Exploring history and mysteries of the American South. Hosted by Shannon Ballard.
Episodes
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Monday Mar 13, 2023
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.
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Website: southernmysteries.com
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Twitter: @southernpod_
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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
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Monday Feb 27, 2023
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.com
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Episode Sources
Elizabeth Key. Women in History. Accessed January 10,2023
Elizabeth Key. Library of Virginia. Accessed January 13, 2023
Elizabeth 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
Monday Feb 13, 2023
Monday Feb 13, 2023
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.com
Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Twitter: @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
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Monday Jan 30, 2023
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.com
Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Twitter: @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
Monday Jan 16, 2023
Monday Jan 16, 2023
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.com
Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Twitter: @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
Monday Jan 02, 2023
Monday Jan 02, 2023
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.com
Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Twitter: @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
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Monday Dec 19, 2022
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.com
Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Twitter: @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
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Monday Nov 14, 2022
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.com
Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Twitter: @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
Monday Oct 31, 2022
Monday Oct 31, 2022
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.com
Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Twitter: @southernpod_
Instagram: @explorethesouth
Email: 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
Monday Jul 04, 2022
Monday Jul 04, 2022
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 Sources
Rhonda Belle Martin. Murderpedia.
A Plot Full of Poison. LIFE. 26 March, 1956
The 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 1957
Grisly Momma. The Malefactors Register.
Music
Emotional and Alone. Purple Planet Music. Licensed Under Creative Commons