The Glass Plate Secret That Doomed a Small-Town Deacon

The Glass Plate Secret That Doomed a Small-Town Deacon

A four-by-five-inch glass photographic plate, wrapped in black felt and found pressed against a dead man's heart, turned a small-town killing into a decades-long puzzle. Who placed that negative in Russell Myers's pocket - and why would a careful accounting assistant end up holding evidence that didn't belong to him?

In this episode, we trace the morning Dean Walsh found Russell Myers at the water tower, how ledger irregularities put Myers in conflict with local powers, and the strange arrival of an itinerant photographer whose exposed glass plate changes everything. Could a swapped photographic plate be the key to a cover-up led by the town's most respected man?

Person: Russell Myers
Date: July 14, 1941
Location: Callow Bend, Nebraska
Person: David Quinn
Person: Leonard Voss

- The victim, Russell Myers, was 26 years old and worked as an accounting assistant at the grain cooperative.
- Myers had been in Callow Bend since 1938 and sent $3 home to his mother every pay period.
- Dean Walsh discovered Myers's body at the base of the water tower on the east gravel road on the morning of July 14, 1941.
- Myers's skull showed blunt force trauma; no weapon was recovered at the scene.
- A four-inch-by-five-inch glass photographic negative wrapped in black felt was found tucked against Myers's chest.

Tired of ads? Listen to this podcast and 200+ more ad-free on OBOMEDIA.
Try it free for 7 days, cancel anytime: obomedia.com/en/gratis?ref=desc-7194310

© 2026 Created by an independent creator of the OBOMEDIA Network. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the property of their respective creator, who is solely responsible for them, and are distributed by the OBOMEDIA Network on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without the creator's prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.