the drifters, and the fellow rail hoppers he encountered. People on the fringe- the kind who wouldn't be missed. This week, the end of the murders, the arrest, and many confessions of Robert Silveria, as well as the California police detective who moonlighted as Elvis- a quirk which endeared him to the killer, and also led to this cop writing the actual book on the case. This is Freedom Part 2: The High Line.

Episode Host: Josh McCullough

Hobo signs, photos from photos from A-No. 1. Hobo-camp-fire-tales. Cambridge Springs, Pa. | Harvard Library

FTRA Concho and Tats, photo from The Provence

photo from Murder on the Rails - (ret.)Lt. William Palmini & Tanya Chalupa

Silveria Mugshot, Photo from Robert Joseph Silveria Jr. r/serialkillers

Silveria Sidetrack tag, photo from North Platte Telegraph

FTRA Tags, Tri City Herald

Willie James Clark, photo from Tallahassee Democrat

Photo from Los Angeles Times

Lee Marvin, Emperor of the North, photo from EMPEROR OF THE NORTH: The Hobo In Early 20th Century America - Film Inquiry

Row 1: Silveria OR Extradition - Oakland Tribune | William Pettit - Murder on the Rails photo insert | Silveria and Det. Palmini - Murder on the Rails photo insert

Row 2: Elivis cop - The Morning Call | Elvis Cop - The Napa Valley Registar

Row 3: Bill Palmini Elvis Cop - The San Francisco Examiner | Bill Palmini Elvis Cop - Oakland Tribune

Row 4: Det. Bob Grandinetti - The Province | Murder Map - The Sacramento Bee

Row 5: Victim List - Statesman Journal | Silveria after arrest - The North Platte Telegraph

If you’d like more episodes of Murder in the Rain, Patreon members at the $5/mo+ level, gain access to exclusive episodes, ad-free episodes, bonus content, and more.

Join us this year at the True Crime and Paranormal Podcast Festival July 12th-14th in Denver Colorado! Don’t forget to use our code RAIN15 to get 15% off of your tickets. It’s a great time to connect with podcasts as well as families impacted by the cases we discuss. We had a blast last year and we think you will too.

Join us this year at True Crime Fest Northwest in Portland, Oregon August 30th-Sept 1st. You can get your tickets at TrueCrimeFestNorthwest.com!

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/murderintherain/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mintherain/
Twitter https://twitter.com/murderintherain
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@em_murderintherain
Website https://www.murderintherain.com/
Email murderintherain@gmail.com

Ep. 185 & 186 Freedom Parts 1 & 2

Recent Posts