Southern Mysteries Podcast

The Battle of Blair Mountain, in the summer of 1921, was one of the largest civil uprisings in American History. Violent attacks on Appalachian miners and their families, dangerous working conditions and a forced debt system in company towns contributed to the largest and bloodiest armed uprising since the Civil War. Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastInstagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources The Road to Blair Mountain by Charles Keeney On Dark and Bloody Ground by Anne Lawrence National Park Service: Introduction to the West Virginia Mine Wars Smithsonian Magazine: What Made the Battle of Blair Mountain the Largest Labor Uprising in American History Zinn Education Project: The Devil Is Here in These Hills ReImagine Appalachia: The Battle of Blair Mountain West Virginia Archives & History United Mine Workers of America: Standing United, Living Divided: Black coal miners and their fight for justice West Virginia Mine Wars Museum JSTOR Daily: Rednecks: A Brief History.  Episode Music Out of the Mines by Ross Gentry. Used with permission of artist. Resolution by Kevin McLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com

The disappearance of 67 year old Ruth Dorsey has perplexed her family, friends and Lee County, Alabama law enforcement for half a century. In the summer of 1974 investigators launched what would become one of the most extensive searches to date in the east central part of the state. Ruth’s disappearance remains one of Alabama’s most baffling mysteries. Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastInstagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources The Charley Project: Ruth Purcell Murphree Dorsey Encyclopedia of Alabama: Opelika Opelika-Auburn News: Dorsey Family Needs Closure After 30 Years, April 16, 2006 Opelika-Auburn News: Only Spooky May Know What Happened, Aug 17, 1975 Opelika-Auburn News: Ruth Dorsey Still Missing After Seven Years, Aug 16, 1981 Opelika-Auburn News: E.S. (Pete) Dorsey, Lee Cattleman Dies at Home, June 22, 1965 Opelika-Auburn News: Opelika Missing After Car Found, Aug 19, 1974 Opelika-Auburn News: Helicopter Used to Search Area for Mrs. Dorsey, Aug 27, 1974  Opelika-Auburn News: Aerial Search for Proves Fruitless In Search for Missing Opelikan Opelika-Auburn News: Ruth Dorsey’s Disappearance, Aug 21, 1977 Opelika-Auburn News: After 3 Month Search, Dorsey Case Unsolved, Dec 3, 1974 Opelika-Auburn News: Reward Up to $1400, Aug. 30, 1974 RootsWeb: Dorsey Ancestry Episode Music Not Forgotten by Dan Lebowitz. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

The New Orleans Trunk Murders are a long forgotten dark chapter in the city's history. The gruesome discovery of two dismembered bodies in the French Quarter in October 1927 was one of the most violent crimes reported in the city in the 1920s. Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastInstagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources The Historical New Orleans Collection: Amid Roaring Twenties New Orleans, a brutal French Quarter murder shocked the city Bayou Justice: New Orleans’ infamous trunk murders revisited Atlas Obscura: The Trunk Murders and ‘Sausage Ghost’ of 1920s New Orleans Southern Spirit Guide: A Block of Death and Dismemberment – New Orleans French Quarter Mangement District: History of French Quarter Vieux Carré Digital Survey: 715 Ursulines St. Find A Grave: Henry Moity Find A Grave: Joseph Moity Find A Grave: Theresa Alfano Moity The Evergreen Courant: Henry Moity Captured Orlando Evening Star: How Jealousy Turned a Devoted Husband into a Demon Daily Advertiser: Be Careful in Marrying,Is Advice in Story Written by Woman Found Slain at N.O. Episode Music Dark Times and Long Note Two by Kevin MacLeod  Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com

William and Ellen Craft escaped slavery in Macon, Georgia by traveling to Philadelphia in 1848. Ellen, the light skinned daughter of her mixed race mother and their enslaver, posed as a young white male planter and William posed as her slave.Their daring escape made international headlines and the Crafts became two of the most famous emancipated people in American history. Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastInstagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom: Or, the Escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery (Dover Thrift Editions: Black History)  Time Magazine: The Remarkable True Story of the Couple Who Posed as Master and Slave to Escape Bondage Smithsonian Magazine: The Great Escape From Slavery of Ellen and William Craft National Park Service: "A Desperate Leap for Liberty": The Escape of William and Ellen Craft History: The Daring Disguise that Helped One Enslaved Couple Escape to Freedom Georgia Women of Achievement: Ellen Smith Craft BBC: Ellen and William Craft: Blue plaque for abolitionists who fled slavery Episode Music Traveller by Kevin MacLeod  Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com

Betty Gail Brown was a sophomore at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky when she was murdered on campus in 1961.Betty Gail’s murder has haunted Central Kentucky for six decades.  Who killed Betty Gail and why? The case remains unsolved despite the police file noting the case was closed due to an arrest.   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastInstagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Recommended Read: Who Killed Betty Gail Brown?: Murder, Mistrial, and Mystery by Robert G. Lawson.  Daily News August 1966: The Coed Parked with Death Find A Grave: Betty Gail Brown (1942-1961) Indianapolis Star October 1961: Co-Ed Slain on Kentucky Campus Lexington Herald-Leader January 1965: Man held in West says he killed Miss Brown Lexington Herald-Leader December 1984: Police still seeking answers to unsolved murder Lexington Herald-Leader November 2017: Inside the Police File of City’s Most Notorious Slaying that has gone unsolved for 56 years The Rambler: Kentucky Cold Case: Who killed Betty Gail Brown? The Rambler: Cold Case Heats Up: Police Department Reopens Transy Student’s Murder Case Vice: The Bizarre Unsolved Murder of Harry Dean Stanton's Niece   Episode Music Surrender by Dan Lebowitz. Licensed under Creative Commons

On September 4, 1904, Fannie McCue was found dead in a bathtub at the McCue home in Charlottesville, Virginia. Within months a man was arrested, convicted of murder and executed. Doubts linger over his guilt and some believe his execution was staged. What happened in the McCue home the night Fannie was killed? Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources The McCue Murder: The complete story of the crime and the famous trial of the ex-mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia. Lindsay, James H. (1862-1933). https://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=2007_01/uvaBook/tei/b000449357.xml;brand=default; History of the McCue Case: Full Particulars of the Crime, Inquest, Trial and Conviction with Argument of Counsel by Evan Ragland Chesterman, Joseph Francis Geisinger https://books.google.com/books?id=T3NIdLR8VF4C&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q&f=false Murder trial of J. Samuel McCue. Cvillepedia. Retrieved January 13, 2024. <https://www.cvillepedia.org/Murder_trial_of_J._Samuel_McCue> The Case of the “Not-So-Common” Comyn Hall. Albemarle + Charlottesville History. Retrieved January 12, 2024 <https://charlottesvillealbemarlehistory.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/the-case-of-the-not-so-common-comyn-hall> Charlottesville. Cvillepedia. Retrieved January 12, 2024 <https://www.cvillepedia.org/Charlottesville> McCue Believes He Will Be Free. The Greenville News. December 22, 1904. Retrieved January 12, 2024. <https://www.newspapers.com/image/187932715> J Samuel McCue Dies on Gallows. The Roanoke Times, February 11, 1905. Retrieved January 15, 2024 <https://www.newspapers.com/image/911640060> Episode Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Evening Fall Piani by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons.

The Great Gaines Case remains the longest civil litigation in US History. The nearly six decade long court battle involved a wealthy Louisiana politician and merchant’s vast fortune, a hidden marriage and child and property in the heart of New Orleans business district.  Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources The New Orleans woman who fought the longest court battle in US history, The Historic New Orleans Collection. (Viewed November 2023) https://www.hnoc.org/publications/first-draft/new-orleans-woman-who-fought-longest-court-battle-us-history Notorious Woman: The Celebrated Case of Myra Clark Gaines by Elizabeth Urban Alexander https://lsupress.org/9780807130247/ Myra Clark Gaines: The Longest-Running Civil Lawsuit in America. Law Library of Louisiana (Viewed November 2023) https://lasc.libguides.com/c.php?g=560377&p=3854854 Gaines v. Relf, 53 U.S. 472 (1851). Justia US Supreme Court (Viewed November 2023) https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/53/472/ The Gaines Case Settled; Some of the Claims to be at Once Paid by the Administrator, New York Times, July 27, 1892 A man in shadow: the life of Daniel Clark, Tulane University Digital Library. (Viewed November 2023). https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane%3A27489 Episode Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Meditation Impromptu One by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons.

One of the biggest news stories in October 1934 was the kidnapping of Alice Speed Stoll from her home in Louisville, Kentucky. Seven days later she was set free but her kidnapper remained on the run. Who kidnapped Alice and why? Want more Southern Mysteries? Support this independent podcast on Patreon. Learn more and join today at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Episode Sources Money for Mrs. Stoll Is Ready Authorities Refuse to Reveal ‘Definite Leads’. Healdsburg Tribune, Number 290, 11 October 1934. (Viewed April 2020) <https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=HT19341011.2.4&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1>  Robinson v. United States, 144 F.2d 392 (6th Cir. 1944). US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit - 144 F.2d 392 (6th Cir. 1944), July 31, 1944 (Viewed April 2020) <https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/144/392/1547644/> The bizarre story of a kidnapped Louisville heiress held captive in Indianapolis, IndyStar.com. (Viewed April 2020) <https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2019/12/20/alice-speed-stoll-kidnapping-went-louisville-indianapolis/2674240001/> Video out takes with family spokesperson, University of South Carolina Libraries Digital Collections. (Viewed April 2020) <https://mirc.sc.edu/islandora/object/usc%3A26483> Robinson, Stoll, Kidnapper, Caught, The Indianapolis times. October 17, 1934 (Viewed April 2020) <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015313/1934-10-17/ed-1/seq-3/> Joyful After Kidnap Acquittal, Healdsburg Tribune, October 24, 1935. (Viewed April 2020) <https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=HT19351024&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1> Episode Music Alone with My Thoughts by Esther Abrami. Licensed under Creative Commons

David Stringbean Akeman was one of the biggest stars on the Grand Ole Opry throughout the 1950s. The accomplished banjo player rose to national fame thanks to his appearances on the country variety show Hee Haw. In November 1973, Stringbean and his wife Estelle were  murdered at their cabin just outside Nashville. Their deaths forever changed Music City. Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources Stringbean: The Life and Murder of a Country Music Legend by Taylor Hagood. University Press of MS (May 2023). https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p087110 Birthplace of Country Music Museum. (2023, May 16). BCM Museum Speaker Sessions - Stringbean: The Life & Murder with Taylor Hagood. Youtube.  (https://youtu.be/xYGB3f1ZRM0?si=XKRfNATk4xo9rbv4).  Nashville Bar Association. (2019, June 6). The Stringbean Murders: Death in Baker Holler | Part 1.Youtube. (https://youtu.be/8-lAR_lHeG0?si=TtXFat3yJ4GQAC6h).  Nashville Bar Association. (2019, June 6). The Stringbean Murders: Death in Baker Holler | Part 2.Youtube. (https://youtu.be/QK9JVZdm1_M?si=nqaQTf-HNAohFC1_).  Bluegrass Baseball: Barnstorming Band and Ball Club, Society for American Baseball Research. (Viewed November 1, 2023) <http://research.sabr.org/journals/bluegrass-baseball-barnstorming-band-and-ball-club> Stringnbean Akeman and Wife are Slain, The Advocate-Messenger, November 12, 1973. (Viewed November 4, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/143221098> Killers Missed $5700, The Tennessean, November 12, 1973.(Viewed November 2, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/112272973> End of Innocence, The Tennessean, November 10, 2013. (Viewed November 2, 2023)<https://www.newspapers.com/image/105312207> A Tribute to Stringbean, The Fort Worth Telegram Star, November 13, 1973. (Viewed November 3, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/633207504> 'Stringbean' Akeman's killer gets parole,Tennessean,Oct 14, 2014. (Viewed Nov 1, 2023) <www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/15/opry-star-stringbean-akemans-killer-gets-parole/17334979> Episode Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Castleshire by Chris Haugen. Licensed under Creative Commons.

The death of Daisy Keeton is one of Mississippi’s most horrifying murder mysteries. In January Daisy Keeton disappeared. Days later mutilated remains were discovered near an isolated road in Jones County. The investigation led police to Daisy’s daughter who was arrested and quickly dubbed Mississippi's Lizzie Borden. Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources The Legs Murder Scandal by Hunter Cole. University Press of Mississippi (August 9, 2010). https://a.co/d/9VahppU Daisy McKinstry Keeton, FindaGrave.com. (Viewed October 9, 2023) <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/80746498/daisy-keeton> Keeton Faces Trial on Assault Charge, Jackson Daily News, August 1, 1922. (Viewed October 8, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/200361386> Earl Keeton Found Guilty of Assault, The Newton Record, August 3, 1922. (Viewed October 8, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/304298515> Keeton vs. State of Mississippi. Casetext. (Viewed October 9, 2023) <https://casetext.com/case/keeton-v-state-24> Alibi Witnesses Introduced, The Leader Call, May 31, 1935. (Viewed October 9, 2023). <https://www.newspapers.com/image/7792723> Question Girl in Kidnapping Story, The Columbus Telegram, January 26, 1935. (Viewed October 10, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/428930971> Link Murder To Kidnapping, Colusa Sun-Herald, January 26, 1935. (Viewed October 10, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/993963486> Woman Charged with Murder of Own Mother, The Birmingham News, January 28, 1935. (Viewed October 10, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/573563470> Woman’s Story Stirs Murder Mystery Quiz, Oakland Tribune, January 28, 1935. (Viewed October 10, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/128798356> State Marshalls Witnesses at Trial Today, The Leader Call, March 4, 1935. (Viewed October 10, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/7771247> On Trial for Mother’s Murder, Quad City Times, March 8, 1935. (Viewed October 10, 1935) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/301307667> Large Bank Account Cited in Murder Case, The Miami Herald, March 10, 1935. (Viewed October 9, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/617423925> Verdict Guilty! Girl Sentenced to Life Imprisonment, The Leader Call, March 12, 1935. (Viewed October 10, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/7771247> The Pretty Murderess Who Was Too Modest, The Miami News, April 21, 1935. (Viewed October 10, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/573563470> Ouida Keeton Testifies for State Tuesday, The Leader Call, May 28, 1935. (Viewed October 10, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/7791810> Sentence Set Aside in Legs Murder Case, The Danville Bee, March 10, 1936. (Viewed October 10, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/962494465> Legs Murder Retrial Looms, The Ledger Star, March 10, 1936. (Viewed October 10, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/951711290/> Episode Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Leoforos Alexandras by Dan Bodan. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Savannah is Georgia’s first city and one of America’s most haunted. If you visit Savannah’s historic district and stroll the city squares, at some point, you are walking on the dead. Victims of war, yellow fever epidemics, fires, murder and enslavement who died during turbulent times in the city. Savannah is a city that lives upon the dead and some continue to make their presence known.   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources “432 Abercorn Street: Haunted Mansion Or Just a Rumor Mill?”, The Savannah First-Timer’s Guide. (Viewed October 3, 2023) <https://savannahfirsttimer.com/432-abercorn-street> “Savannah Child Killed by Marble Table Top”, The Atlanta Constitution, December 3, 1933. (Viewed October 2, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/398101049> “Man Is Injured in 14-Ft Fall”, The Macon Telegraph, December 13, 1933. (Viewed October 2, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/image/826315007> “Grand Jury to Probe Wesley Espy’s Death”, The Atlanta Constitution, January 31, 1934. (Viewed October 2, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution-atl-constitutio/60239352> “Carl Espy Sr”, Abbeville Herald, February 15, 1951. (Viewed October 2, 2023) <https://www.newspapers.com/article/abbeville-herald-obituary-for-carl-espy/67883727> “Why is Savannah one of America’s Most Haunted Cities?“, Savannah.com. (Viewed October 2, 2023) <https://www.savannah.com/why-is-savannah-one-of-americas-most-haunted-cities> “New report takes a fresh look at Savannah's role in the history of American slavery”, GPB.org, October 25, 2022. (Viewed October 10, 2023) <https://www.gpb.org/news/2022/10/25/new-report-takes-fresh-look-at-savannahs-role-in-the-history-of-american-slavery> “Beneath the Surface”, Savannah Magazine, May 15, 2017. (Viewed October 9, 2023) <https://www.savannahmagazine.com/beneath-the-surface/> “Why was Nathanael Greene's skeleton kept in a bank vault?”, The Augusta Chronicle, August 1, 2022. (Viewed October 9, 2023) <https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/lifestyle/columns/2022/08/01/monday-mystery-skeleton-revolutionary-war-hero-kept-bank-vault/10169971002/> “Haunted Crime Scenes: Savannah's 'Most Haunted' House”, True Crime Library, 2007. (Viewed October 3, 2023) <https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/classics/hampton-lillibridge/1_index.html> “Died in the West”, The Atlanta Constitution, February 16, 1896. (Viewed October 7, 2023). <https://www.newspapers.com/image/26788699> Episode Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Dark Times by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Demopolis, a small town in West Central Alabama, is the home to many a tale of ghosts and the unexplained, including at Bluff Hall. There is a dark history associated with the grand old home, including a funeral service for four members of the Smith family. The Demopolis Times called the discovery of their bodies in November 1934 “the most shocking tragedy that has happened in the city of Demopolis. Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources “Tales of Ghosts Haunt Demopolis Landmarks River”, The Demopolis Times, Nov 1, 2019. (Viewed September 3, 2023) <https://www.demopolistimes.com/2018/11/01/tales-of-ghosts-haunt-demopolis-landmarks-rive> “They Just Weren’t The Kind of People for That”, Crime Reads, February 3, 2023. (Viewed September 4, 2023). <https://crimereads.com/they-just-werent-the-kind-of-people-for-that-the-1934-smith-family-massacre-in-demopolis-alabama/> “Shocking Tragedy Here Sunday Stirs Community”, The Demopolis Times, November 29, 1934. (Viewed September 3,2023). <https://www.newspapers.com/image/539484992/?match=1> “Alkire-Smith”, The Demopolis Times, October 11, 1933. (Viewed September 4, 2023). <https://www.newspapers.com/image/539386981/> “Verdict Found at Demopolis”, Our Southern Home, December 5, 1934. (Viewed September 5, 2023). <https://www.newspapers.com/image/551861356/?terms=elsie%20smith&match=1> “Bluff Hall”, Encyclopedia of Alabama. (Viewed September 2, 2023).<https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/bluff-hall/> “Murder and Suicide Seen in Demopolis Tragedy”, The Selma Times Journal, November 26, 1934. (Viewed September 2, 2023). <https://www.newspapers.com/image/570062089/> Episode Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Peace of Mind and Long Note Two by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons.

On December 11, 1926 a small town bank near Austin, Texas was robbed at gunpoint by a 21 year old college student Rebecca Bradley. She wasn’t the typical bank robber of the 1920s. What secrets drove this “girl next door” to armed robbery and arson? Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources “Drop Co-Ed Bandit Charge as Rebecca Becomes Mother”, El Paso Herald-Post, October 25, 1933. (Viewed on August 23, 2023). <https://www.newspapers.com/image/796631421/?clipping_id=131550098> “The End of an Unusual Case”, Wichita Falls Times, October 27, 1933. (Viewed on August 23, 2023). <https://www.newspapers.com/article/wichita-falls-times/131148529> “Amarillo Attorney Tells of Marriage to Bandit Suspect”, Ft. Worth Telegram Star, December 14, 1926. (Viewed on August 28, 2023). <https://www.newspapers.com/image/634535367/?terms=rebecca%20bradley> “Rebecca Bradley Girl Bandit”, ScandalsandSweets.com.(Viewed on August 21, 2023). <https://scandalsandsweets.com/rebecca-bradley-girl-bandit> “Texas Girl Bandit Accused of Arson”,The New York Times, December 12, 1026.(Viewed on August 20, 2023). <https://www.nytimes.com/1926/12/16/archives/texas-girl-bandit-accused-of-arson-buda-bank-robber-is-arrested-for.html> Episode Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Dixie Outlandish and Castleshire by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons

Meet sisters Caroline Martin, Virginia Wardlaw and Mary Snead. They left a long trail of devastation and death of family members from Kentucky to Tennessee and Virginia on to New Jersey where they were implicated in the mysterious death of a young family member.  Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources “Soule Sisters Series”, Daily News Journal, Sunday, October 2009. Accessed March 2, 2028. https://rutherfordtnhistory.org/rutherford-county-hosted-three-wicked-witches/ “Three Sisters in Black: The Bizarre True Case of the Bathtub Tragedy” by Norman Zierold. Accessed March 1, 2018.https://books.google.com/books?id=wqdLDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false “Ghosts of past still frighten New River Valley”, Collegiate Times, October 31, 2006. Accessed March 10, 2018.  https://www.collegiatetimes.com/lifestyle/ghosts-of-past-still-frighten-new-river-valley/article_0b71ec43-ff02-5af4-a83e-8016c081891a.html “Sister Act: The Bizarre Drowning of Ocey Snead”, The Lineup, July 19, 2018. Accessed August 1, 2023. https://the-line-up.com/the-bizarre-drowning-of-ocey-snead Episode MusicTheme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Colorless Aura by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Otto Wood was a self–proclaimed one armed-bandit from North Carolina. He made a name for himself as a bootlegger who loved stealing from the rich. Being sent to jail only heightened his fame. He escaped prison so many times he was nicknamed the Hillbilly Houdini.   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources ‘They started popping bullets’: Eyewitness recalls the day Otto Wood died. Salisbury Post. January 2015. Accessed August 1, 2023. https://www.salisburypost.com/2015/07/30/they-started-popping-bullets-eyewitness-recalls-the-day-otto-wood-died/   Wood, Otto.  Life history of Otto Wood: inmate, State Prison. Raleigh, N.C.: 1926.    Otto Wood: North Carolina’s One Man Crime Wave. Old Hat Records. Accessed August 3, 2023. http://www.oldhatrecords.com/ResearchOttoWood.html   The not too well-known desperado. Accessed August 3, 2023. http://kronsell.net/woodenglish.htm    McKenzie, T. (2021). Otto Wood, the Bandit: The Freighthopping Thief, Bootlegger, and Convicted Murderer behind the Appalachian Ballads. University of North Carolina Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5149/9781469665672_mckenzie   Episode Music The Colonel by Zachariah Hickman. Licensed under Creative Commons; Otto Wood: The Bandit by The Carolina Buddies, Columbia Phonograph Recordings, 1931. Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

In June 1964, the Ku Klux Klan conspired with law enforcement in Neshoba County, Mississippi to kidnap and murder three young civil rights workers. James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were murdered in an effort to preserve segregation in the state and deter further civil rights activism. Despite dozens of indictments and a few trials, was justice served? What role did the state of Mississippi play in their murders? Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Mississippi Department of Archives and History. “Sovereignty Commission Online website”. (Viewed on July 29, 2023). <www.mdah.state.ms.us/arrec/digital_archives/sovcom/> Mississippi Encyclopedia. “Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission”. (Viewed on July 29, 2023). <https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/mississippi-state-sovereignty-commission/> African American History. Cozzens, Lisa. "Brown v. Board of Education." (Viewed on July 29, 2023). <http://fledge.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/early-civilrights/brown.html> Wisconsin Historical Society Freedom Summer Digital Collection. “Edward Hollander recordings [sound recording], 1963-1964; Audio 369A; WIHVH2870-A.” (Viewed on July 28, 2023)<https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/p15932coll2/id/11990> Jackson Free Press. “FBI Celebrates Civil-Rights Heroes”. (Viewed on July 30,2023) <https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2011/jun/21/fbi-celebrates-civil-rights-heroes/> Famous Trials. “Mississippi Burning Trial Chronology.” (Viewed on August 1, 2023) <https://famous-trials.com/mississippi-burningtrial/1959-chronology> King Encyclopedia.”Freedom Summer.” (Viewed on August 1, 2023) <https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/freedom-summer> Jewish Women's Archive. "Rita Schwerner." (Viewed on August 2, 2023) <https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/bender-rita>. Neshoba Democrat. “Mt. Zion to hold annual memorial”. (Viewed on July 31, 2023)<https://neshobademocrat.com/stories/mt-zion-to-hold-annual-memorial,87244> Pacifica Radio Archives, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. “Memorial service for James Chaney.” 1964-08-28. (Viewed July 28, 2023). <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-28-m901z42919>. History.com. “Freeom Summer.” (Viewed July 27, 2023). <https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-summer> Porter, Dawn. “Spies of Mississippi.” (Viewed July 29, 2023). <https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/spies-of-mississippi/> Episode MusicSpirit of Fire by Jesse Gallager. Licensed under Creative Commons; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

This 2020 episode is one of the most popular in the Southern Mysteries archive. It tells the story of Elizabeth Dale. Between the 1830s and 1850s, she was married and widowed, six times. Each husband died following a mysterious illness. When Elizabeth’s neighbor accused her of murdering her husbands, he learned that questioning Elizabeth could cost you your life. Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comInstagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com Episode Sources Elizabeth High-Brown-Routt: Hazel Green's First Serial Killer, Memories of Madison County. Elizabeth Evans Dale. Huntsville History Collection Federal Writers Project (2013). The WPA Guide to Alabama: The Camellia State. Retrieved from http://books.google.com "Attempt to Convict Based On The Testimony Of A Monomaniac". Nashville Daily Patriot. [volume], January 22, 1856, Image 2 "Dead Husbands Tell No Tales". Okay, Listen Here. 27 October 2010 "Elizabeth Routt: Did She Murder Her Six Husbands Or Was She a Victim of Misfortune?" Huntsville Times. 26 February 1976 Carrington, Virgil. True Tales of Old Madison County, (1992). Johnson Historical Publications Episode Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Plantation by Audionautix. Licensed under Creative Commons. One Mile East of Hazel Green by Shane Adkins, from performance at Von Braun Center, Huntsville Alabama on June 7th, 2014 as part of Jim Parker's Songwriter Series

In 1959 Osprey, Florida was shaken by the murder of the Walker Family, just days before Christmas. The quadruple murder remains unsolved. Some investigators believe there’s a connection between the murder of the Walkers in Florida…and the Clutter Family Murder in Holcomb, Kansas.    Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources Walker Murder Investigative Report from Florida Sherrif’s Bureau. Accessed June 1, 2023. https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/525057/walker-2.pdf The suspects: A litany of names and clues. Herald-Tribune. Accessed June 8, 2023https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2005/12/19/the-suspects-a-litany-of-names-and-clues/28452224007/ Years Later, Sarasota Murders Tied to ‘In Cold Blood’ Case. Accessed June 8, 2023.https://www.theledger.com/story/news/2013/05/18/years-later-sarasota-murders-tied/8122891007/ Unsolved Mysteries: The Walker Family Murders. Accessed June 8, 2023.https://truecrimedetective.co.uk/in-cold-blood-ii-the-walker-family-murders-d16969e7dac4 Resurrecting the “Mummy murder’ case. Accessed June 8, 2023.https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1994/03/23/resurrecting-the-mummy-murder-case/ Clutter Family Murders. Accessed. Accessed June 9, 2023.https://www.gcpolice.org/about-gcpd/history/famous-cases/clutter-family-murders No DNA link between Walker murders, ‘In Cold Blood’ killershttps://web.archive.org/web/20151126101903/http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130813/ARTICLE/130819868 Walker investigation shows parts of ‘In Cold Blood’ don’t add up. Accessed June 9, 2023.https://web.archive.org/web/20130128075855/http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20121209/ARTICLE/121209622?p=2&tc=pg Did the Clutter Murderers Kill Again? Accessed June 10, 2023.https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323951904578292491087476234 Episode Music Emotional Alone by Purple Planet Music. Licensed under Creative Commons; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

The murder of Solomon P. Sharp by Jereboam Beauchamp is known as The Kentucky Tragedy. It’s a complicated story of seduction, politics, love and execution.  Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Southern Literary Messenger. Encyclopedia of Virginia. Accessed May 30, 2023. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/southern-literary-messenger/ The confession of Jereboam Beauchamp "(written by himself) who was executed at Frankfort, Ky., for the murder of Col. Solomon P. Sharp, a member of the legislature, and late attorney-general of Ky. To which is added some poetical pieces written by Mrs. Ann Beauchamp, who voluntarily put a period to her existence on the day of the execution of her husband, and was buried in the same grave with him. Accessed May 30, 2023. https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/sat1109 The Kentucky Tragedy in American Literature: From Thomas Holley Chivers to Robert Warren. Jack Edward Surrency, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Accessed May 30, 2023. ttps://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5389&context=utk_graddiss Jereboam O. Beauchamp. Murderpedia. Accessed May 29, 2023. https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/beauchamp-jereboam.htm Episode Music I Am A Man Who Will Fight For Your Honor by Chris Zabriske and No. 7 Alone with My Thought by Esther Abrami. Licensed under Creative Commons; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

The story of Joe Ball has been a part of Texas lore since the 1930s. He’s known to have killed two people but investigators believed he may have killed up to 20. Were nearly a dozen victims fed to Joe’s pet alligators?   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Joe Ball: The Butcher of Elmendorf. Accessed May 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20070916033830/http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/history/joe_ball/index.html Two Barmaids, Five Alligators, and the Butcher of Elmendorf. Accessed May 4, 2023. https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/butcher-of-elmendorf-alligators/ Joseph D. Ball Accessed May 1, 2023. http://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/ball-joseph.htm   Episode Music Lost Cowboy by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

In 1944, George Stinney Jr. was wrongfully convicted of murder and executed by the state of South Carolina. The 14 year old was the youngest person to be executed in 20th century America. Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources Court Acknowledges Wrongful Execution of 14-Year Old George Stinney, Accessed March 30, 2023. https://eji.org/news/george-stinney-exonerated/ State v. Stinney, Brief of Amicus Curiae, Accessed April 10, 2023. Justice is Done: George Stinney Jr.’s 70 Year Old Conviction is Vacated, April 10, 2023. https://lawlibrarybarrister.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/justice-is-done-george-stinney-jr-s-70-year-old-conviction-is-vacated/ New details emerge about an alternate suspect in Alcolu girls’ murders. Accessed April 11, 2023. https://www.postandcourier.com/news/special_reports/new-details-emerge-about-an-alternate-suspect-in-alcolu-girls-murders/article_2b2069f0-2933-11e8-9997-7b67df562df5.html Episode Music Dark Times by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

A sensational tale of obsession, murder and a secret lover were front page news in the summer of 1922. At the center of it all was Walburga Oesterreich, more commonly known as Dolly. Detectives worked for over a decade to solve the mystery of the murder of her husband, Fred. A scorned lover revealed the answers and Dolly's secrets shocked the country.     Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources The Story Of Dolly Oesterreich – The Woman Who Kept Her Secret Lover In The Attic For Years. Accessed Dec 12, 2022 https://allthatsinteresting.com/dolly-oesterreich The Murderous Lover Who Lived In A Silver Lake Attic. A True Story. Accessed Dec 29,2022. https://laist.com/news/la-history/hidden-history-of-la-the-murderous-lover-who-lived-in-a-silver-lake-attic The Legend of Milwaukee’s Most Infamous Love Triangle. Accessed December 30, 2022. https://www.milwaukeemag.com/the-legend-of-milwaukees-most-infamous-love-triangle/   Music It's the Talk of the Town. Public Domain. 78rpm Collection (1920s 1930s Popular Music) Part JH11

Easter marked the 60th anniversary of the disappearance of 22 year old Hannah Jane Rowell. Her estranged husband believed Jane abandoned the family to leave Baton Rouge, Louisiana and try to make it in Hollywood. Her distraught and protective brother vowed there was foul play.    Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Jane Clement Missing Since 1963. The Hammond Star, Bayou Justice. Accessed February 25, 2020. https://www.hammondstar.com/news/jane-clement-missing-since-1963/article_317d206e-c244-53a3-a061-6b13a44b0413.html Dental Chart of Missing Woman Studied. The Daily Iberian. December 10, 1963. https://www.newspapers.com/image/849587767/ Jane Rowell Clement. Doe Network. Accessed March 13, 2023. https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1373dfla.html Jane Clement Rowell. The Charley Project. Accessed March 13, 2023. https://charleyproject.org/case/jane-rowell-clement Jane Clement missing since 1963. Bayou Justice. Accessed March 28, 2023. https://bayoujustice.com/2023/03/jane-clement-missing-since-1963-2/ Jane Rowell buried in concrete tomb. Bayou Justice. Accessed March 28, 2023. https://bayoujustice.com/2023/03/jane-rowell-buried-in-concrete-tomb/   Episode Music Not Alone by Lee Rosevere. Licensed under Creative Commons; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

In December 1989, Judge Robert Vance was killed in his Alabama home when he opened a package that contained a mail bomb. Two days later Civil rights attorney Robert Robinson was killed in a separate explosion in Georgia. The investigation to find the person responsible for the attacks became one of the largest cases in FBI history.    Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Helen Vance is remembered as passionate about life, animal lover. AL.com. Accessed January 15, 2023. https://www.al.com/spotnews/2010/10/helen_vance_remembered_as_pass.html Family remembers Savannah attorney killed in 1989 bombing. WTOC.com. Accessed January 20, 2023. https://www.wtoc.com/story/37989246/family-remembers-savannah-attorney-killed-in-1989-bombing/ Judge Vance Murder. FBI.gov. Accessed February 1, 2023. https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/judge-vance-murder Alabama Executes Man for 1989 Mail-Bomb Murder of U.S. Appeals Court Judge Robert S. Vance. Justice.gov. Accessed February 1, 2023. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndal/pr/alabama-executes-man-1989-mail-bomb-murder-us-appeals-court-judge-robert-s-vance-0 United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Walter Leroy Moody, Jr. Justia US Law. Accessed February 2, 2023. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/977/1425/305286/ 'Why my dad?' Judge recalls father's legacy as bomber's execution nears. AL.com. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2018/04/circuit_judge_bob_vance_talks.html Alabama Executes Mail Bomber, 83, the Oldest Inmate Put to Death in Modern Era. The New York Times. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/19/us/alabama-execution-walter-leroy-moody.html Forensic Files - Season 3, Episode 5 - Deadly Delivery. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://youtu.be/Ru8PHBVPgLc Episode Music Last Frontier and Falling Rain by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

In 1920 Lena Clarke made history when she became the first woman to be named postmaster of West Palm Beach, Florida. Within a year, she gained notoriety as “the murdering postmistress when she stood trial for killing her lover to cover up an embezzlement scheme.   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect   Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources   Florida history: The story of West Palm Beach’s murderous postmistress. The Palm Beach Post. Accessed January 30, 2023. https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2022/01/09/lena-clarke-mysterious-murderous-postmistress-west-palm-beach/9084494002/   Going Postal, 1920s Style – The Strange Case of Lena Clarke. Palm Beach Past. Accessed January 29, 2023. https://palmbeachpast.org/2021/07/going-postal-1920s-style-the-strange-case-of-lena-clarke/   The Murdering Postal Woman, Lena Clarke, 1921. Historical Crime Detective. Accessed February 2, 2023. https://www.historicalcrimedetective.com/the-murdering-postal-woman-lena-clarke-1921/   Lena Marietta Thankful Clarke. Find A Grave. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23950611/lena-marietta_thankful-clarke   Theft of $32,000 Solved by Lena Clarke but Murder of Miltimore is still a mystery. The Orlando Sentinel. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://www.newspapers.com/image/313585521/?terms=lena%20clarke&match=1   The Life of Lena Clarke In Her Own Pen. The Miami Herald. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://www.newspapers.com/image/616088404/?terms=lena%20clarke&match=1   Lena Clarke Murder Trial. The MIami Herald. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://www.newspapers.com/image/616088368/?terms=lena%20clarke&match=1   Postmistress Called Insane Freed of Murder. The New York Daily News. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://www.newspapers.com/image/410910479/?terms=lena%20clarke&match=1   Episode Music St. Francis by by Josh Lippi & The Overtimers. Licensed under Creative Commons; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

There are lesser known stories of enslaved men and women who fought for their freedom in court. Elizabeth Key was at the center of one of the most important colonial court cases involving slavery. Henrietta Wood made history when she sued the man who kidnapped and enslaved her. Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Elizabeth Key. Women in History. Accessed January 10,2023 Elizabeth Key. Library of Virginia. Accessed January 13, 2023Elizabeth Key and Her History-Changing Lawsuit. ThoughtCo. Accessed January 14, 2023 The Case of Elizabeth Key, 1655/1656 Northumberland County Record Books, 1652-1658, fols. 66-67, 85; 1658-1660, fol. 28; Northumberland County Order Book, 1652-1665, fols. 40, 46, 49. University of Chicago Taunya Lovell Banks, "Dangerous Woman: Elizabeth Key's Freedom Suit - Subjecthood and Racialized Identity in Seventeenth Century Colonial Virginia", 41 Akron Law Review 799 (2008), Digital Commons Law, University of Maryland.  Sweet Taste of Liberty Open Source Notebook. Caleb McDaniel. Accessed January 14, 2023 In 1870, Henrietta Wood Sued for Reparations—and Won. Smithsonian Magazine. Accessed February 1, 2023   Episode Music Magic Forest by Sir Cubworth Licensed under a Creative Commons; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

In the 1930s Harry Powers used several aliases to correspond with lonely women he promised to marry. In 1931 five bodies were discovered on his Quiet Dell, West Virginia farm that was dubbed The Murder Farm.    Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect   Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources   Harry F. Powers. Murderpedia. Accessed January 4, 2023. https://murderpedia.org/male.P/p/powers-harry.htm   Hanging the Bluebeard of Quiet Dell. Appalachian History. Accessed January 7, 2023. https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2014/03/grisly-anniversary-hanging-bluebeard-quiet-dell.html   The Bluebeard of Quiet Dell, Clarksburg Serial Killer. West Virginia Gazette. Accessed January 7, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20120324101310/http://www.wvgazette.com/mediafiles/document/2009/03/17/Bluebeard_I090317193022.pdf   Harry Powers' Murder Farm. Morbid Tourism. Accessed February 1, 2023. https://www.morbidtourism.com/locations/id/606a1c2bc892bc9da3b0864a   Episode Music Lost by Kevin MacLeod, Licensed under a Creative Commons License; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

On a cold December day in 1909, eight year old Alma Kellner walked five blocks from her parents home in Louisville, Kentucky to St. John’s Church. She promised her mother she would return home after mass but Alma never returned. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain shrouded in mystery   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Alma Katherine Kellner. Find A Grave. Accessed January 4, 2023. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95108249/alma-katherine-kellner   Reward of $500 Offered. Lexington Herald-Leader. December 10, 1909. Accessed Newspapers.com December 20, 2022 Alma Kellner’s Body Is Found. Los Angeles Herald. May 31, 1910. Accessed Newspapers.com December 20, 2022   Triumphed. New York Daily News. July 28, 1935. Accessed Newspapers.com December 20, 2022 Louisville’s Church Fiend Becomes Martyr in France. The Louisville Courier-Journal. November 29, 1936. Accessed Newspapers.com December 20, 2022   Killer Priest— Crimes, Trial And Execution Of Hans Schmidt, Mark Gado ( 2006). Accessed January 10, 2023. https://archive.org/details/KillerPriest--CrimesTrialAndExecutionOfHansSchmidtMarkGado2006   Episode Music Argonne by Zachariah Hickman and Sense of Loss by Purple Planet Music. Licensed under a Creative Commons License; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

In November 2012, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles pardoned three black men who had been wrongly convicted of assaulting two white women in 1931. They were the last of nine young men associated with the case to have their convictions officially cleared from the record. Their arrest and the trials that followed served as a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement.   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Scottsboro Trials. Accessed December 14, 2022.    “Scottsboro Boys” Trials (1931-1937). Famous Trials by Douglas O. Linder. Accessed December 10, 2022.    Without Fear or Favor: Judge James Edwin Horton and the Trial of the “Scottsboro Boys” By Douglas O. Linder. Accessed December 10, 2022    The Saga Of The Scottsboro Boys. Accessed January 2, 2023.    The Scottsboro Trials: A Legal Lynching. Accessed January 2, 2023.    The Scottsboro Boys: Injustice in Alabama. Accessed December 15, 2022.    Episode Music No 7 Alone with My Thoughts by Esther Abrami. Licensed under a Creative Commons License Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

On New Year's Eve 1996, Mark Morris discovered the bodies of his parents in their Bastrop, Louisiana home. His nine year old son Ryan had been staying with them and he was missing.  Who took Ryan and why did someone murder his grandparents?   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect   Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources   Man Indicted in Killings of Parents, Son. Associated Press. Accessed December 23, 2022 https://apnews.com/article/76e5d58e4d21b945c2bf9a88e1057f32   The Price of His Inheritance. Historical Crime Detective. Accessed December 22, 2022 https://www.historicalcrimedetective.com/the-price-of-his-inheritance-1995   State of Louisiana v. Mark Morris. CaseLaw. Accessed December 20, 2022 https://caselaw.findlaw.com/la-court-of-appeal/1083153.html Episode Music Meditation by Audionautix. Licensed under a Creative Commons License Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

The 1965 disappearance of Mary Little remains one of Georgia’s most mysterious missing person cases. On October 14, 1965 Mary spent the day working, socializing with friends and shopping. Mary Little never made it home.    Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources The Strange Disappearance of Mary Little. Historic Horrors. October 2022 The Mary Shotwell Little Case. The Southern Voice. Mary Shotwell Little. The Charley Project The Case of the Missing Bride. Buckhead.com  What Happened to Mary? The Disappearance of Mary Shotwell Little, Woman's College Alumna. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro   Episode Music Autumn Sunset by Kevin MacLeod. Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons License Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

It’s been 90 years since Mamie Thurman was brutally murdered in Logan County, West Virginia. While investigating the murder of the wife of a local police man, authorities learned Mamie had been leading a double life.  Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @shannonballard_Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Mamie’s Husband Didn’t Wait Long to Remarry. Coal Valley News. October 23, 2019 WV: The 1932 Murder of Mamie Thurman. Thoughts and Ponderances. March 10, 2020 The Secret Life and Brutal Death of Mamie Thurman. F. Keith Davis   Episode Music Evening Fall Harp. Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons.Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

The Bell Witch legend is one of the most recognized examples of the unexplained in Southern American lore. How did the legend take hold of and define a small town in Tennessee?   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources Bell Witch lore spins dark tale, but could science explain it all?. The Tennessean. October 28, 2021 Tennessee Myths and Legends. Tennessee State Library and Archives.  The Year of the Witch. Tennessee Historical Society. October 13, 2017 John William Bell. Findagrave.  The Mark of the Bell Witch (Documentary). Seth Breedlove, Small Town Monsters. 2020 Historian, descendant recount Bell Witch legend. Associated Press. November 4, 2018 Episode Music Industrial Music Box. Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons. Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

Southern Mysteries is on hiatus. I’m taking a much needed break from researching murders and mysteries this summer. I’ll be back with new episodes in time to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the show this fall.   If you’re a patron of Southern Mysteries, you’ll still hear the Patreon exclusive episodes, The Lesser Knowns, each month. If you don’t already support the show you can check out patreon.com/southernmysteries to catch up on the show archive and hear Patron exclusive episodes like the one I’m sharing today.  Before we say goodbye for the summer, this is the story of a cold blooded killer who became the last woman to die by electrocution in Alabama….Rhonda Belle Martin   Episode SourcesRhonda Belle Martin. Murderpedia.A Plot Full of Poison. LIFE. 26 March, 1956The Penalty Is Death: U. S. Newspaper Coverage of Women's Executions by Martin Shipman. University of Missouri Press.Governor Holds Murderess' Fate. Montgomery Advertiser. 10 October 1957Grisly Momma. The Malefactors Register.    Music   Emotional and Alone. Purple Planet Music. Licensed Under Creative Commons

The Shelton Laurel Massacre in January 1863 is a striking example of divided loyalists and complicated battle lines in North Carolina during the Civil War.    Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources The Massacre Men. Scalawag. July 27, 2017 Atrocity at Shelton Laurel. Our State. April 29, 2012 Blood in the Valley: The Shelton Laurel Massacre’s Haunting Legacy. Mountain Xpress Asheville History and Writing about the Massacre. Vicki Lane Tales of Appalachia  The Shelton Laurel Massacre, Madison County, NC,Winter of 1863. Shelton Family History Blog   Episode Music Leoforos Alexandras by Dan Bodan.  Licensed under a Creative Commons. Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

In the summer of 1976 two bodies were discovered in rural Sumter County, South Carolina. Their identities remained a mystery for nearly 45 years   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect   Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources   Sumter Couple Mystery Website dedicated to the case  Killer Remains Nameless. January 2021. Sumter County Does. The Doe Network Sumter County murder victims laid to rest. The Index Journal. August 15, 1977   Episode Music Long Note One by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Source: http://incompetech.com   Sense of Loss courtesy of Purple Planet Music.  https://www.purple-planet.com/ Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

Some of the oldest true crime cases in America are racial terror lynchings. To understand the history of lynching in the American South you have to know what led to the acceptance of racial terror and the brave people who led anti lynching campaigns in an effort to end the violence and save lives.    Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Hanging Bridge: Racial Violence and America's Civil Rights Century by Jason Morgan Ward. Oxford University Press The Cross and the Lynching Tree (James Hal Cone and Bill Moyers). The Journal.  Emmett Till Antilynching Act. Public Law No: 117-107 (03/29/2022). This bill makes lynching a federal hate crime offense. This Bridge in Mississippi Has Hosted Decades of Racial Violence. Vice. April 27, 2016 What happens when we forget? Facing South. May 7, 2018 Thirty Years of Lynching in the United States 1889-1918. NAACP Report on Lynching  Equal Justice Initiative, Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror (3d Ed., 2017). How one Civil Rights activist posed as a white man in order to investigate lynchings. Fresh Air, NPR. March 30, 2022   Episode Music “One” courtesy of Ross Gentry. Special thanks to Headway Recordings, in Asheville, North Carolina. Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

The Hillsville Massacre has been described as one of the most bizarre incidents in Virginia criminal and legal history. Floyd Allen, the patriarch of the Allen clan, known for feuding, moonshining and violence, was executed after he stood trial for triggering the 1912 courthouse massacre. But the question remains…who shot first?   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Gunfight in courthouse after guilty verdict left 5 dead, 7 wounded. New York Daily News. July 4, 2021 Floyd Allen (1856–1913). Encyclopedia of Virginia.  Courthouse Tragedy. The Carroll County Historical and Society Museum The Hillsville Massacre. The Roanoker. November 1982 Floyd Allen. Murderpedia   Episode MusicLoneliest Road in America by Jesse Gallager  Licensed under Creative Commons Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

Emil and Kelly Mitchell, known as the King and Queen of the Gypsies, have long been a part of Meridian, Mississippi lore but their story is complicated and often misunderstood    Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Queen of the Gypsies Dead. Our Southern Home. February 10, 1915 The Rose Hill Company of Players. Facebook Queen Kelly Mitchell: A Slice of Meridian’s History. The Meridian Star. December 26, 2007 Historical tales abound within Rose Hill Cemetery. Today in Mississippi  Fortune telling ordinance challenged. The Meridian Star. February 13, 2011 Meridian, Mississippi, the Queen City. The Meridian Star. October 28, 2011 Why Being 'Gypped' Hurts The Roma More Than It Hurts You. Code Switch NPR. December 30, 2013 Roma Culture: Customs, Traditions & Beliefs. Live Science. November 26, 2018 Meridian’s Royal Past. Mississippi FolkLife. February 4, 2019   Episode MusicAlone with my Thoughts by Esther Abrami  Licensed under Creative Commons Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

In the late 1880s Bob Sims declared himself a prophet with more than 100 followers in his Choctaw County Alabama cult. His belief that no man could establish laws over him led to a bloody chapter in Alabama history Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Sims War Siege. Choctaw County Geological Society Robert Bruce Sims. Find A Grave. The Sims War Connection. Rebellion Leader Robert Bruce Sims. Campbell Family History Bad Literature. Bob Sims Paper ‘The Veil is Rent’. The Standard Gauge. September 10, 1891 Robert Sims, Thomas and Young Savage. Strange Fruit and Spanish Moss. December 26, 2014 A Southern Terror: Arrest of the Bloody Bob Sims and His Bad Gang. The Pittsburgh Press. December 27, 1891 Stars Fell on Alabama by Carl Carmer. University of Alabama Press (1985)   Episode MusicArgonne by Zachariah Hickman Licensed under Creative Commons Bring Me Your Sorrows by Dan Lebowitz. Licensed under Creative Commons Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

Pearl Corens disappeared on February 13, 1945. Over the next two weeks mysterious notes perplexed police as they searched for the missing war department employee. Then came a shocking discovery on the Virginia side of the Potomac River.   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect   Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Justice and the Case of the Corpseless Head. New York Daily News. March 24, 1946 Judge is Grim in Weird Case. The Spokesman-Review. May 29, 1945. Wife’s Head Found; Husband Held. The New York Daily News. March 1, 1945 Corens Offers Alibi for Bloodstains in Bethesda Home. The Evening Star. May 25, 1945 Rice, C. (2018). 45 Murderers: A Collection of True Crime Stories. United States: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road.   Episode MusicFalling Rain by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Source: http://incompetech.com   Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

In April 1969, Marie Arrington became the second woman ever placed on the FBI’s most wanted list. One year earlier she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for manslaughter. While awaiting appeal and out on bond she was arrested for the murder of a legal secretary. Then came a trial, Marie’s escape and the FBI’s years long pursuit of one of their most wanted     Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode ResourcesMrs. Vivian June Ritter. The Tampa Tribune. April 30,1968 Letter Linked in Killing of Secretary Erased. The Orlando Sentinel. September 18, 1968 State Traces Hourly Steps by Mrs. Ritter. The Tampa Tribune. December 4,1968 Arrington v. State. Supreme Court of Florida. April 1, 1970 Wanted Persons Marie Dean Arrington. The Sheriff's Star. December 1969 Marie Dean Arrington. The Tampa Tribune. March 18, 1973 Is This The Place They Call Hell? The Palm Beach Post. March 18, 1973 Son Remains in Shadow of Mother’s Revenge. Orlando Sentinel. June 27, 1998  Marie Arrington 1960s Leesburg Killer. South Florida Sun Sentinel. July 1, 2014 30 days of mean marie. Lake & Sumter Style. July 2014   Episode MusicSense of Loss and Lazy Days by Purple Planet Music. purple-planetmusic.com Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

Kenneth Neu loved two things: music and himself. He was a talented singer and dreamed of becoming a star with his name in newspapers and his voice on the radio. Neu would get his wish in the 1930s when people from New York City to New Orleans heard his name on radio reports and saw his name and photos printed in newspapers. The headlines featured news that he had confessed to two murders.   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode ResourcesTheater Manager Found Murdered. The Wilmington Morning News. September 11, 1933 Slayer of Two Held By Lack of Car Tag. The Gaffney Ledger. September 23, 1933 Crooner Held for Murder Pens Poems in Jail Cell. The Shreveport Times. September 23, 1933 Neu’s Defense at N.O. is Insanity. The Alexandria Town Talk. December 13, 1933 State Demands Death for Penalty for Slayer. The Monroe-Star News. December 15, 1933 Night Club Singer Goes to N.O. Gallows Today. The Shreveport Times February 1, 1935 Girl Pays for Neu’s Funeral. The Alexandria Town Talk. February 2, 1935 State v. Neu, 180 La. 545, 157 So. 105 (La. 1934). Casetext Singer Kept Singing All the Way to the Gallows. The Ottawa Citizen. October 25, 1980 Fit as a fiddle and ready to hang: depression-era crooner was the ‘singing slayer’. Medium. December 1, 2018 Is Gay Panic Still An Excuse For Murder In The Courtroom? Oxygen True Crime. August 20, 2019   Episode MusicLoneliest Road in America by Jesse Gallagher Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Slow Hammers by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Source: http://incompetech.com Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, nicknamed the "Six Triple Eight", was the only all-black, all-female battalion overseas during World War II. They were dedicated to the mission to boost morale for service members but it would take decades for their country to acknowledge them for their service.   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect   Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode ResourcesDouble V Campaign. Newspapers.com LTC Charity Adams Early. Women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. National Museum United States Army  Lena King, 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion U.S. Army, World War II. Veterans Chronicles. Dec 5, 2019 These Black Female Heroes Made Sure U.S. WWII Forces Got Their Mail. History. February 21, 2019. Procession, funeral for Bertha Dupre set for Friday morning. The Salisbury Post. March 20, 2019 The SixTripleEight: No Mail, Low Morale. National World War II Museum New Orleans. February 10, 2021 Sen. Moran Introduces Bill to Award the Congressional Gold Medal to the WWII “Six-Triple-Eight” Battalion. Jerry Moran United States Senator for Kansas. February 2021 Black female WWII unit hoping to get congressional honor. Associated Press. July 13, 2021 Honoring Veterans of WWII: Women of the 6888th. Burns and McConnell. November 18, 2021 And Still, They Served: Black Servicewomen in World War II. Military Women’s Memorial.  Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II. Charlie Horse Productions   Episode Music Sugar Pines by Wes Hutchison Licensed under Creative Commons Alone With My Thoughts by Esther Abrami Licensed under Creative Commons Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

A Gothic revival church in downtown Cleveland, Tennessee was built in 1873 and dedicated in memory of 7-year-old Nina Craigmiles who died in 1871. The mausoleum behind the church is home to one of Tennessee's strangest mysteries   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode ResourcesSt. Luke’s Episocopal Church. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. United States Department off the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service Elegy in Marble. The Tennessean. April 16, 1950 The Red Streaks on the White Mausoleum. Appalachian History. October 28, 2010 St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Visit Cleveland Tennessee Ghosts of Bradley County, Tennessee. Museum Center 5 Points. October 28, 2010   Episode Music Shadowlands by Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.comTheme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

The worst maritime disaster in US history occurred on April 27, 1865. Overshadowed by the end of the Civil War and assassination of President Lincoln, the death of nearly 1800 souls was not front page news and conspiracy theories of how the ship went down were rampant    Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Resources Sultana Disaster Museum sultanadisastermuseum.com The Sultana Association of Descendants and Friends thesultanaassociation.com Sultana: A Tragic Postscript to the Civil War. American History Magazine. August 1998 Surviving the Worst: The Wreck of the Sultana at the End of the American Civil War. Mississippi History Now. October 2009 The Shipwreck That Led Confederate Veterans To Risk All For Union Lives. NPR News. April 27, 2015   Episode Music Waiting Alone in the Dust by Lobo Loco. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Virtues Instrumenti by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Source: http://incompetech.com.  Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

Show update and preview of patron exclusive Southern Mysteries Shorts. Meet the most remarkable survivor of the Civil War Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries

In December 1888 Birmingham leaders faced their greatest challenge in the city’s seventeen years of existence...sensational murders that gained nationwide attention and led to a deadly riot in the Magic City.   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode ResourcesWest, Goldsmith B. (1888) The Hawes Horror Birmingham Northrup, Jeff. (1978) "The Hawes Riot: All the News Unfit to Print" Journal of the Birmingham Historical Society. Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 16-25 The Hawes Murders: a dark moment in Birmingham’s early history. Alabama Newscenter. October 28, 2021 Jones, Pam. (Spring 2006) "The Hawes Murders." Alabama Heritage No. 80, pp. 34-40 He Will Hang! Birmingham News. January 13, 1890.  Hawes Hung. The South Alabamian. March 8, 1890.   Episode Music Measured Places, B Somber Ballads, Mesmerize and Lamentation by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com.  There’s Probably No Time by Chris Zabriskie Licensed under creative commons Elegy by Asher Fulero Licensed under creative commons Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

In August 1943, 15 year old Joan Kiger was accused of murdering her father and younger brother. Her attorney claimed the sleepwalking defense - that Joan shot her family members while having a nightmare. 78 years later there are still questions about what happened inside the Kiger’s home in the summer of 1943   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com Episode ResourcesMother Loyal to Girl Held in Double Killing. The Rock Island Argus. August 19, 1943 Kiger Hearing Scheduled for Tuesday, Girl Calm as Murder Warrant is Filed. Cincinnati Enquirer. August 19, 1943 Startling New Angle Claimed in Double Slaying in Covington. The Park City Daily News. August 22, 1943 Murder Warrant Issued for Mrs. Carl Kiger. The Lexington Herald. December 7, 1943 Joan Virtually Admitted Slaying, State Declares. The Louisville Courier-Journal. December 18, 1943 Joan Kiger Takes Stand to Tell of Twin Killing. Owensboro Messenger. December 21, 1943. Joan Kiger Found Not Guilty, All Other Charges Dismissed. Cincinnati Enquirer. December 22, 1943 Freed In Nightmare Murder, Joan Kiger is Called Maniac. Daily News. April 16, 1944 The Kiger Murders of 1943. Boone County Public Library Chronicles of Boone County.  Kiger Murder. Have Your Say.  Sleepwalking Killers. Psychology Today. December 13, 2012 11 Sleepwalking Killers from History Will Make You Want to Bar Your Doors At Night. History Collection. November 21, 2017Episode Music Comfortable Mystery, Tranquility Base, Almost F in Tranquility, Dhaka, Lamentation, Colorless Aura and Dreams Become Real by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com. Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

Lake Lanier is one of the deadliest lakes in America. Some swear it's haunted by the spirits of those whose lives tragically ended in the lake. Others believe it was cursed from the start because of the dark history associated with the land and people who lived in the area before the lake was created   Want more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Resources Phillips, P. (2016). Blood at the root: a racial cleansing in America (First edition.). W.W. Norton & Company. Rivers Held a Spiritual Place in the Lives of the Cherokee. Humanities by National Endowment for Humanities. Summer 2019.  Deadliest day at Lake Lanier | 1964 Christmas tragedy. 11 Alive News. December 10, 2019. Cemeteries of Lake Lanier. North Gwinnett Voice. March 9, 2020. Quick Facts Forsyth County, Georgia. US Census.  The mysteries beneath the waters. Tallahassee Tribune. September 2, 2020. Below the surface: How Lake Lanier came to be. Forsyth County News. September 8, 2020. One of Georgia’s most well known lakes has a murky history. The Signal. April 6, 2021. Mooney, J., & Mooney, J. (1982). Myths of the Cherokee ; and, Sacred formulas of the Cherokees. Nashville, Tenn: Charles and Randy Elder-Booksellers.Episode Music Ambient and Drone in D by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com No. 8 Requiem and No 6 In My Dreams by Esther Abrami Licensed under Creative Commons; Argonne by Zachariah Hickman Licensed under Creative Commons; Spirit of Fire by Jesse Gallager Licensed under Creative Commons Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

Nearly fifty years ago the country mourned eight year old Timothy O’Bryan who died in his Texas home after eating poisoned trick or treat candy on Halloween. Timothy’s death changed Halloween celebrations for generations of children    Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Resources Ronald Clark O'BRYAN, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee. September 26, 1979.  The ex-wife of Ronald Clark O'Bryan, awaiting his execution. UPI. March 30, 1984 The True Story of the Notorious Trick-or-Treat Murderer. Vice. October 31, 2016. 35 years later, memories of notorious Halloween ‘Candyman’ murder remain vivid. Statesman News Network. October 14, 2016 Looking back at the 'Candy Man' 42 years later. Houston Chronicle. November 1, 2016. The Candyman: Houston's own real-life Halloween horror story. ABC 13 Eyewitness News. October 13, 2018. How Trick-or-Treating Became a Halloween Tradition. History. October 3, 2019Episode Music Lost Time, Ambient, Ossuary 1 A Beginning, Ossuary 6 Air, B Somber Ballad and Long Note One by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

In February 1933 a church service in a Kentucky mountain town ended with the death of 72 year old Lucinda Mills. Nine relatives would be accused of murder while the media labelled her death a human sacrifice. What happened in that cabin?   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Resources Laben T. Mills Obituary. Big Sandy News. July 31,1914 Lucinda Ward Mills. Find A Grave. [Lucinda’s age listed as 65 here but based off of census records she was believed to have been 72]  Burning of Body on Altar Halted by Inez Police. The Owensboro Inquirer. February 9, 1933  Cult Victim Held Willing Sacrifice. The Courier-Journal. February 10, 1933 Insanity Plea Planned in Cult Slaying Case. The Courier-Journal. February 11, 1933 Bare Details of ‘Sacrifice’ Death Scene. Indianpolis Times. February 11, 1933 Mills Held Without Bond for Slaying Mother in Cult ‘Sacrifice’. The Lexington Herald. February 12, 1933 Nine Relatives of Cult Victim Are Indicted. The Owensboro Messenger. April 5, 1933 Insanity Held Slaying Cause. The Courier-Journal. April 7, 1933 Two Relative Freed In Cult Slaying Trial. The Lexington Leader. April 9, 1933 Prosecutor Contends Slayers of Mrs Mills Cold Blooded Murderers. The Courier-Journal. April 10, 1933 Mills Kneeling on Mother’s Body Fought Deputies. The Owensboro Inquirer. April 11, 1933 Cult Case Goes to Jury. The Courier Journal. April 12, 1933 Cult Leader Is Given Life Term for Matricide. The Courier-Journal. April 12, 1933 Blaine McGinnis is Given Pardon. Lexington Herald-Leader. November 3, 1933 The Mysterious “Order of the Odd Fellows”. Messy Nessy. January 2020.  Odd Fellows Have Skeletons in Their Closets--and Their Walls and Attics. Los Angeles Times. April 2001.   Episode Music Clean Soul, Concentration, Tranquility Base, Almost F in Tranquility, Drone in D and Loss by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com The Dark Glow of the Mountains and There’s Probably No Time by Chris Zabriske  Licensed under Creative Commons Elegy by Asher Fulero Licensed under Creative Commons Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

Duels were common in America until the end of the Civil War. They were most common in the south where the slightest offense could result in a challenge with duelists following a “polite” code of honor.   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Field of Honor: A Complete and Comprehensive History of Duelling in All Countries. 1884 Savannah Duels. Chatham County GaArchives History. 1923 Dueling. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. 15 March 2013 8 Legendary Duels. History "Mourn Columbia!": The Death and Legacy of Stephen Decatur. White House History. November 25, 2019. The History of Dueling in America. PBS American Experience.  In the Defense of Honor: The Rise and Fall of Dueling in America. Ultimate History Project.  Before Burr shot Hamilton, this 1800s Kentucky duel ended in bloodshed. Courier Journal. June 13, 2019.    Episode Music Lost, Almost in F Tranquility and Lost Frontier by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com Northern Lights by Chris Haugen, Spirit of Fire by Jesse Gallagher and Alone with my Thoughts by Esther Abrami Licensed under Creative Commons Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

The ruins of Windsor are among the most photographed historic sites in Mississippi. 23 towering columns that cast long shadows on the history of the once grand mansion and places like it across the American south.    Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Windsor Ruins National Register of HIstoric Places Nomination. 1971, updated 1992 "Burning of the Daniell Residence." The Southern Reveille. February 21, 1890 The Ruins of Windsor. WLBT. April 30, 2011 Cotton. Mississippi Encyclopedia. July 10, 2017. The Creation Of The Cotton Kingdom. African American History and Culture. United States Census, 1860. Claiborne County, Mississippi. Population Schedules Windsor Ruins, Mississippi – A Silent Sentinel to the Magnificent South. Legends of America. November 2019.  The Windsor Ruins of Mississippi. Parker Studios. June 11, 2019.   Episode Music Sense of Loss by Purple Planet Music. Purple-planet.com. Licensed under Creative CommonsFresh Fallen Snow by Chris Haugen and I Need To Start Writing Things Down and I Am A Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor by Chris Zabriske. Licensed under Creative Commons Autumn Sunset, Relaxing Piano Music and March of the Minds by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.comDevouring the Whole by Ross Gentry. Special thanks to Headway Recordings, in Asheville, North Carolina for permission for useTheme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

On a sweltering day in the summer of 1925, Rudolph Disse went on a shooting spree in Richmond Virginia killing the woman he loved, his rival and a cop   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect   Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources   Boy Slayer Cool, Little of Criminal About Him. The Richmond Times Dispatch. July 29, 1925 Marvin W. Peers Had Won Divorce. The Richmond Times Dispatch. July 30, 1925 Trial of Disse Underway. El Paso Herald. August 14, 1925 Disse Case Again Postponed. The Danville Bee. August 15, 1925 State Rests in Trial of Disse. The State News and Observer. August 18, 1925  Disse Sentenced to Electric Chair. The Danville Virginia Bee. August 20, 1925  Rudolph Disse Must Die in Chair. The Newport Daily Press. August 21, 1925 Beauty Fatal to Two. Casper Star-Tribune. September 27, 1925 Has Condemned Man Lost Calm at Trial? The Richmond Times Dispatch. November 18, 1925  Drug Addict Slew Girl He Loved and Other Man. The New York Daily News. July 24, 1927   Episode Music   Tranquility Base and Drone in D by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com Gloomy Night by Marwan Nimra Licensed under Creative Commons  Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

Lester Brocklehurst, Jr was a Sunday school teacher who grew bored of his life. In 1937 he and his girlfriend hit the road on a multi state crime spree that ended with dozens of armed robberies and three murders   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Officers of Four States Hunt Pair. Anniston Star. May 9, 1937 Holdup Killer Caught in N.Y. Abilene Morning News. May 14, 1937 Three States Attempt to Get Brocklehurst. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. May 14, 1937 Killer Gives Own Story of Crime Career. The Sacramento Bee. May 14, 1937 Sanity Question Stirs Anger of Accused Slayer. The Daily Oklahoman. May 27, 1937 Brockelhurst, Ordered to Die, Falls in Faint. The Richmond Times Dispatch. June 26, 1937 Killer’s Companion Freed of Murder. The Richmond Times Dispatch. June 26, 1937 Bernice Felton Is Indicted by U.S. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 25, 1937 Brocklehurst Fights for Life As Child Is Born. Kenosha News. December 17, 1937 Girl Begins Time for Crime Tour. The Wichita Eagle. May 29, 1939 What’s Behind the Man Behind the Thumb? The News Tribune. July 30, 1939 Gangsters, Mobsters & Outlaws of the 20th Century. Legends of America. February 2020 Gangsters During the Depression. American Experience PBS.  Bernice Felton, Half of a Serial Killer Couple – Illinois, 1937. Unknown Gender History. January 2, 2021   Episode Music Ossuary 1 The Beginning, Dark Times, Despair and Triumph, Ambient by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com No 2 Remembering Her - Esther Abrami Licensed under Creative Commons  Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

How do you celebrate the milestone of one million downloads of Southern Mysteries? You share a story! Hear the Southern Mysteries Shorts featuring the odd true crime story of the Meeting Street Murders   Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Episode Sources   “Sue Stidham Logue”. Murderpedia.    “How A Mule Kick Killed Eight People”. Who’s On The Move, Midlands Biz. November 1, 2013.   “From a dead calf to the South Carolina electric chair”. The Newport Plain Talk. October 10, 2014.   “Edgefield County Sheriff W.D. “Wad” Allen. EOW: November 16, 1941”. South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame Facebook.November 19, 2019.   “Edgefield County Deputy Sheriff W.L. “Doc” Clark. EOW: November 18, 1941”. South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame Facebook   Episode Music   Cryptic Sorrow, Clean Soul by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com; Plantation by Audionautix. Licensed under Creative Commons. Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com

On May 9, 1981, Ricky Merrill and Dori Colyer left Hilltop Lounge in Brooksville, Florida. They never returned. 40 years on, their families are still waiting for justice Anyone with information on this Cold Case Homicide is asked to contact Detective George Loydgren at 352-754-6830.If you would like to remain anonymous – Please call Hernando County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-990-TIPS (8477) or submit your tip online at hernandocountycrimestoppers.com    Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode Sources Who Killed Rick Merrill and Dori Colyer? RickAndDori.comFather of car’s owner fears worst. St. Petersburg Times/Hernando Times. May 12, 1981Families complain of delay in identifying bodies. Tampa Bay Times. May 14, 1981Services planned, but car-fire victims' identities still unconfirmed. Tampa Bay Times. May 15, 1981Identities confirmed of 2 found in burning car. Tampa Bay Times. May 16, 1981Cause of death still unknown in care fire. St Petersburg Times, Hernando Times. May 19, 1981Police have four suspects in murder of two persons found in burning car. St Petersburg Times/Hernando Times. August 1, 1981Quest remains unfulfilled as tragedy strikes again. St. Petersburg Times/Hernando Times. September 9, 1988Case of double murder, vehicle arson still cold after 38 years. Fox 13 Tampa. May 10, 2019Deputies need your help solving 39-year-old Brooksville cold case. WTSP. May 8, 2020Cold Cases: Ricky Merrill & Dori Colyer. Hernando County Sheriff’s Office. October 12, 2020   Episode Music Tranquility Base, Clean Soul, Slow Hammers, Virtutes Instrumenti, Drone in D by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com; Spirit of Fire by Jesse Gallagher. The Dark Glow of the Mountains by Chris Zabriske Licensed under Creative Commons.Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

17 year old Shari Faye Smith and 9 year old Debra May Helmick were kidnapped and murdered in neighboring South Carolina counties in the summer of 1985. Their killer taunted the Smith family and police until a piece of evidence Shari Smith left behind led police to her killer. Want more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect with Southern MysteriesWebsite: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Episode MusicOrganic Meditations, Despair and Triumph, Almost in F Tranquility, Reawakening, Ambient, March of the Mind by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com; Spirit of Fire by Jesse Gallagher and God Be With You Til We Meet Again by Chris Zabriske Licensed under Creative Commons.Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.   Episode Sources State v. Bell. South Carolina Supreme Court Decisions. February 26, 1990 We May Never Find Missing Woman. UPI. October 7, 1996. Larry Gene Bell. Murderpedia The Genesis of a Murderer. The Herald. October 20, 2007 Keep on believing: Dawn Smith Jordan on hope after tragedy. South Carolina United Methodist Advocate. March 26, 2019 The Summer of Shari. The Chrysalis Chapters. May 21, 2019 Kidnapper Forces Victim to Write Last Will and Testament Before Killing Her. The True Crime Edition. November 11, 2020 Larry Gene Bell: The Murders of Shari Smith and Debra Helmick. Talk Murder With Me. December 27, 2020 Denise Newsom Porch. The Charley Project.

In June 1959, the discovery of two dismembered torsos terrified residents in North Alabama. The unknown victims were dubbed Mr. X and Mr. Y until a tip led investigators to a farm where they met the woman behind one of Alabama's grisliest crimes.  See photos and sources for this episode at southernmysteries.com   Want More Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectTwitter: @southernpod_ Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Group Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Sources Hyatt Family Tree Index Drawings Were Sure to Break Torso Case. The Birmingham News. July 17, 1959. Mr. X and Mr. Y Source Materials. Jacksonville State University Digital Commons Special Collections. 1959.  Redeemed in the Valley. The Anniston Star. January 14, 2009 Notorious 'Torso Murders' blood trail revealed in AL.com Vintage photos. Al.com February 11, 2016.    Music Despair and Triumph, Lost Time and Brethren Arise by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The Dark Glow of the Mountains by Chris Zabriske, Meditation 1 by Audionautix, Spirit of Fire by Jesse Gallager. Licensed under a Creative Commons; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.

Walter Samples was a retired engineer who lived a quiet life in Memphis. That was until someone left a poisoned bottle of milk on his front porch in February 1941. His murder investigation revealed the 69 year old had been living a double life and dozens of people had motive to kill him. See photos and sources for this episode at southernmysteries.com   Want more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectTwitter: @southernpod_ Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Discussion Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Relaxing Piano Music, Lamentation, Long Note Two, Concentration and Colorless Aura by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com Slow Hammers by the Mini Vandals. Licensed under a Creative Commons

The body of 19 year old Nell Cropsey was found floating in North Carolina’s Pasquotank River over a month after she disappeared in 1901. Her boyfriend was accused of killing her. But three people in the Cropsey home the night Nell disappeared later took their own lives. Were they hiding the truth behind her disappearance and death?  See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Want more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectTwitter: @southernpod_ Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Discussion Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use; At Rest, Ambient, Reawakening, Echoes of Time and Organic Meditations Three by Kevin McLeod Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com; I Am A Man Who Will Fight by Chris Zabriske. Licensed under Creative Commons; Alone by Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ Licensed under Creative Commons

In the summer of 1963, 15 girls between the ages of 12 and 15 were held in the Leesburg Stockade for the crime of demonstrating for integration in the deep south. For weeks their parents didn’t know where they were or if they were alive. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowHear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectTwitter: @southernpod_ Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Discussion Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.    Burden Laid Down by The Westerlies, Pink Horizon by Chris Haugen, St Francis by Josh Lippi and the Overtimers and Magic Forest by Sir Cubworth Licensed under a Creative Commons; Dark Times, Peace of Mind, Elegy and Virtues Instrumenti by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com

On March 14,1885, the body of Fannie Madison was recovered from the Marshall Reservoir in Richmond, Virginia. Police quickly arrested Fannie’s cousin Thomas Cluverius who was believed to be the father of her unborn child. Did Thomas murder his cousin? Did Fannie take her own life? Or did someone else have motive to kill her? See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowHear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectTwitter: @southernpod_ Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Discussion Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com    Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.  Ossuary New Beginning, Ambient, Clean Soul, Organic Meditation Evening Fall Harp, Dreams Become Real by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com; I Am A Man Who Will Fight by Chris Zabriske Licensed under Creative Commons; Falling From Grace by White Hex Licensed under Creative Commons

Lita McClinton was murdered in her Atlanta townhome in 1987. Someone posing as a flower delivery man rang the doorbell and shot Lita when she opened the door. Lita’s family, Atlanta PD and the FBI agreed on the prime suspect but it would take nearly 20 years to build a case against him. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowHear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectWebsiteTwitterFacebook Email   Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Dark Fog, Drone in D, Lamentation, Echoes of Time, Autumn Sunset, Meditation Impromptu, by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com/. Gloomy Night by Marwan Nimra Licensed under Creative Commons.Resolution by Wayne Jones Licensed Under Creative Commons Magical Forest by Sir Cubworth Licensed Under Creative

A group of emancipated slaves made the long journey from the Deep South to the Carolinas after the Civil War. There, they established a new life and a kingdom. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Want more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectWebsiteTwitterFacebook   Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.  Alone by Lee Rosevere  Licensed under Creative Commons. Relaxing Piano, Journey Home and Slow Hammers by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com/. There’s Probably No Time by Chris Zabriskie Licensed under Creative Commons.

The Magnolia Hotel in Seguin, Texas is one of the most haunted hotels in the state. 13 spirits are attached to the hotel including Emma Voelcker, a 12 year old girl whose alleged killer stayed at the hotel the night of her murder. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowHear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectWebsiteTwitterFacebook   Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.  Alone and Shadowlands by Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/  Licensed under Creative Commons. Ambient, Drone in D, Anguish, Dreams Become Real, Dark Times and Ossuary 6 by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com/. Wandering by Lee Rosevere. Licensed under Creative Commons.

20 year old Herbert Hoover Gentry was the first deaf person in Alabama to be tried on a capital offense with an interpreter in the courtroom. Gentry was accused of killing his wife and her best friend after their bodies were discovered in a cesspool See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectWebsiteTwitterFacebook   Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.  Sense of Loss by Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ Licensed under Creative Commons. Virtutes Instrumenti, Drone in D, Ossuary 1 A Beginning and Atlantean Twilight by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com/. There’s Probably No Time, I Need To Start Writing Things Down and I Am A Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor by Chris Zabriske. Licensed under Creative Commons.

The Natchez Rhythm Club changed the city of Natchez on April 23rd 1940. 209 people died and more than 200 were injured including civic and cultural leaders. All of the victims of one of the deadliest fires in US history were Black.  See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectWebsiteTwitterFacebook   Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use ***Additional Music: Somber Ballads and Long Road Ahead B by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com/. Pale Rider by Blues Mini Vandals; Burden Laid Down by The Westerlies; Fresh Fallen Snow by Chris Haugen; Lost Cowboy by Coyote Hearing. Licensed Under Creative Commons. Beginnings in Dust, Devouring the Whole by Ross Gentry. Courtesy Headway Recordings Asheville.  The Natchez Burning by Howlin' Wolf. The Complete RPM & Chess Singles A's & B's 1951-62, Vol. 1 ℗ 2014 Acrobat Licensing Ltd. The Natchez Fire by Gene Gilmore. Originally issued on the 1940 single (Decca 7763) (78 RPM). “It’s Tight Like That” by Walter Barnes and His Royal Creolians. 1928.

Bass Reeves was born into slavery, escaped to freedom during the Civil War and became a legendary marshal. Was Bass Reeves the inspiration behind the cowboy hero The Lone Ranger?  See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectWebsiteTwitterFacebook   Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use ***Additional Music: Green Green Garden and Morning Mandolin by Chris Haugen; Plantation by Audionautix; There’s Probably No Time by Chris Zabriske; Dhaka, Somber Ballad and Clean Soul by Kevin MacLeod; Eight by Ross Gentry. Courtesy of Headway Recordings in Asheville, North Carolina. Lazy Day and Shadowlands by Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ Licensed under Creative Commons.

In December 1955, Harry Washburn stood trial for the car bombing that killed his ex mother in law, Helen Weaver. Central Texans were captivated by the trial coverage as they watched the first televised murder trial in American history. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectWebsiteTwitterFacebook   Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use ***Additional Music: Magic Forest by Sir Cuthburt; Sugar Pines by Wes Hutchison; Drone in D, Almost in F Tranquility, Passing Time and Meditation Impromptu 1 by Kevin MacLeod  Atmosphere and Darkness by Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ Licensed under Creative Commons.

Euzebe Vidrine was one of Louisiana’s earliest serial killers. After being sentenced to death for one murder in Evangeline Parish, Vidrine asked the judge for time to write his memoir and confessed to murdering four other men. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.comSupport The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteriesConnect WebsiteTwitterFacebookMusicTheme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use ***Additional Music: Virtues Instumenti, Magic Forest, Ghostpocalypse, Donr in D, Long Note One, Long Note Two, Almost in F Tranquility, Colorless Aura and Dark Times by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons.

In November 1930, Pearl Drew sent a letter to Mississippi Governor Bilbo. She included a poem which revealed she had murdered a man her father was convicted of killing. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectWebsiteTwitterFacebook   Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use ***Additional Music: Ever Mindful by Kevin MacLeod; Woods by Dan Henig and Tense by Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/. Licensed under Creative Commons

William Marsh Rice, founder of Rice University, was found dead on September 23,1900. The story surrounding his death is questioned to this day. Was he murdered? Or did the man who confessed to killing him get there too late? See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectWebsiteTwitterFacebook   Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use ***Additional Music: Drone in D, Lamentation, Concentration, Atlantean Twilight, Silver Flame, Somber Ballads by Kevin MacLeod; There’s Probably No Time by Chris Zabriske; Lazy Days by Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Licensed under Creative Commons.

In 1902 six members of a farming family were murdered in Calcasieu Parish Louisiana. The gruesome discovery devastated the community. Alfred Batson was arrested despite having no motive for the murders. He would pay the ultimate price for the crime. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectWebsiteTwitterDiscussion Group Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use Additional Music: Lightless Dawn, Resolution, Ambient, Long Note One, Long Note Four, Tranquility Base and Dark Times by Kevin MacLeod; Slow Hammers by The Mini Vandals; Falling Rain by Myuu Licensed under Creative Commons. Lomax, J. A., Lomax, A. & Stavin' Chain. (1934) Batson. Lafayette, Louisiana.

6 year old Dennis Martin and his family went hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park over Father’s Day weekend 1969. Minutes after Dennis was overheard plotting with his brother and friends to try to prank the adults, he went missing. What happened to Dennis Martin? See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   CONNECTWebsiteTwitterDiscussion Group   MUSIC Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use ***Additional Music: Atlantean Twilight, Ambient by Kevin MacLeod; Magic Forest by Sir Cubworth; Wood by Dan Henig; There’s Probably No Time by Chris Zabriske Licensed under Creative Commons.

In 1954, Albert Patterson campaigned as a “man against crime”, vowing he would run the mob out of Phenix City Alabama if he won the race for Alabama Attorney General. Within days of winning, Patterson was assassinated in Phenix City, which had been labelled the “Wickedest City in America”. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   ConnectWebsiteTwitterDiscussion Group Music Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use ***Additional Music: Lightless Dawn, Resolution, Long Note One, Long Note Two, Silver Flame, Lamentation by Kevin MacLeod. Magic Forest by Sir Cubworth; Tupelo Train by Chris Haughen; Loneliest Road in America by Jesse Gallager; I have a reservation by Track Tribe; There’s Probably No Time by Chris Zabriske Licensed under Creative Commons.

Mary Cawein's murder by carbolic acid poisoning in July 1965, shocked the social set in Lexington, Kentucky. Her murder would bring to light the affairs of her respected husband, Dr. Madison Cawein III. Did Madison murder his wife? Or did one of his lovers kill Mary? See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   CONNECTWebsiteTwitterDiscussion Group MUSIC Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use ***Additional Music: “Gloomy Night” by Marwam Nimra; “Meditation Impromptu 1”, “Lightless Dawn”, “Tranquility Base”, “Dark Fog”, “Drone in D”, “Lost Time”, “Atlantean Twilight” by Kevin MacLeod. “Autumn Sunset” by Audionautix. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Rosewood was once a thriving Black Community in rural Levy County Florida. Until January 1923, when a lie led to injuries, deaths and complete destruction of the community. See photos and sources for this episode in the show notes at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   CONNECTWebsiteTwitterDiscussion Group MUSIC Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use ***Additional Music: “Emotional” by Purple Planet Music. https://www.purple-planet.com; “Beginnings in Dust” and “One” by Ross Gentry. Courtesy of Headway Recordings in Asheville, North Carolina; “Almost in F Tranquility”, “Ever Mindful”, “Dark Times” by Kevin MacLeod. “St. Francis” by Josh Lippi & The Overtimers. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Sidney Lascelles was one of the most accomplished swindlers and bigamists of the 19th century. So accomplished that when he died in Asheville, North Carolina in 1902, it would take years to track down someone who knew his true identity. See photos from this episode and sources in the show notes at southernmysteries.comSupport The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteriesCONNECTWebsiteTwitterDiscussion GroupMUSIC Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use ***Additional Music: “Lazy Days” by Purple Planet Music. https://www.purple-planet.com; “Cryptic Sorrow”, “Clean Soul” and “Evening Fall Harp” by Kevin MacLeod. “There’s Probably No Time For That” and “I Am A Man Who Will Fight” by Chris Zabriske. Licensed under Creative Commons.

For five generations the wealthy and powerful Bigham Family controlled their community of Pamplico, South Carolina. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, the Bighams were associated with countless assaults and many murders. Until 1921, when one of their own murdered five family members. View photos and sources for this episode at southernmysteries.com   Support The ShowWant more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show.  Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries   Connect Website Twitter Facebook Group Email *Music*“Alone” from https://www.purple-planet.com; “Clean Soul” Kevin MacLeod, “Falling From Grace” by White Hex, “Autumn Sunset” by Jesse Gallager and “Whaling City” by Freedom Trail Studio. Licensed under Creative Commons. “Dark & Troubled” by Panthernburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.