Haunted Hospitality

You've likely heard of the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, but can you name one thing about them? When Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker met in 1930, they were two young adults from families struggling with poverty in Depression-era Texas. Already committing crimes, Clyde was soon incarcerated for vehicle theft. The two wrote to each other often while he was in prison, with Bonnie even aiding his short-lived escape. 

When Clyde officially got out of prison in February 1932, the two traveled the country with other members of the Barrow Gang, robbing small businesses, kidnapping and murdering. In this episode, we explore who Bonnie and Clyde actually were and the grim truth behind the legend.

But first, Zoey's here with her Something Southern: the Possum Drop!

CW: sexual assault.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/11/14/ep-137-bonnie-clyde

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In this week's episode, Zoey finally fulfills a promise they made in May of 2021, Episode 8. In that episode, they covered the first serial killers in the United States, the Harpe Brothers. The brothers occasionally worked closely with the Mason Gang and it's leader, Samuel Mason. Zoey promised back then that she'd cover Samuel Mason one day, and that one day has come.

Samuel Mason was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and the self-proclaimed bravest fighter in the war. After his war career, he failed as a farmer, so he took up the next best thing: river piracy. After a few failed starts, he found his home in Cave-In-Rock where he would grift travelers then rob them, occasionally killing them in the process. 

 But before we can get to Samuel, Robin brings us her Something Spooky, a poem by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle named Night Voices. 

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/11/07/ep-136-samuel-mason-founder-of-the-mason-gang/

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In this installment of our Haunted Boozy Places series, we're covering a Tudor-style tavern on Florida's Atlantic coast. Known today as Ashley's Restaurant and Bar, the establishment first opened as Jack's Tavern shortly after the Prohibition era. Folks have long reported paranormal experiences in the building. Lights will turn on and off. People will feel pushed on the stairs. And some have even reported seeing the apparitions of a young woman and a small girl. 

Many believe the ghost of Ethel Allen, a fun-loving and independent 18 or 19-year-old who was killed nearby in 1934, haunts the building. In this episode, we explore Ethel's story, her potential connection to the tavern and the many other supernatural goings on at the location.

But first, Zoey is here with her Something Southern: the legend of the Candy Lady.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/10/31/ep-135-the-apparitions-in-the-tavern

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You know him, you love him, you want to date him: Moth Man. This week Zoey talks about the Origin of Moth Man who we're technically including in the South since he was seen in the Appalachian Mountains. First seen in 1966, the cryptid was six or seven feet tall, light gray, had a wing span of 10 feet, and red eyes glowing in the headlights about two inches in diameter and spaced six inches apart.

But what you might not know is his legacy of being a harbinger of death. He is known to show up right before a national tragedy like Chernobyl, 9/11, and the falling of the Silver Bridge. Though he's taken up quite a bit of legend, and has been meme-ified, is the part man part moth real? Listen to find out.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/10/24/ep-134-he-stole-my-catalytic-converter-origin-of-the-moth-man/ 

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The Place d'Armes Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, is regularly listed among the most haunted hotels in the city. A quick internet search will tell you that a school burned down on the property over 200 years ago and the ghosts of the children who died in the fire now roam its halls. Luckily for the kids, it looks like the school didn't burn down at all! But there are definitely accounts of child-like ghosts in the hotel, as well as an old man and a 12-year-old girl.

In this episode, we explore the history of the Place d'Armes and the neighboring Jackson Square, as well as guest experiences with the supernatural. Expect Gregorian chanting, shadow people, invisible kids playing in the hall, and mysterious closets.

But first, Zoey is here with her Something Spooky: a ChatGPT-generated cocktail called Vampire's Kiss.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/10/17/ep-133-the-place-darmes-hotel

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Zoey brings us back to San Antonio, Texas for another haunted story. You've heard of The Goat Man Bridge in Denton, now get ready for the Donkey Lady Bridge! This bridge has a very similar set up: a bridge, a farm animal themed ghost, and a tragic backstory.

 This ghost is a woman who had a donkey in life and looked like a donkey in death. Depending on the source, she either survived a fire that disfigured her to look like she had a donkey hands and feet or she was killed at the same time and location as her donkey and their souls merged into one.

Either way, she lives on this bridge and has one goal: to hurt anyone who dares to approach her bridge. Locals say that if you honk your horn or call out for her, she'll appear and try to kill you or tear through your car.

But first, Robin goes in depth into the movie "It Follows" for her Something Spooky!

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/10/10/ep-132-the-goat-mans-neighbor-donkey-lady-bridge

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For the second installment of our Frights in the Backcountry series, we're exploring four stories of paranormal experiences in rural areas. The macabre sighting of a ghost family covered in blood, a mad dash to get away from disembodied laughter, a cup of coffee that ages way too quickly, and a voice that shouldn't be possible on the other end of the line.

All of these stories are about families. Some of them were passed down from parent to child before making their way onto the internet. Others are about paranormal experiences that family members had together. And all of them are a great way to kick off October!

But first, Zoey is here with her Something Spooky: the Sedlec Ossuary!

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/10/03/ep-131-frights-in-the-backcountry-2-laughter-voices-and-dirt-roads

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Today's episode is a true crime story of Glenn Turner, Randy Thompson, and the woman who connects them, Lynn Turner.

Lynn and Glenn were married less than a year after meeting. Glenn worshiped the ground Lynn walked on, doted on her hand and foot, and loved her with all his heart. Lynn cheated on Glenn, was abusive and controlling, and spent all their money. Glenn's family did not know why Glenn was with Lynn, and they were never able to see him free of her, because he passed after suffering from flu-like symptoms.

Lynn moved in with Randy Thompson. Randy and Lynn had two children together, but their relationship was far from healthy, to the point that a judge even told them to stay away from each other. But they couldn't bring themselves to cut each other out of their lives, that is, until Randy suffered flu-like symptoms and passed away. 

Sounds suspicious, right? Well, Glen's mother thought so, too. So she made a call that had police second guessing everything they thought they knew.

But first, Robin brings back Last-ish Words-ish for her Something Spooky!

TW: Suicide and Domestic Violence

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/09/26/ep-130-the-deaths-of-glenn-turner-and-randy-thompson/

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We talk a lot about old buildings on this podcast, but what about old roads? Stagecoach Road in Marshall, Texas has been around since 1850, when it was first used as a pathway for — you guessed it — stagecoaches. Never paved, and surrounded by trees and steep banks, Stagecoach Road feels set apart from much of the world today: wilder, or a window into the past.

Allegedly home to many supernatural beings, folks claim any number of them lurk on Stagecoach Road, including but certainly not limited to: Bigfoot, the Devil, and the ghost of a woman with a backstory almost identical to La Llorona's. But Stagecoach Road isn't just known for these stories or its eerie appearance. Some people who brave the road at night come away with small, dusty handprints on their car.

But first, Zoey is here with her Something Spooky: Charlotte, North Carolina's Dunhill Hotel!

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/09/19/ep-129-the-handprints-in-the-holloway

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This week's episode is eerily like last week's, and we didn't plan it at all. 

Today Zoey is going to hold your hand, whisper assuring words, and give you the treat of a bad joke every now and then as we navigate a complex legal decision together. Don't be afraid, Zoey's here to guide you. They won't let you get lost.

Okay, maybe we're exaggerating. But the Alford Plea is a concept where a defendant pleads guilty to a lesser crime while maintaining their innocence in effort to get a lighter sentence. The Alford plea was born when Henry Alford, a Black man in North Carolina during the Civil Rights Era, was accused of killing a man. While there wasn't any physical evidence stacked against him, there were witnesses who were ready to testify that he argued with the other man, walked towards that man's house with a gun, and confessed to a friend he did it.

Henry was convinced that he would be found guilty by the all white jury that would no doubtedly be placed before him, so his not-so-experienced Lawyer convinced him to plead guilty to avoid the death sentence. Henry agreed, but refused to admit guilt on the stand. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, and used many in the appeal process to get the world to understand he wouldn't have plead guilty if he hadn't been afraid of the death sentence. 

Henry's case made it all the way to the Supreme Court, and now the concept of pleading guilty while maintaining your innocence is known as an Alford Plea. 

But first, Robin brings her Something Something and Zoey and Robin do a Buzzfeed Quiz to find out what horror movie genre they are.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/09/12/ep-128-to-plea-or-not-to-plea-the-origin-and-history-of-the-alford-plea/

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