Southern Mysteries Podcast

• Episode 170 Vanished in Camden - The Disappearance of Maud Crawford

  In 1957, Arkansas attorney Maud Crawford vanished from her home in Camden without a trace. Her disappearance became one of the state’s most enduring mysteries. This episode of Southern Mysteries examines Maud Crawford’s life, the corruption she uncovered, and the investigation that revealed what may have led to her disappearance. 💌 Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can 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 🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists. 📱 Follow on Social Media: Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast TikTok @southernmysteries Instagram: @southernmysteries Email: [email protected]  Episode Sources Maud Robinson Crawford – Encyclopedia of Arkansas Clyde Falwell Crawford (1894–1969) – Find a Grave Memorial Maud Robinson Crawford (1891-1957) - Find a Grave Memorial Maud R. Crawford (1891–1957) – Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame Maud Robinson Crawford – The Charley Project Cold Case, Southwest Arkansas: A Look at Two Unsolved Cases in the Region – [Arkansas True Crime Blog or Archive Source] “The Disappearance of Maud Crawford” – YouTube Small Town’s Biggest Secret: Author Says Arkansas Woman’s 1957 Disappearance Is Full of Corruption – KLRT FOX16 The Disappearance of Maud Crawford. Beth Brickell. https://www.amazon.com/Disappearance-Maud-Crawford-Beth-Brickell/dp/1628909587 Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

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• Episode 169 The Bratcher Family Murders

  In the spring of 1955, the quiet community of Warren County, Tennessee was shattered by the brutal murders of the Bratcher family. Henry Bratcher, his wife Vassie, their young daughter Lily May, and toddler granddaughter Charlotte Ann were found dead on their family farm outside McMinnville. As the investigation unfolded, it became clear the killer was not a stranger. The case would become one of the most haunting crimes in Tennessee history. In this episode of Southern Mysteries, we explore the lives of the Bratcher family, the events that led to their deaths, and how their loss changed a community forever. 💌 Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can 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 🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists. 📱 Follow on Social Media: Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast TikTok @southernmysteries Instagram: @southernmysteries Email: [email protected]  Episode Sources Four Found Slain in Warren. The Nashville Tennessean, March 28, 1955. 4 Found Slain in Warren; Murder Suspect is Jailed. Chattanooga Daily Times, March 28, 1955. Young Tennessee Farmer Confesses Brutal Slayings. Bristol Herald Courier, March 29, 1955. Warren July Called in Death. The Nashville Tennessean. March 30, 1955.  Gibbs Indicted in Warren Deaths. The Nashville Banner. April 2, 1955. Slayer of Four is Ordered to Asylum for Observation. Chattanooga Times, April 2, 1955. Trial on May 10 for Billy Gibbs. Chattanooga Times, May 3, 1955. Gibbs Blames Four Slayings on Drinking. Nashville Banner, May 25, 1955.  Billy Gibbs Dies in Electric Chair, Confessed Slayer of 4 in Warren. Chattanooga Times, May 7, 1957 Find A Grave. Henry Bratcher. Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33581745/henry-bratcher Find A Grave. Vassie Fields Bratcher. Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33581724/vassie-bratcher Find A Grave. Lily May Bratcher. Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33581700/lily_may-bratcher  Find a Grave. Billy Thomas Gibbs. Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136592059/billy_thomas-gibbs Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

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• Episode 168 The Breckenridge-Pollard Scandal of 1894

  In spring 1894, a courtroom became the stage for a scandal that gripped the nation. Kentucky Congressman William Breckinridge faced a lawsuit from Madeline Pollard, who claimed he promised to marry her after nearly ten years together, then broke that promise. The trial exposed a hidden affair, secret meetings, and disputed truths between a rising politician and a woman left behind. The scandal captivated newspapers, packed courtrooms, and reshaped public opinion about one of the South’s most prominent figures. 💌 Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can 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 🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists. 📱 Follow on Social Media: Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast TikTok @southernmysteries Instagram: @southernmysteries Email: [email protected]  Episode Sources “Sex, Scandal, and Suffrage in the Gilded Age.” The Historian: A Journal of History, vol. 42, no. 2, Feb. 1980, pp. 225-243. Lexington, Fayette. The Celebrated Case of Col. W. C. P. Breckinridge and Madeline Pollard. Chicago: Current Events Publishing, 1894. Ross, Shelley. Fall from Grace: Sex, Scandal, and Corruption in American Politics from 1702 to the Present. New York: Ballantine Books, 1988. “William Breckinridge Breach of Promise Trial, 1894.” Encyclopedia.com,  “Madeline Pollard and the Gilded Age’s #MeToo Moment.” Wednesdays Women, “The Fall of Louise of Breckinridge.” StrangeCo, 13 Apr. 2017, Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

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• Episode 167 A Widow's Stand in Georgia - The Story of Amy and Robert Mallard

  In 1948, Robert Mallard, a Black World War II veteran, was murdered by a white mob in Toombs County, Georgia. His wife, Amy Mallard, witnessed the attack—and instead of arresting the killers, authorities charged her with his murder. Set in the heart of the Jim Crow South, this episode of Southern Mysteries explores the deeply rooted racism that allowed a lynching to go unpunished while a grieving widow was put on trial. Learn how Amy Mallard found the courage to speak out, and how the national outrage that followed became part of the growing civil rights movement.  💌 Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can 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 🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists. 📱 Follow on Social Media: Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast TikTok @southernmysteries Instagram: @southernmysteries Email: [email protected]  Episode Sources The Mallard Murder Case – New Georgia Encyclopedia Amy Mallard Photo – New Georgia Encyclopedia “Just Another Killing” – TIME Archive (1948) Original TIME Magazine Report (1948) Strange Fruit and Spanish Moss – Blog post on Robert Mallard (2016) The Atlanta Constitution – Nov. 29, 1948 The Macon News – Dec. 2, 1948 The Atlanta Constitution – Dec. 10, 1948 The Macon News – Dec. 11, 1948 The Atlanta Journal – Dec. 11, 1948 The Macon News – Dec. 13, 1948 The Atlanta Constitution – Dec. 14, 1948 The Macon News – Dec. 15, 1948 The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 12, 1949 The Macon News – Jan. 12, 1949 The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 13, 1949 The Atlanta Journal – Jan. 13, 1949 The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 14, 1949 The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 15, 1949 The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 15, 1949 (cont’d) The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 16, 1949 The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 17, 1949 The Atlanta Journal – Jan. 17, 1949 The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 18, 1949 The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 19, 1949 Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

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• Episode 166 Lady Wonder The Psychic Horse

  In the 1920s, a Virginia horse named Lady Wonder stunned the public with her supposed psychic powers - spelling out answers, solving crimes, even picking presidents. Was she a telepathic marvel, as Dr. J.B. Rhine believed? Or a clever illusion, as magician John Scarne claimed? Discover the story behind the horse that made America believe. 💌 Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can 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 🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists. 📱 Follow on Social Media: Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast TikTok @southernmysteries Instagram: @southernmysteries Email: [email protected]  Episode Sources “Meet Lady Wonder, the Psychic Horse Who Appeared Twice in LIFE.” LIFE Magazine retrospective. Life.com “Lady Wonder: The Psychic Horse.” Strange Company Blog by Undine, May 2016. strangeco.blogspot.com Newspaper Archives via Newspapers.com: Roanoke Times, March 1957 – Obituary and public reaction to Lady’s death; The Knoxville News-Sentinel, 1952 – Reports on Lady’s police involvement; Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1948 – Coverage on Lady’s election predictions; Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), feature on John Scarne’s skepticism. Find a Grave Memorial – Claudia Fonda  findagrave.com The Story of Beautiful Jim Key by David Hoffman (public domain archive)  Internet Archive Jim Key Digital Archive – Missouri State Library Missouri Digital Heritage State Symbols – Missouri Wonder Dog and Related Animal Curiosities sos.mo.gov Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

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