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Artifact Story
True Crime
While crime may not pay, it certainly sells. As printing became cheaper during the 1800s, penny press newspapers and dime novels were popular sources of entertainment. True crime stories (ones based on real cases) were a consistent crowd pleaser. Police Gazette was an early example. Its first edition in 1845 said it was "devoted to the interests of criminal police." Within a few years, it had devolved into a sensational crime rag. |