Over 80 years ago, a coal mining town in Tennessee was rocked by the murders of two wealthy sisters and their 16-year-old houseworker. Who had the motive to kill the sisters, and why would someone harm the teenager who worked for them? In 2001, a former police chief claimed to have solved the case and named several suspects, but it remains shrouded in mystery.

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Episode Sources

• The Commercial Appeal: Mystery Surrounds Tennessee Murders, Feb 6, 1940
• Knoxville Sentinel-Times: Hint Murder Tale Not Yet Told, Feb 7, 1940
• Knoxville Sentinel-Times: Oliver Springs Divided Over Theories of Sisters’ Slayings, Feb 8, 1940 
• The Knoxville Journal: Sheriff Offers Slaying Case Reward, Feb 8, 1940
• The Knoxville Journal: Jurors reject Murder-Suicide Theory, Feb 14, 1940
• The Knoxville Journal: Slain Sisters Cousin was Mysteriously Killed, Feb 18, 1940
• Oliver Springs Historical Society: Historical Timeline of Oliver Springs
• Oliver Springs Historical Society Newsletter: The Richards Sisters Murders
• The Tennessean: Clearing of suspect deepens 60 year old mystery, January 27, 2001
• Seattle PI: The cousin did it, investigator says, November 15, 2001
• WBIR 10 News: Appalachian Unsolved: Murder in the mansion, May 22, 2023

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

On Christmas Day in 1929, the community of Germanton, North Carolina, was forever changed by the tragic murders of seven members of the Lawson family. One fact remains indisputable: Charlie Lawson was responsible for the deaths of his family. However, the question that has lingered for nearly a century is: why did he commit such a heinous act?

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Episode Sources

• Greensboro Daily News: Stokes Farmer Murders Family, Dec 26, 1929
• Greensboro Daily News: Victims to be Buried in Single Grave, Dec 27, 1929
• Statesville Record and Landmark: Only One Member of Family of 9 Left, Dec 30, 1929
• The Sentinel: No Report on Brain of Charlie Lawson, Jan 7, 1930
• Statesville Record: Commercializing the Lawson Home, Feb 3, 1930
• PlanetSlade: So hard to die: Murder of the Lawson Family
• Murderpedia: Charles Davis Lawson
• CLEWS: Christmas Murders and the Lawson Family Massacre, December 2006
• M. Bruce Jones with Trudy Smith: White Christmas, Bloody Christmas, 1990.
• Trudy Smith: The Meaning of Our Tears

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

On a sweltering day in August 1925, Mary Vickery vanished from Coxton, Kentucky. Several months later, her remains were found in an abandoned mine located just outside the town. A local taxi driver was apprehended, tried, and sentenced to life in prison for the teenager's murder. In the spring of 1927, a young woman appeared in Harlan County with information that could clear his name.

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Episode Sources

• The Lexington Herald: Coxton Child Still Missing, August 30, 1925
• The Harlan Daily Enterprise: Vickery Girl Still Missing, September 18, 1925
• The Harlan Daily Enterprise: Dabney Caught: Now in Jail, March 5, 1926
• The Harlan Daily Enterprise: Dabney Given Life for Slaying of Vickery Girl, April 2, 1926
• The Atlanta Constitution: When Justice Triumphed, September 4, 1932.
• Kidnapping, Murder and Mayhem: “She Rose from the Dead”, September 10, 2020.
• The Messenger: Marie Jackson fails to know Mary Vickery, March 22, 1927
• The Park City Daily News: A Woman Scorned, March 22, 1927
• The Lexington Herald: Senate Bill Asks $5,000 to Repay Harlan Man for Erroneous Imprisonment, February 15, 1928
• The Voice: An Act of Revenge, August 17, 1935
• National Register of Exonerations: Condy Dabney
• Edwin Borchard: Convicting the Innocent: Errors of Criminal Justice (1932)
• FindaGrave: Condy Ulysses Dabney, 1895-1966 

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

Anna Hauptrief was the first known female serial killer in Texas. Her 1924 case was known as one of the most sensational and unexplainable in Texas court history. 

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Episode Sources

• The Houston Post: Suspect Mother of Poisoning Five. July 24, 1924. 
• The Houston Post: Bodies Taken From Graves. July 31, 1924.
• Belleville Daily Advocate: Woman Held for Death of Five Persons. September 9, 1924.
• The Houston Post: Hauptreif, Although Crippled, By Wife’s Poison, Loves Her. October 14, 1924.
• The Austin American: Anna Hauptreif Hangs Herself in Jail. November 1, 1924
• The Waco News: Mrs. Hauptreif’s Burial Place is Changed By Her Father’s Demand. November 3, 1924. 
• The Austin American: Hauptreif Goes to Grave. November 3, 1924. 
• Unknown Gender History: Annie Hauptreif, Texas Black Widow Serial Killer – August 11, 2011.
• FindAGrave.com: William Louis Hauptreif
• San Marcos Daily Record: A San Marcos Serial Killer. October 31, 2019. 

Episode Music

• Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

The Koreshan State Historic Site in Estero, Florida is one of the most peculiar historic sites in the American South. This state park showcases the life of Dr. Cyrus Teed, the founder of Koreshanity. Those who joined this religious and scientific movement sought immortality through celibacy and believed the entire universe existed within a giant, hollow sphere. The Koreshan Unity has been dubbed “one of the most bizarre” communal utopian societies organized in the 19th century. They were forced to relocate several times until they found a permanent home in the swamplands of southwest Florida.

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• The Allure of Immortality: An American Cult, a Florida Swamp, and a Renegade Prophet by Lyn Millner
• Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage by Jeff Guinn 

Episode Sources

• WGCU Gulf Coast Life: The connection between Cyrus Teed and the Koreshans and David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. March 14, 2023.
• The Koreshnans: Archives of former holdings of the Koreshan State Historic Site.
• Florida State Parks: Koreshan State Historic Site
• World Religious and Spirituality Project: Koreshans by Lyn Millner
• WGCU: Florida History: Koreshan Unity: A Quest for Utopia | Untold Stories | Florida History
• US Department of the Interior: Preserving America’s Utopian Dream, 2001. “Dr. Cyrus Teed and the Koreshan Unity Movement” by Catherine Anthony Ohnemus.
• Florida Rambler: Koreshan State Park is Florida’s strangest historic site. August 3, 2024.

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

In May 1904, the residents of Yazoo City, Mississippi witnessed a devastating fire that destroyed half of their town. This fire was believed to be the result of a curse spoken by a woman known as the Witch of Yazoo, just before her death two decades earlier. Willie Morris, a writer and native of Mississippi, shared the legend in his book, "Good Old Boy." Following his passing in 1999, he was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Yazoo City, 13 paces due south of the Witch of Yazoo's grave. Many mysteries surround this tale: Was the witch a historical figure, a character inspired by a resident, or a legend passed down through generations? Who rests beneath the marker commemorating one of the South's most famous witches?

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Episode Sources

• The Times-Democrat: Mississippi Matters, Yazoo City Fire. May 27, 1904
• Jackson Daily-News: Committees are active today for the Yazoo City Fire Sufferers. May 27, 1904. 
• The Yazoo Herald: Chained Grave Holds Jealous Wife, Says Longtime Yazoo City Resident. July 5, 1978.
• Yazoo Herald: Letters to The Editor, Vay McGraw. November 23, 1991. 
• Yazoo Herald: It’s Time To Bury The Witch of Yazoo for Good. April 4, 1998 
• Yazoo Herald: Letters to the Editor, Willie Morris, April 11, 1998. 
• The Clarion-Ledger: Willie Morris to be buried near witches grave. August 5, 1999.
• The Delta Statement: Into the Fire, March 2, 2022.
• Yazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau: Witch of Yazoo
• Clarion Ledger: The Witch of Yazoo still haunts the town she burned. October 28, 2014.
• National Park Service: Nehemiah “Skip” James, October 2017.
• McElreath, Leisa & Lindsley, Ashley. (2018). 1904 DESTRUCTION OF YAZOO CITY: A CASE STUDY OF COMMUNITY RESILANCE. 10.13140/RG.2.2.13079.68002.
• City of Yazoo: The History of Yazoo City, 
• Visit Yazoo: 10 Can’t Miss Spots
• Independent Order of Oddfellows: History of American Odd Fellows
• Yazoo Herald: Vay Gregory McGraw. May 9, 2023.
• The ParaInvestigator YouTube: According to Local Legend: The Mystery of the Yazoo Witch. January 5, 2024

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

State Solicitor George Bailes described the murder of Faye New as the most heinous crime ever committed in Jefferson County, Alabama. Faye New's story is shrouded in mystery and sorrow. She was a lively young woman, renowned for her warm smile and compassionate nature. In 1934, tragedy struck when she disappeared after agreeing to accompany a young man for a car ride on a summer evening. Search parties were organized, and the next day, Faye's lifeless body was discovered in a ditch at the edge of a cornfield. For months, local newspapers extensively covered every aspect of this murder mystery. Was it a crime of passion committed by a young man who professed his love for her? Or did the man who offered her a ride bring an end to a promising young life?

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Episode Sources

• Encyclopedia Alabama: Irondale, Alabama
• BhamWiki: Woodlawn
• Findagrave: Faye News
• Findagrave: Ashley Cain
• Findagrave: Dorsie New
• Findagrave: Lonnie New
• The Birmingham News: Woodlawn High Senior Faye New. February 9, 1930
• The Birmingham Post-Herald: Co Ed Missing; 2 Men Quizzed. August 22, 1934. 
• The Birmingham News: Girl Found Dead. August 22, 1934.
• The Birmingham Age-Herald: Taylor is Jailed in Co-ed Death. August 23, 1934
• The Birmingham News: Police, Solicitor, Increase Activity in Taylor’s Case. August 25, 1934.
• The Birmingham News: Special Jury Probes Murder of Faye New. August 27, 1934.
• The Birmingham Post-Herald: Co Ed Death Jury Indicts Taylor. August 28, 1934.
• The Birmingham News: 34 to be Called in Taylor Trial. August 28, 1934.
• The Birmingham News: Jury is selected with hearing of witnesses next. September 4, 1934
• The Birmingham News: Cain is calm as lawyer charges him with killing. September 6, 1934
• The Birmingham News: Harold Taylor Gives His Version of Fatal Ride with Faye New. September 7, 1934.
• The Birmingham News: Taylor Repeats Denial of Guilt. September 7, 1934.
• The Birmingham News: Taylor’s Fate Now in Jury’s Hands.September 8, 1934
• The Birmingham News: Faye New’s Death is still a baffling puzzle to police. September 10, 1934
• The Birmingham News: Mother of Slain Faye New Weeps. September 10, 1934.
• The Atlanta Constitution: Taylor is Cleared of Attack Charge. September 11, 1934
• The Birmingham Post: Detectives Back on Co-Ed Murder. September 12, 1934
• The Birmingham Post-Herald: Taylor, Freed, Is Happy at Home. September 10, 1934.
• The Birmingham Post: Harold Taylor Fined as Drunk. June 12, 1935
• The Birmingham Post: Father and Son Will Face Peace Warrants. October 23, 1935.
• The Birmingham Post: Charges dropped against father and son. November 2, 1935
• The Birmingham News: Faye New’s Diary Is Buried with Slain Co-ed. August 25, 1936.
• The Birmingham Post: Faye New Father Succombs. December 31, 1936.
• The Birmingham Post: Faye New Slaying, Six Years Old, Still Unsolved. August 19, 1940.

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

In this episode of Southern Mysteries, host Shannon Ballard delves into the perplexing case of David Glenn Lewis, a well-respected lawyer from Amarillo, Texas, who vanished under mysterious circumstances in January 1993. Despite being a beloved family man and community leader, David's disappearance left his family and law enforcement with more questions than answers.

David's body was found 1,600 miles away in Washington State, identified only years later through the use of Google by a determined detective. The discovery solved one mystery but deepened another: how did David end up in Washington, and what led to his tragic death by a hit-and-run driver?

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Episode Sources

• Fort Worth Telegram Star: Amarillo Police Are Stumped in Search for Missing Lawyer. June 27, 1993. 
• Juneau Empire: Experts say that Roberts may indeed have amnesia. July, 17, 1997
• NBC News: Google used to identify long-lost victim. October 8, 2004. 
• The Crime Wire: The Strange Disappearance and Death of David Glenn Lewis. June 23, 2024
• Seattle Post-Intelligence Reporter: 1993 hit-run victim is finally identified. October 9, 2004
• NPR Morning Edition: For Man With Amnesia, Love Repeats Itself. December 13, 2012

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

The death of Mary Ravenel remains one of Charleston’s most baffling mysteries. The 64 year old widow was found slumped on the sidewalk near her home on November 1, 1933. People stopped to help and transported Mary to the hospital. She complained of unbearable pain but doctors were unable to determine the source of her injuries and Mary died. Investigators struggled to answer the question of how Mary Ravenel died? Was it accidental? Or cold blooded murder?

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Instagram: @explorethesouth
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Episode Sources

• South Carolina Bandits, Bushwackers, Outlaws, Crooks, Devils, Ghosts and other assorted characters By Carole Marsh
• South Carolina Killers: Crimes of Passion by Mark Jones
• Charleston Historical Exhibits and Information: The Mysterious Death of Mary Ravenel, 1933
• South Carolina Encyclopedia: Ravenel, St. Julien
• SC Picture Project: Palmer Home
• Charleston Raconteurs: William Ravenel House
• The Asheville Times: Bullet Pierced Body of Woman Found in Street, November 2, 1933
• Greensboro Record: Strange Death of Charleston Woman Is Veiled in Mystery, November 3, 1933
• The Charlotte Observer: Stray Bullet Kills Woman, November 3, 1933
• The State: Mrs. Ravenel Told Hospital ‘A Man Hit Me’, November 3, 1933
• Florence Morning News: Woman’s Death Still Mystery, November 4, 1933
• The Gazette: Mrs. Ravenel’s Slayer Never Apprehended, October 4, 1936
• The State: Ravenel Death Still Unsolved, April 5, 1938
• The Columbia Record: Charlotte Storm Kills 30, September 29, 1938

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

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. 

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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? 

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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/