A Virginia horse once claimed the spotlight for her mind-reading abilities. Was Lady Wonder truly psychic—or just part of a clever illusion?

The post Episode 166 Lady Wonder: The Psychic Horse first appeared on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

The post Episode 166 Lady Wonder: The Psychic Horse appeared first on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

George Hassell was a husband, father—and a murderer. In 1926, authorities uncovered nine bodies buried beneath his Texas home. What they didn’t expect was his confession to earlier killings in California. In this episode of Southern Mysteries, we explore the disturbing life and crimes of a man who defied every criminal profile.

The post Episode 165 Buried Secrets: The Crimes of George Hassell  first appeared on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

The post Episode 165 Buried Secrets: The Crimes of George Hassell  appeared first on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

The American circus promised wonder and spectacle—but behind the big top was a hidden world of danger, tragedy, and loss. In this episode of Southern Mysteries, we explore the dark history of the circus, from deadly train wrecks and animal attacks to the mysterious death of aerialist Eva Clark. Discover the true stories of Clyde Beatty’s near-fatal encounter with lions and tigers, the public executions of elephants Mary and Black Diamond, and how their legacies changed the circus forever.

The post Episode 164 Circus Tragedies and Mysteries first appeared on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

The post Episode 164 Circus Tragedies and Mysteries appeared first on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

In 1942, the state of Louisiana executed a woman in the electric chair for the first and only time in its history. She was young, beautiful, and utterly devoted to the man she loved, a Texas outlaw. Toni Jo Henry was willing to do anything to free him from prison which led her down a dark path…the cold-blooded killing of an innocent man. Toni Jo claimed her accomplice pulled the trigger. He said she did. Was Toni Jo Henry a ruthless killer, or a woman trapped by her tragic past and her devotion to the wrong man? 

The post Episode 163 Toni Jo Henry: Louisiana’s Femme Fatale first appeared on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

The post Episode 163 Toni Jo Henry: Louisiana’s Femme Fatale appeared first on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

A cool September afternoon on a trail in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Three friends are chatting as they hike. And then… in minutes, one of them disappears. No sound. No clue. Just… gone. Polly Melton’s disappearance has left investigators and amateur sleuths searching for answers for over four decades

The post Episode 162: Vanished in the Smokies: The Mysterious Disappearance of Polly Melton first appeared on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

The post Episode 162: Vanished in the Smokies: The Mysterious Disappearance of Polly Melton appeared first on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

The Carver Murder Trial of 1930 drew national attention for its brutality and mystery. Ruth Carver, her two-year-old son Lee, and family employee Ben Whitehead were all found dead in their Florida home. Ruth’s husband, William Carver, claimed he killed Whitehead in defense of his family, but shifting testimony and new evidence led to multiple murder trials. Nearly a century later, the true story remains a haunting mystery.

The post Episode 161 Murder in Sebring – The William Carver Murder Trials  first appeared on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

The post Episode 161 Murder in Sebring – The William Carver Murder Trials  appeared first on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

Explore the surprising family ties that connected Abraham Lincoln to the Confederacy. While Lincoln fought to preserve the Union, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, had siblings who sided with the South—raising suspicions about her loyalty. Discover how these family divisions reflected the greater turmoil of a nation at war and uncover the personal struggles of the Todds and the political challenges they created for President Lincoln during the Civil War.

The post Episode 160 Lincoln’s Rebel Relatives: When Family Stood on Opposing Sides first appeared on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

The post Episode 160 Lincoln’s Rebel Relatives: When Family Stood on Opposing Sides appeared first on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

On a sunny May morning in 1947, a doctor from San Antonio ambushed Willard York and his family near New Braunfels, Texas. The doctor's plan to kill the entire family failed when 13-year-old Ann York escaped. Investigators found that both the shooter and Mr. York faced financial troubles, raising questions about whether the attack stemmed from revenge or a mental breakdown, as the doctor claimed he could not remember the incident.

The post Episode 159 Unraveling the Mystery of Dr. Death and the York Family first appeared on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

The post Episode 159 Unraveling the Mystery of Dr. Death and the York Family appeared first on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

One of the strangest cases in all their years of police work. Those were the words of seasoned detectives in Louisville, Kentucky, who worked on the Torture House case. A century ago, this case made national headlines when Richard Heaton was murdered by William Gates, who had been kidnapped and held in a home on 34th Street in Louisville.

The post Episode 158 The Louisville Torture House first appeared on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

The post Episode 158 The Louisville Torture House appeared first on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

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.

The post Episode 157 The Mystery of the Murder at the Richards Mansion first appeared on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.

The post Episode 157 The Mystery of the Murder at the Richards Mansion appeared first on A Southern History & True Crime Podcast.