Nell Donnelly (Reed) was a famous Kansas City resident and business owner who was taken for ransom during the Great Depression. Nell was a badass business woman, but she had a few scandalous secrets that came to light following her kidnapping. This episode is sponsored by: Suggested Episodes: Ep20 – Prostitution in the Wild West Ep16 – History of Damsels in Distress Sources: * Blodgett, Betsy. “Nelly Don: Self Made in America.” Seamwork, Colette Media, LLC, 2021, http://www.seamwork.com/magazine/2015/12/nelly-don-self-made-in-america. * Harper, Kimberly. “Nell Donnelly Reed (1889-1991).” Nell Donnelly Reed, The State Historical Society of Missouri, 2021, historicmissourians.shsmo.org/historicmissourians/name/r/reed/. * Hulston, Nancy J. “Biography of James Alexander Reed (1861-1944), Attorney and Politician.” KC History, The Kansas City Public Library, 1999, kchistory.org/islandora/object/kchistory%253A115452. * Magerl, Barbara. “Biography of Nell Donnelly Reed (1889-1991), Dress Manufacturer.” KC History, The Kansas City Public Library, 1999, kchistory.org/islandora/object/kchistory%253A115262. * “Missouri Life.” The University of Missouri – St. Louis, St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, 2021, http://www.umsl.edu/mercantile/events-and-exhibitions/online-exhibits/missouri-splendor/Missouri_Life.pdf. * “Nell Donnelly Marries James A. Reed.” The Pendergast Years, The Kansas City Public Library, 13 Dec. 1933, pendergastkc.org/timeline/nell-donnelly-marries-james-reed. * Rhiannon. “The ‘Business Model’ of Depression Era Kidnappings.” Medium, Internet Archaeology, 5 Jan. 2021, medium.com/internet-archaeology/the-business-model-of-depression-era-kidnappings-ba21f81531ef. * Roe, Jason. “Strange Bedfellows.” KC History, The Kansas City Public Library, 2013, kchistory.org/week-kansas-city-history/strange-bedfellows. * Stillwell, Ted W. “Portraits of the Past: The Nelly Don Kidnapping Sensation.” The Leavenworth Times, USA Today Network, 31 July 2014, http://www.leavenworthtimes.com/article/20140731/news/140739835. * Wilson, Tracy V, and Holly Frey. “Nell Donnelly Reed.” Podgist, Podgist, 21 Dec. 2020, http://www.podgist.com/stuff-you-missed-in-history-class/nell-donnelly-reed/index.html.