Unearthing the forgotten, the mysterious, and the legendary—one Southern story at a time. Hosted by Shannon Ballard, Southern Mysteries explores the rich and often untold history of the American South through a captivating mix of folklore, legends, unexplained mysteries, and true crime. Each episode uncovers a compelling tale from a Southern state, blending history with intrigue to reveal the fascinating stories that time left behind. While some episodes delve into chilling crimes, others spotlight legendary figures, ghostly lore, or baffling events. Sometimes, the biggest mystery is why you’ve never heard these stories before.
Episodes
Monday Feb 28, 2022
Monday Feb 28, 2022
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.
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Episode Resources
Theater 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 Music
Loneliest 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
Monday Feb 14, 2022
Monday Feb 14, 2022
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.
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Episode Resources
Double 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
Monday Jan 31, 2022
Monday Jan 31, 2022
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
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Episode Resources
St. 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.com
Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use.
Monday Jan 17, 2022
Monday Jan 17, 2022
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
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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.
Monday Dec 20, 2021
Monday Dec 20, 2021
Show update and preview of patron exclusive Southern Mysteries Shorts. Meet the most remarkable survivor of the Civil War
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Monday Dec 06, 2021
Monday Dec 06, 2021
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.
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Episode Resources
West, 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.
Monday Nov 22, 2021
Monday Nov 22, 2021
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
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Episode Resources
Mother 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, 2017
Episode 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.
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Monday Nov 08, 2021
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
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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.
Monday Oct 25, 2021
Monday Oct 25, 2021
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
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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, 2019
Episode 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.
Monday Oct 11, 2021
Monday Oct 11, 2021
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?
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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.