Episode 05 — Bertha Liebbeke: The Nebraska Siren

🎙️ Mugshot Mysteries: Episode 5

The Nebraska Siren – Bertha Liebbeke

She looked like the girl next door. Polite, well-dressed, maybe a little flustered. But behind the lace gloves? A master manipulator who pulled off some of the slickest thefts in Gilded Age America...without ever brandishing a weapon.

In this episode, we dig into the story of Bertha Liebbeke... con artist, charmer, and one of the most fascinating women ever to grace a mugshot. We break down her origin story, her best-known scams, and the psychology that made her so effective. Plus, Gabriel joins Kathryn for an interview-style dive into the criminal mind.

🕵️‍♀️ Show Notes & Sources:

• "The Nebraska Siren," Omaha Bee, 1891–1894
     https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn99021999/
• "A Beauty with a Taste for Deception," The Inter Ocean (Chicago), 1893
     Available via Newspapers.com archives
• Captured & Exposed – Fainting Bertha
     https://capturedandexposed.com/2017/02/20/fainting-bertha/
• Old Spirituals – The Nebraska Siren
     https://oldspirituals.com/2016/06/01/bertha-liebbeke/
• Nebraska State Historical Society
     https://history.nebraska.gov
• Inflation Calculator (for crime value comparison)
     https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
• Mugshot Mysteries - Youtube Episode
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_rTN61F_IQ&t=4s

🖼️ Bertha Liebbeke’s Mugshot
https://capturedandexposed.com/2021/03/19/fainting-bertha/

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Mugshot Mysteries tells the story behind the mugshot—where psychology, history, and crime collide.

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