Murder and Mayhem True Crime in New Hampshire 1883-1915

Two immigrant lumbermen have a fiddling contest. What could go wrong? Could a “one-legged” man really rescue a boatload of drowning people and single-handedly raid houses without being caught? In Murder and Mayhem: True Crime in New Hampshire 1883-1915, veteran author and genealogist Milli Knudsen looks at the shocking history of true crime in New Hampshire. In the years from 1883 to 1915, the ways to commit crimes and the ways to investigate crime changed dramatically. Knudsen has captured fascinating stories from those years, and will share some of them with us in this presentation, including a few that took place right here in Hudson. Milli was born and brought up in Maine. She earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and Social Sciences from the University of Southern Maine [called Po-Go U “back in the day"]. She went on to get her masters as a Reading Specialist, which supported her career in teaching in the Londonderry (NH) School District. After preparing a spreadsheet for the NH State Archives based on the first prison register housed in their vault, she was intrigued by the stories of crimes and criminals suggested there and wrote her first crime book Hard Time in Concord in 2005. Several years later, she began volunteering with the NH Cold Case Unit which led to her being hired as their paralegal/data analyst in 2022. In the spring of 2024, she was offered the job as Administrative Assistant to NH State Police Major Crime Unit. Despite reluctance at taking a full-time job at the age of 70, Milli jumped at the chance and now takes a nap every afternoon after work. Milli's book, which she'll be happy to sign, will be available for purchase.