Southern Mysteries Podcast

• Episode 163 Toni Jo Henry Louisiana's Femme Fatale

  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?  Want more Southern Mysteries?  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 Connect Website: southernmysteries.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @southernmysteries Email: [email protected] Episode Sources The Times: Former Shreveport Girl to Face jury for Lake Charles Slaying, March 24, 1940 The News Star: Toni Jo Henry is denied new trial, May 25, 1942 The Atlanta Journal: Woman Slayer, Awaiting death in chair, wisecracks over fate, August 4, 1942 The Town Talk: High Court denies stay of execution for Toni Jo Henry, November 4, 1942 Shreveport Journal: Toni Jo Henry Executed, November 28, 1942 Del Rio News Herald: Kin of Toni Jo Henry Claim body for burial, November 30, 1942 The DeQuincy News: Burks to follow Toni Jo to chair, High Court rules, December 4, 1942 Greenville News: Trip of Death Ends as Burks electrocuted, March 24, 1943 State v. Henry, 196 La. 217, 198 So. 910 (La. 1940) M. Watt Espy Papers: Documentation for the execution of Harold Burks, Toni Henry, 1943-03-23 Harold Burks executed on 1943-03-23 in Louisiana (LA); Toni Henry executed on 1942-11-28 in Louisiana (LA) Find A Grave: Joseph Prince “Joe” Calloway Find A Grave: Claude David “Cowboy” Henry Find A Grave: Toni Jo Henry/Annie Beatrice McQuiston Nola Mae Ross: Crimes of the Past in South Louisiana, 2004 Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

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• Episode 162: Vanished in the Smokies - The Mysterious Disappearance of Polly Melton

  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 Want more Southern Mysteries?  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 Connect Website: southernmysteries.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @southernmysteries Email: [email protected]  Episode Sources National Park Service: Cold Cases, Thelma Pauline "Polly" Melton NamUs: #MP14284, Thelma Pauline Melton Asheville Citizen-Times: Dogs Are Unable to Find Lost Hiker, September 28, 1981 The Knoxville Sentinel News: Search for Hiker Eases: Rangers feel woman no longer in park, October 1, 1981 Winston Salem Journal: Search for hiker continues, October 1, 1981 The Charlotte Observer: Female Hiker, 58, still missing in Smokie, October 1, 1981 Asheville Citizen-Times: Organized Search ends for missing woman, October 6, 1981 The Charlotte Observer: Terror is when a loved one vanishes in the mountains, November 20, 1981 Asheville Times: Disappearance Still A Mystery, December 24, 1981 The Charlotte Observer: Mystery not solved but ending, July 3, 1991 Find A Grave: Pauline “Polly” McAllister Melton 10 News: Appalachian Unsolved: Polly Melton Missing in the Smokies, December 8, 2017 Investigating Agency: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation 615-744-4000 Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.  

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• Episode 161 Murder in Sebring - The William Carver Murder Trials

  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. Want more Southern Mysteries?  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 Connect Website: southernmysteries.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @southernmysteries Email: [email protected]  Episode Sources Carver v. State, 101 Fla. 1421, 134 So. 62 (Fla. 1931) Criminal Genealogy. (2020, November). William Raymond Carver Murder. Retrieved from Criminal Genealogy Blog The Orlando Sentinel. (1930, April 4). 1st Degree Murder Warrant for Carver. Retrieved from Newspapers.com The Orlando Sentinel. (1930, April 5). More About Wife. Retrieved from Newspapers.com The Orlando Sentinel. (1930, April 6). Cleared by Grand Jury but Being Appealed. Retrieved from Newspapers.com The Orlando Sentinel. (1930, April 7). Life Insurance Policy. Retrieved from Newspapers.com The Orlando Sentinel. (1930, April 15). Defense Obtains 30 Day Delay in Case. Retrieved from Newspapers.com The Orlando Sentinel. (1930, May 12). Carver Placed on Trial - Court Packed. Retrieved from Newspapers.com The Orlando Evening Star. (1930, May 14). Jury Tours Crime Scene. Retrieved from Newspapers.com The Orlando Sentinel. (1930, May 18). Defense Fights for Carver’s Life…He Testifies at Trial. Retrieved from Newspapers.com The Orlando Sentinel. (1930, May 19). Hatchet Shown in Court. Retrieved from Newspapers.com The Orlando Sentinel. (1930, May 21). Found Guilty - Motive Was $1000 Life Insurance Policy. Retrieved from Newspapers.com The Orlando Sentinel. (1930, May 24). Carver Asks for 2nd Trial. Retrieved from Newspapers.com The Orlando Sentinel. (1930, June). Last Chance Plea for New Trial (Details of Juror Who Was in Carver Home on Afternoon of Murders!) Retrieved from Newspapers.com Find A Grave. Frances Louise Van Midde. Retrieved from Find A Grave Find A Grave. Lee Townsend Carver. Retrieved from Find A Grave Find A Grave. Ruth Emilie Carver. Retrieved from Find A Grave Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.  

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• Episode 160 Lincoln’s Rebel Relatives: When Family Stood on Opposing Sides

  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. Want more Southern Mysteries?  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 Connect Website: southernmysteries.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @southernmysteries Email: [email protected]  Episode Sources Berry, Stephen. House of Abraham: Lincoln and the Todds, a Family Divided by War. Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Susannah J. Ural (2/26/2025) The War In Their Words: I Do Not Think of Peace. HistoryNet Retrieved from https://www.historynet.com/war-words-not-peace/. Gaton, K.B. (2010). Family Divided: The Todd Sisters Living in Selma During The American Civil War.University of Georgia. "Find a Grave", database, Find a Grave (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 3 February 2025), memorial page for Nathaniel Henry Rhodes Dawson (1829-189) "Find a Grave", database, Find a Grave (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 3 February 2025), memorial page for Elodie Breck Todd Dawson (1840-1877) "Find a Grave", database, Find a Grave (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 3 February 2025), memorial page for Martha Todd White (1833-1868) Life in Civil War America. National Park Service, Civil War Service. Retrieved from https://npshistory.com/publications/civil_war_series/4/sec1.htm  Scots in the American Civil War. James and Alexander Campbell: Brother against Brother at Secessionville. Retrieved from https://www.acwscots.co.uk/campbell.htm Feinauer, J.J. (4/20/2015) Brother against brother: The legacy of divided families during the civil war. Daily American. Retrieved from https://www.dailyamerican.com/story/lifestyle/family/2015/04/10/brother-against-brother-the-legacy-of-divided-families-during-the-civil-wa/116323338/ Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

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• Episode 159 Unraveling the Mystery of Dr. Death and the York Family

  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. Want more Southern Mysteries?  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 Connect Website: southernmysteries.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @southernmysteries Email: [email protected]  Episode Sources Fort Worth Star-Telegram: San Antonio Broker’s Hearing Here April 17, April 11, 1947 Shamokin News-Dispatch: Girl Identifies Texas Physician as Slayer of Four, May 25,1947 Valley Morning Star: Arraignment of Dr. Ross In Killing of W. York Postponed. May 27, 1947 Corpus Christi Caller-Times: SEC Drops Action Against Broker Willard H. York, June 24, 1947 The Tribune: Venue Change Given in York Murder Trial, September 13, 1947 Corsicana Daily Sun: Girl Survivor of Shooting Says Dr. Ross Slayer of 4, October 16, 1947 Fort Worth Star-Telegram: State Rests Its Case at Ross Trial, October 17, 1947 Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Ross ‘Scared’ Her, Patient Tells Court, October 18, 1947 The Tyler Courier-Times: Ross’ Claim Money Taken is Revealed, Oct 19, 1947 Corsicana Semi-Weekly Light: Other Doctors Tell Jury Ross “Insane” on Shooting Date, Oct 21, 1947 Lubbock Morning Avalanche: Ross is Given Death Penalty for Slaying, October 24, 1947 The Salem News: Rule Doctor in Murder is Insane, June 17, 1949 The Brownsville Herald: Court Affirms Damages to York Family, June 19, 1950 Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Doctor Denied Writ of Error, October 5, 1950 Lubbock Morning Avalanche: Board Allows Death Sentence to Stand for Dr. Lloyd Ross, August 7, 1957 Case Text: Ross v. York, 233 S.W.2d 347 (Tex. Civ. App. 1950) Daily News: JUSTICE STORY: Betrayal at the hands of Dr. Death, March 21, 2020 History.com: SEC: Securities and Exchange Commission FindAGrave.com: Dr. Lloyd I. Ross FindAGrave.com: Gertrude Ann York Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

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