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.

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Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

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.

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Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

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.

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Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

On Christmas Day in 1929, the community of Germanton, North Carolina, was forever changed by the tragic murders of seven members of the Lawson family. One fact remains indisputable: Charlie Lawson was responsible for the deaths of his family. However, the question that has lingered for nearly a century is: why did he commit such a heinous act?

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Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

Meet Kinnie Wagner, a lesser known outlaw of the 1920s. Folk songs were written about him in the 1920s and he gained legendary status by escaping jail several times…even escaping the electric chair in Tennessee.

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Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

On a sweltering day in August 1925, Mary Vickery vanished from Coxton, Kentucky. Several months later, her remains were found in an abandoned mine located just outside the town. A local taxi driver was apprehended, tried, and sentenced to life in prison for the teenager's murder. In the spring of 1927, a young woman appeared in Harlan County with information that could clear his name.

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• The Lexington Herald: Coxton Child Still Missing, August 30, 1925

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Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

Anna Hauptrief was the first known female serial killer in Texas. Her 1924 case was known as one of the most sensational and unexplainable in Texas court history. 

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• The Houston Post: Suspect Mother of Poisoning Five. July 24, 1924. 

Episode Music

• Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

The Koreshan State Historic Site in Estero, Florida is one of the most peculiar historic sites in the American South. This state park showcases the life of Dr. Cyrus Teed, the founder of Koreshanity. Those who joined this religious and scientific movement sought immortality through celibacy and believed the entire universe existed within a giant, hollow sphere. The Koreshan Unity has been dubbed “one of the most bizarre” communal utopian societies organized in the 19th century. They were forced to relocate several times until they found a permanent home in the swamplands of southwest Florida.

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• The Allure of Immortality: An American Cult, a Florida Swamp, and a Renegade Prophet by Lyn Millner

Episode Sources

• WGCU Gulf Coast Life: The connection between Cyrus Teed and the Koreshans and David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. March 14, 2023.

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

In May 1904, the residents of Yazoo City, Mississippi witnessed a devastating fire that destroyed half of their town. This fire was believed to be the result of a curse spoken by a woman known as the Witch of Yazoo, just before her death two decades earlier. Willie Morris, a writer and native of Mississippi, shared the legend in his book, "Good Old Boy." Following his passing in 1999, he was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Yazoo City, 13 paces due south of the Witch of Yazoo's grave. Many mysteries surround this tale: Was the witch a historical figure, a character inspired by a resident, or a legend passed down through generations? Who rests beneath the marker commemorating one of the South's most famous witches?

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• The Times-Democrat: Mississippi Matters, Yazoo City Fire. May 27, 1904

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Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

State Solicitor George Bailes described the murder of Faye New as the most heinous crime ever committed in Jefferson County, Alabama. Faye New's story is shrouded in mystery and sorrow. She was a lively young woman, renowned for her warm smile and compassionate nature. In 1934, tragedy struck when she disappeared after agreeing to accompany a young man for a car ride on a summer evening. Search parties were organized, and the next day, Faye's lifeless body was discovered in a ditch at the edge of a cornfield. For months, local newspapers extensively covered every aspect of this murder mystery. Was it a crime of passion committed by a young man who professed his love for her? Or did the man who offered her a ride bring an end to a promising young life?

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• Encyclopedia Alabama: Irondale, Alabama

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.