A Sordid Tale of Smuggling & Murder

You never know what you’ll find in your family tree.

I’m always on the lookout for unknown ancestors. Graphic by Veernavya.

The other day I stumbled across a great-great-uncle I’d never heard of before. That’s not surprising since I have over a thousand ancestors in my family tree, but this fellow was exactly the type of ancestor who it is not easy to overlook.

Often, skeletons are kept in the closet for good reason: no one wants to let the world…