Southern Mysteries Podcast

In 1931, 18 year old Helen Spence became a household name, and Arkansas folk hero, after she sought vengeance for the death of her father and stepmother. Over the next three years, the media followed Helen’s trial, imprisonment, second murder charge, prison escapes, and her murder at the age of 22.  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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @explorethesouth Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources Encyclopedia of Arkansas: Helen Spence (1912–1934) People’s River History Project: A Secret History of American River People  Denise White Parkinson: Daughter of the White River: Depression-Era Treachery and Vengeance in the Arkansas Delta Only In Arkansas: River of Redemption: The Helen Spence Story The Daily World: Decisions of the Arkansas Supreme Court, January 13, 1930 The Shreveport Journal: Wounded Man is Thrown in River, April 24, 1930  Hope Star: Body of Timber Worker, Drowned in River, Found, June 5, 1930 The Columbus Ledger: Girl Kills Accused Slayer of Father in Courtroom, January 20,1931 The Barre Daily Times: Young Woman Didn’t Trust Jury with Trial, January 20, 1931 Sun Herald: Courtroom Slayer Gets Five Year Term, April 2, 1931 Reading Times: Arrest Trusty for Killing Girl Who Fled Prison, July 13, 1934 Daily News: Tragedy of Helen Spence Eaton, July 22, 1934 Hope Star: Martin Acquitted in Eaton Slaying, September 28, 1934 Arkansas Times: The river people, August 17, 2006 Fox 16 TV: River Justice: pardon sought for Delta folk hero Malvern Daily Record: Helen Spence: An Arkansas Folk Hero for the Ages, March 6, 2023 Episode Music Impromptu, Traveler and Unanswered Questions by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  

Dr. Jacob Herman Feist was one of Nashville’s most eligible bachelors when he was accused of murder following the disappearance of his lover, Mrs. Mangrum. Was one of the city’s most prominent citizens one of its earliest known serial killers or a womanizer who was destroyed by accusations and gossip?  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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @explorethesouth Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources The Tennessean Sadie Goldstein Obituary, May 11, 1903 The Tennessean Dr. Feist’s Denial, May 16, 1903 Grundy News Sadie Goldstein, May 21, 1903 Feist Court Case J. Herman Feist vs. The State Knoxville Sentinel Saw Dr. Feist Embrace Woman, January 29, 1907 The Journal and Tribune Morbid Crowd Fed Salacious Morsels, Jan 30, 1907 The Tennessean May Not Go On Witness Stand, Jan 31, 1907 Nashville Banner Dr. Feist Witnesses Last Scene of the Trial with no Visible Emotion, Feb 16, 1907 Nashville Banner Defense Asks for Adjournment, March 26, 1907 The Tennessean Treatment of Dr. J. H. Feist  The Tennessean The Feist Case, April 4, 1978 The Baldwin Times Dr. Feist Dies at Tensaw Home, October 23, 1952 Genealogy Trails Davidson County J. Herman Feist Bio Notorious Nashville Scoundrels, Rogues and Outlaws, By Brian Allison Find a Grave Dr. Jacob Herman Feist (1873-1952) Episode Music Impromptu and Unanswered Questions by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

On May 4, 1931, William and Mamie Wagner were murdered at their home in northwest  Mississippi. The Jackson Clarion-Ledger called the murders of one of the most prominent couples in the area, “the most brutal tragedy that has ever happened in this section of Mississippi”. 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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @shannonballard_ Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources The Commercial Appeal Mass Meeting on Charges Relative to Death of Rev H.P. Gibbs, May 6, 1899 State Historical Society Archives Anti-Lynching Bill, 1921 The Greenwood Commonwealth Water Valley Merchant and Wife Slain, May 5, 1931 Biloxi Sun Herald Sheriff Gets Confession in Wagner Crime, May 6, 1931 The Clarion-Ledger Atrocities in Northern Part of State Bringing Intense Police Efforts, May 7, 1931 The Clarion-Ledger Murder Victims Are Laid to Rest, May 8, 1931 The Clarion-Ledger Verdict Carries Dealth Penalty For Whitaker in Wagner Slayings, June 12, 1931 North Mississippi Herald The Infamous History of Water Valley, May 14, 2008 North Mississippi Herald Century Old Jail Is Piece Of History, April 6, 2011 Hill Country History Water Valley (1858) Ancestry.com William Buford Wagner, Jr. Water Valley Chamber of Commerce Attractions - Carnival Info Episode Music Impromptu and Unanswered Questions by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Nelms Sisters Mystery is one of the most sensational mysteries of the early 20th century, that most people have never heard of. In the summer of 1914, Eloise Nelms was in love with an attorney she planned to marry. Her sister Beatrice questioned the attorney’s motives and wanted proof that he had her sister's best interest at heart. The sisters took a train from Atlanta, headed to Texas to meet the attorney. They were never seen alive again.  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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @shannonballard_ Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com  Episode Sources An Old Coot’s Essays About An Earlier Georgia and Other Topics by Eddie Rollins Forgotten Stories: The World’s Worst Divorce Attorney Atlanta West End: Historic West End The Atlanta Constitution: Death Claims Him, March 1, 1911 Oakland Tribune: Mystery of Two Sisters Deepens, July 10, 1914 Charlotte Daily Observer: Search for Women Makes No Progress, July 11, 1914 Tampa Journal: Atlanta Quivers with Excitement in Letter Puzzle, July 12, 1914 The Atlanta Journal: Mother, Heartbroken, Tells of Power Innes Had Over Daughter, July 12, 1914  San Francisco Examiner: Mrs. Nelms Bares Daughters Tragic Love, July 13, 1914 The Atlanta Journal: Womans Clubs Urged to Aid Nelms Search, July 13,1914 The Atlanta Journal: Evidence Sought to Hold Innes, July 16, 1914 The Eugene Guard: Former US District Attorney Arrested in Eugene, August 19, 1914 The Atlanta Journal: Strange Letters to Aid in Solving Nelms Mystery Case, August 21, 1914 The Macon Telegraph: Bones Found in Connect with Nelms Mystery Are Positively Identified As Human, September 9, 1914 The Americus Times Daily Recorder: Speculation Made in Case of INnes and wife, April 4, 1916 The Atlanta Constitution: Finger of Death Inscribes ‘Finis’ on Final Chapter of Nelms Case, April 1, 1936 Episode Music Northern Lights by Chris Hauge.  Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Deep Haze by Kevin McLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com  

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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Twitter: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Twitter: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Twitter: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Twitter: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Twitter: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Twitter: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Twitter: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Twitter: @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 Music Theme 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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Twitter: @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.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Twitter: @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 Music 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