Everyone knows the story of the Salem witch trials. But a century later, accusations of witchcraft arose in the backcountry of South Carolina. This is the chilling, bizarre, and largely forgotten story of the Winnsboro witch trials, where an elderly man and two women were accused of levitating cows and turning people into horses.

We’ll examine the primary sources, explore a possible medical explanation, and investigate a second, possibly mythical, witch trial in Chesterfield, SC, in 1813, the strange case of Barbara Powers.

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⁠Blood on the Blue Ridge on Amazon⁠⁠ (written with Scott Lunsford)

In this episode, we explore the surprisingly dramatic history of the pocket watch. These intricate machines have been silent witnesses to historic moments, from a secret message hidden inside Abraham Lincoln's watch and the sunken submarine that changed naval warfare, to a deadly train wreck that revolutionized timekeeping, and a stolen watch that brought down a terrifying highway killer.

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⁠Blood on the Blue Ridge on Amazon⁠⁠ (written with Scott Lunsford)

In the summer of 1927, the murder of a 15-year-old mill worker named Gladys Kincaid plunged the town of Morganton, North Carolina, into chaos. It triggered the largest manhunt in Western North Carolina history for a suspect named Broadus Miller.

In the conclusion of this two-part story, host Alfred Dockery is joined by historian Dr. Kevin Young, author of The Violent World of Broadus Miller, to discuss the ballads of Gladys Kincaid, as well as the aftermath and legacy of the crime and manhunt.

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The Violent World of Broadus Miller on Amazon⁠

In the summer of 1927, the murder of a 15-year-old mill worker named Gladys Kincaid plunged the town of Morganton, North Carolina, into chaos. It triggered the largest manhunt in Western North Carolina history for a suspect named Broadus Miller.

In this first of a two-part episode, host Alfred Dockery is joined by historian Dr. Kevin Young, author of The Violent World of Broadus Miller, to unravel the details of the crime and the frantic, 11-day chase through the foothills of Grandfather Mountain.

We explore Miller's mysterious past, the racial hysteria of the era, and the shocking, archaic law that deputized an entire state to hunt one man down.

In Part 2, we discuss the aftermath of the manhunt and the ballads of Gladys Kincaid. Join us for the conclusion of this violent and tragic story.

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⁠The Violent World of Broadus Miller on Amazon⁠

A dead man falls from a clear night sky, landing in a quiet Knoxville neighborhood. He was wearing combat fatigues, Italian loafers, and had a duffel bag of cocaine strapped to his waist. This is the bizarre, true story of Drew Thornton, a former narcotics officer, lawyer, and army paratrooper who became a legendary drug smuggler.

In this episode, we unravel the mystery of his final, fatal jump, explore the dark world of ‘The Company,’ and uncover how a single flight led to a multi-state cocaine hunt, an infamous ‘Cocaine Bear,’ and a tale so strange it had to be true.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:15) - The Body in the Driveway: An 85-year-old man finds a parachutist's corpse in his gravel driveway on a quiet September morning in 1985.

(03:00) - A tale of two epigrams: Thornton saw himself as a warrior poet.

(06:00) - Bill Leonard, a Lexington, KY, bodybuilder and martial arts instructor, realized he was in over his head when the Cessna touched down in a swamp in Colombia.

(09:00) - Thornton graduates from Sewanee Military Academy in Tennessee.

(12:00) - An arsenal in a Philadelphia hotel room. Bradley Bryant is arrested when police discover fake IDs, guns, a telephone scrambler, and a radar jamming device.

(14:40) - Did Thornton fake a shooting to stay out of jail?

(15:20) - Thornton steps over the edge.

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Blood on the Blue Ridge on Amazon⁠ (written with Scott Lunsford)

In this episode, we examine the lives of two legendary North Carolina hermits: David Greer, the Hermit of Bald Mountain, and Robert Harrill, the Fort Fisher Hermit.

David Greer became a hermit due to unrequited love and became famous for the murder of Holland Higgins.

Robert Harrill left a state mental institution in 1955 and hitchhiked to Fort Fisher, where he lived for 17 years. His mysterious death in 1972 may have been a murder. Some saw him as a modern-day Henry David Thoreau.

00:00 Intro

01:36 The Murder of Holland Higgins

03:50 A Deranged Trial

05:48 David Greer Facts and Folklore

06:30 The Poll Tax Incident

07:18 Greer’s  Life on the Mountain

09:17 The Death of David Greer

11:25 The Fort Fisher Hermit

13:53 Surf, Sand, and the Wild Man

15:15 Hurricanes 

16:16 People Problems

17:46 The Hermit Business

19:40 The Hermit’s Mysterious Death

22:13 Harrill’s Legacy

23:16 Epilogue

Shout out to Listener Cheryl W for suggesting the change in intro music.

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For more info, click the links below:

William Holland Higgins Find a Grave Memorial

The Fort Fisher Hermit: Enigmatic Life and Mysterious Death

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Blood on the Blue Ridge on Amazon (written with Scott Lunsford)

John “Paul” Scott of Leitchfield, KY, was serving 30 years for bank robbery (really burglary) for attempting to rob the Farmers and Traders Bank in Campton, KY, and for stealing two Thompson submachine guns from a Danville, KY, National Guard Armory, which were used in a shootout with police after a night watchman caught him and his two accomplices in the act. An attempted escape from the Atlanta penitentiary got him a seat on the ferry to the Rock. What happened next made history.

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Blood on the Blue Ridge on Amazon (written with Scott Lunsford)

Three stories of moonshiners who would rather shoot it out than surrender, including the legendary Lewis Redmond, Moonshine King of the Carolinas, Garrett Hedden, the meanest moonshiner in Tennessee, and Josiah “Joe Banty” Gregory, a little man with a blazing temper.

A live talk from the Pickens County, SC, library.

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Blood on the Blue Ridge on Amazon (written with Scott Lunsford)

In this episode of the Blue Ridge True Crime Podcast, host Alfred Dockery explores the tales of two infamous North Carolina moonshiners - the elusive Charles Folias, known as the whiskey caveman, and Huldah Nines, a cunning woman blockade distiller. Delving into stories of underground stills, dangerous encounters, and clever evasions of the law, Alfred seeks to separate fact from fiction. While Folias' account remains shrouded in mystery and possibly myth, Nines' story is authenticated by multiple newspaper reports and her eventual imprisonment. The episode also highlights the significant role wildlife played in these historical narratives and ends with references for further reading and viewing, including links to related videos and historical resources.

00:00 Introduction to Blue Ridge True Crime Podcast

00:54 The Legend of Charles Folias: Whiskey Caveman

03:46 Investigating the Folias Story

06:42 Huldah Nines: The Woman Blockade Distiller

10:04 The Undercover Operation

12:51 The Capture and Aftermath

15:22 Conclusion and Additional Resources

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Additional Links

Entertaining Whiskey Caveman Video

The Whiskey Was Underground - Wake Forest Museum

The Legendary Otto Wood: Ballads and Banditry in Appalachia

In this episode of the Blue Ridge True Crime Podcast, host Alfred Dockery talks with Trevor McKenzie, the author of 'Otto Wood, the Bandit.' They explore Otto Wood's life, including his numerous prison escapes, his legend in Appalachian ballads, and his notorious exploits across multiple states. Trevor delves into how Otto crafted his own myth, his criminal activities, and his ultimate demise in a dramatic shootout. The episode also touches on the tradition of Appalachian balladry, its historical significance, and its modern transformations.

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Trevor McKenzie's Book

Otto Wood: The Bandit on Amazon

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