As New York grew throughout the 19th century so too did crime grow within the burgeoning population. In the early years, there was little in the way of law enforcement except some constables and night watchmen.

By mid-century, the city saw the evolution of TWO police forces, a later the force grew from a loose organization dictated by corruption and cronyism to a professional force led by Theodore Roosevelt in the 1890s.

Esther Crain, guest author and historian and creator of Ephemeral New York, returns to the show to delve deeply into this world of police, crimes and criminals of the Gilded Age.

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On October 19, 2025, the world was shocked to learn of a brazen daylight heist of precious jewels from the Louvre. But this was not the first ambitious heist carried off in broad daylight at the Louvre.

In fact, in 1911, another heist took place - and this time the stolen property was none other than the world-famous "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Join the Gilded Gentleman for the tale of this robbery— an inside job! —and the international search for both the painting and the thief.

This episode originally ran in February 2023, but recent events demanded its return in a newly re-edited, re-mastered edition.

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The height of the Gilded Age also brought about the rise of tabloid journalism. Newspapers competed with one another to see who could expose the most sensational headlines and scandalous stories.

In 1889, Robert Ray Hamilton, the great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton, found himself in a tangle of lies, deceit, forged identity, attempted murder, and fraud that made headlines all over the country.

The story, which went on for nearly two years, has been forgotten today, but author Bill Shaffer brings it all back to light in his book "The Scandalous Hamiltons". Bill joins the show to explore this complex tangle of true crime that shocked Gilded Age readers and will undoubtedly raise an eyebrow even today.

This episode was produced by Kieran Gannon.

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