In 1931, 18 year old Helen Spence became a household name, and Arkansas folk hero, after she sought vengeance for the death of her father and stepmother. Over the next three years, the media followed Helen’s trial, imprisonment, second murder charge, prison escapes, and her murder at the age of 22.

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Episode Sources

• Encyclopedia of Arkansas: Helen Spence (1912–1934)
• People’s River History Project: A Secret History of American River People
• Denise White Parkinson: Daughter of the White River: Depression-Era Treachery and Vengeance in the Arkansas Delta
• Only In Arkansas: River of Redemption: The Helen Spence Story
• The Daily World: Decisions of the Arkansas Supreme Court, January 13, 1930
• The Shreveport Journal: Wounded Man is Thrown in River, April 24, 1930
• Hope Star: Body of Timber Worker, Drowned in River, Found, June 5, 1930
• The Columbus Ledger: Girl Kills Accused Slayer of Father in Courtroom, January 20,1931
• The Barre Daily Times: Young Woman Didn’t Trust Jury with Trial, January 20, 1931
• Sun Herald: Courtroom Slayer Gets Five Year Term, April 2, 1931
• Reading Times: Arrest Trusty for Killing Girl Who Fled Prison, July 13, 1934
• Daily News: Tragedy of Helen Spence Eaton, July 22, 1934
• Hope Star: Martin Acquitted in Eaton Slaying, September 28, 1934
• Arkansas Times: The river people, August 17, 2006
• Fox 16 TV: River Justice: pardon sought for Delta folk hero
• Malvern Daily Record: Helen Spence: An Arkansas Folk Hero for the Ages, March 6, 2023

Episode Music

Impromptu, Traveler and Unanswered Questions by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Dr. Jacob Herman Feist was one of Nashville’s most eligible bachelors when he was accused of murder following the disappearance of his lover, Mrs. Mangrum. Was one of the city’s most prominent citizens one of its earliest known serial killers or a womanizer who was destroyed by accusations and gossip?

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Website: southernmysteries.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @explorethesouth Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com

Episode Sources

• The Tennessean Sadie Goldstein Obituary, May 11, 1903
• The Tennessean Dr. Feist’s Denial, May 16, 1903
• Grundy News Sadie Goldstein, May 21, 1903
• Feist Court Case J. Herman Feist vs. The State
• Knoxville Sentinel Saw Dr. Feist Embrace Woman, January 29, 1907
• The Journal and Tribune Morbid Crowd Fed Salacious Morsels, Jan 30, 1907
• The Tennessean May Not Go On Witness Stand, Jan 31, 1907
• Nashville Banner Dr. Feist Witnesses Last Scene of the Trial with no Visible Emotion, Feb 16, 1907
• Nashville Banner Defense Asks for Adjournment, March 26, 1907
• The Tennessean Treatment of Dr. J. H. Feist
• The Tennessean The Feist Case, April 4, 1978
• The Baldwin Times Dr. Feist Dies at Tensaw Home, October 23, 1952
• Genealogy Trails Davidson County J. Herman Feist Bio
• Notorious Nashville Scoundrels, Rogues and Outlaws, By Brian Allison
• Find a Grave Dr. Jacob Herman Feist (1873-1952)

Episode Music

Impromptu and Unanswered Questions by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

On May 4, 1931, William and Mamie Wagner were murdered at their home in northwest Mississippi. The Jackson Clarion-Ledger called the murders of one of the most prominent couples in the area, “the most brutal tragedy that has ever happened in this section of Mississippi”.

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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

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Website: southernmysteries.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @shannonballard_ Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com

Episode Sources

• The Commercial Appeal Mass Meeting on Charges Relative to Death of Rev H.P. Gibbs, May 6, 1899
• State Historical Society Archives Anti-Lynching Bill, 1921
• The Greenwood Commonwealth Water Valley Merchant and Wife Slain, May 5, 1931
• Biloxi Sun Herald Sheriff Gets Confession in Wagner Crime, May 6, 1931
• The Clarion-Ledger Atrocities in Northern Part of State Bringing Intense Police Efforts, May 7, 1931
• The Clarion-Ledger Murder Victims Are Laid to Rest, May 8, 1931
• The Clarion-Ledger Verdict Carries Dealth Penalty For Whitaker in Wagner Slayings, June 12, 1931
• North Mississippi Herald The Infamous History of Water Valley, May 14, 2008
• North Mississippi Herald Century Old Jail Is Piece Of History, April 6, 2011
• Hill Country History Water Valley (1858)
• Ancestry.com William Buford Wagner, Jr.
• Water Valley Chamber of Commerce Attractions - Carnival Info

Episode Music

Impromptu and Unanswered Questions by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/