Today, Stanford is considered one of the top research universities in the world, but in 1905 after one of its co-founders, Jane Stanford, died, its future hung in the balance. To protect it, a group of powerful people spun a web of deception, obscuring the true cause of Jane Stanford’s death, and quashing a police investigation before it could reveal uncomfortable truths. 

Among those who have been working to untangle the mystery of this century-old cold case, historian Richard White, who has written about what he's found in his new book, "Who Killed Jane Stanford?" On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we discuss his findings and what they say about Stanford University's founding myths. 

Guest: Richard White, professor emeritus of American history, Stanford University | author, "Who Killed Jane Stanford? A Gilded Age Tale of Murder, Deceit, Spirits, and the Birth of a University"

Host: Keith Menconi