5.27: The mob, the stake, and the dead body at the inn: Was he a VAMPIRE? — A dueling poet and a gambler’s comeuppance in The Lives of the Highwaymen! (Segment 1 — The “Penny Dreadfuls.”) from The Penny Dreadful Hour; or, A Feast of Early-Victorian Street Literature and Stories (no AI)

The Penny Dreadful Hour; or, A Feast of Early-Victorian Street Literature and Stories (no AI)

Finn J.D. John/ Pulp-Lit Productions

5.27: The mob, the stake, and the dead body at the inn: Was he a VAMPIRE? — A dueling poet and a gambler’s comeuppance in The Lives of the Highwaymen! (Segment 1 — The “Penny Dreadfuls.”)

53 minutes Posted Mar 29, 2026 at 3:29 pm.

: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY (March 29, 1850): Charles Dickens recounts a dreadful fire that struck and destroyed a beautiful old London church.04:15: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 47-48: The Bannerworths finally reach consensus to move out of Bannerworth Hall, leaving the Admiral to keep the depredations of Varney at bay. Meanwhile, Mr. Chillingworth brings back word of the riot in the nearby town, and it makes everyone all the more eager to get out. But, as we shall soon see, the riotous anti-vampire spirit is by no means gone from the village …34:10: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: Prison Inspector Arthur Griffiths, writing in 1883, describes the culture of duels and drunken riotousness that was common in the age of highwaymen, including the duels fought by poet Richard Savage and ex-officer and professional gambler Major Oneby.45:15: CATCHPENNY BROADSIDE: The Full & True Particulars OF THE GREATEST OLD [woodcut illustration of a goat inserted here] IN THIS NEIGHBOURHOOD! (1850s).50:00: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:MILLERS: Prizefighters. NABOBS: Men who made their fortunes overseas before returning home to England to retire. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. TOWN TABBIES: A dowager dame of the “diamond squad” set. DIAMOND SQUAD: People of quality, or “big ‘uns.” COVES: Men. BUMPER: Liquor glass. RED TAPE: Brandy. JOLTER HEAD: Stupid country fellow, a yokel or bumpkin. DARBIES: Handcuffs or manacles. ———— * The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.

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SHOW NOTES — for —EPISODE 27 (Season 5)(March 29, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! This show cycles through four segments over a two-week cycle, two shows per week. This is the main show, including the "Penny Dreadfuls" segment. It will be followed by ...The “Twopenny Torrids” minisode, coming this Thursday eve;The “Ha’penny Horrids” minisode, to be posted next Sunday (one week from today); and finally—The “Sixpenny Spookies” minisode, which posts two Thursdays hence. For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "PENNY DREADFULS" SEGMENT:02:10: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY (March 29, 1850): Charles Dickens recounts a dreadful fire that struck and destroyed a beautiful old London church.04:15: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 47-48: The Bannerworths finally reach consensus to move out of Bannerworth Hall, leaving the Admiral to keep the depredations of Varney at bay. Meanwhile, Mr. Chillingworth brings back word of the riot in the nearby town, and it makes everyone all the more eager to get out. But, as we shall soon see, the riotous anti-vampire spirit is by no means gone from the village …34:10: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: Prison Inspector Arthur Griffiths, writing in 1883, describes the culture of duels and drunken riotousness that was common in the age of highwaymen, including the duels fought by poet Richard Savage and ex-officer and professional gambler Major Oneby.45:15: CATCHPENNY BROADSIDE: The Full & True Particulars OF THE GREATEST OLD [woodcut illustration of a goat inserted here] IN THIS NEIGHBOURHOOD! (1850s).50:00: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE:MILLERS: Prizefighters. NABOBS: Men who made their fortunes overseas before returning home to England to retire. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN: A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB: A room where drinking and bantering are going on. TOWN TABBIES: A dowager dame of the “diamond squad” set. DIAMOND SQUAD: People of quality, or “big ‘uns.” COVES: Men. BUMPER: Liquor glass. RED TAPE: Brandy. JOLTER HEAD: Stupid country fellow, a yokel or bumpkin. DARBIES: Handcuffs or manacles. ———— * The Barony of Dunwitch is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham (where, as H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut; there are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight.”) Actually it is a good 3,000 miles west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunwich, the English seacoast town that fell house by house into the sea centuries ago, or Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.

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