Episode 6.11 - Rufus Cantrell, "The King of the Ghouls"

On this episode, we dig into one of Indianapolis’s darkest tales - the story of Rufus Cantrell, better known as "The King of the Ghouls." In the late 1800s, graves were mysteriously emptied and fear spread through the city’s cemeteries. Was Cantrell a mastermind, a madman, or something even more chilling? 

Sources:

“Grave Robbing Scandal.” 2025. Indiana Historical Bureau. https://www.in.gov/history/state-historical-markers/find-a-marker/find-historical-markers-by-county/indiana-historical-markers-by-county/grave-robbing-scandal/. 

Higgins, Will. 2015. “Gunfights, gang battles and other hazards of the well-paying job of grave robbing.” Indy Star. https://www.indystar.com/story/life/2015/10/23/grave-robbing-and-body-snatching-and-rufus-cantrell-and-wade-hampton-west/74053504/. 

“Irvington Historical Society.” 2025. Irvington's Golden Age of Ghouls. https://www.irvingtonhistory.org/visit/exhibits/golden-age-ghouls. 

Mitchell, Dawn. 2016. “The business of body snatching in Indianapolis.” Indy Star. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2016/05/01/business-body-snatching-indianapolis/83544696/. 

“Rufus Cantrell, notorious grave robber and "King of the Ghouls," 1903 : r/indianapolis.” 2022. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/indianapolis/comments/yie9v8/rufus_cantrell_notorious_grave_robber_and_king_of/. 

Taylor, Stephen J. 2015. “Rufus Cantrell, Intruder in the Dust.” Historic Indianapolis. https://historicindianapolis.com/rufus-cantrell-intruder-in-the-dust.