Shows
Blue Ridge True CrimeThe Flathead Gang Blew an Armored Car Sky HighIn 1927, as Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic and "talkies" revolutionized film, a brutal bandit named Paul Jaworski and his Flathead Gang used buried dynamite to launch a Brinks armored car into the air in America's first armored car robbery. This is the story of a criminal with a death wish, a failed getaway, a daring jailbreak, and a three-state crime spree that ended in Pennsylvania’s electric chair.Podcast SourcesBlue Ridge True Crime Sources & LinksExplore More ContentBlue Ridge True Crime SubstackBlue Ridge True Crime YouTube Channel
2025-12-2317 minBlue Ridge True CrimeFrankie Silver: Unraveling the Ghost in the BalladIn the winter of 1831, in the remote mountains of North Carolina, a young woman named Frankie Silver was accused of the brutal ax murder of her husband, Charlie. Her conviction, execution, and the gruesome dismemberment of the body made her the first woman hanged by the state of North Carolina. But her story didn’t end at the gallows—it became a legend, a haunting ballad, and a centuries-old question about justice, class, and culture in early America.In this compelling episode, host Alfred Dockery is joined by New York Times bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb to discu...
2025-12-151h 11Blue Ridge True CrimeThe Trolley Barn MurderIn the turbulent summer of 1917, as America grappled with war and social upheaval, the small city of Salisbury, North Carolina, was rocked by a brutal crime. The night watchman at the local streetcar barn was found savagely beaten and stabbed, and the payroll safe was broken open. What began as a senseless murder and robbery would unravel into a chilling tale of greed, a wooden leg, and a killer whose story would haunt the state's newspapers for half a century. This is the story of a cold-blooded killer, Baxter Cain, and an unfortunate...
2025-12-0816 minBlue Ridge True CrimeA Twisted Road to Justice: The Great Clayton Bank HeistIn the sleepy mountain town of Clayton, Georgia, a botched bank robbery in 1934 sets off a wild chase across three states. The bandits have a unique weapon: a half-gallon bucket of roofing tacks. Sheriff Luther Rickman gives pursuit in a "little old Ford," dodging nails and driving on the wrong side of the road. The trail leads to a stolen Packard, a bloody car crash, and a connection to one of North Carolina's most notorious bootlegging ex-officials. This is the twisted, true story of the Clayton Bank Heist, a tale of financial ruin, moonshine, and a trail...
2025-12-0115 minBlue Ridge True CrimeIron Irene: Motherhood, Murder, And A Cross-Country Crime SpreeBefore Bonnie and Clyde captured the nation's attention, another couple was blazing a trail of crime across America: Irene Schroeder and Walter “Glenn” Dague. She was a young mother, the press dubbed "Iron Irene." He was a seemingly respectable car salesman. Their story begins with a deadly roadside shootout that left a Pennsylvania State Trooper dead. What followed was a desperate, multi-state crime spree involving kidnappings, daring escapes, and a final, fiery gunfight in the Arizona desert.This is the unforgettable true story of Irene Schroeder and Glenn Dague: a tale of violence, swif...
2025-11-2422 minBlue Ridge True CrimeThe Unfinished History of the Hillsville Courthouse ShootingMarch 14, 1912. The Carroll County Courthouse in Hillsville, Virginia, was a scene of tobacco smoke and small-town gossip—until it became a killing ground. When Floyd Allen stood after being convicted and declared, “Gentlemen, I ain’t a-going,” more than 50 shots rang out. In the chaos, the judge, sheriff, and prosecutor were killed, and the powerful Allen family fled, triggering a massive manhunt that captivated the nation.In this episode, we speak with Dr. Travis Roundtree, author of Hillsville Remembered, to unravel the complex history of Appalachia's most notorious shootout.Hillsville Remembered: Public Memory, Historical Silence, and Appa...
2025-11-1739 minBlue Ridge True CrimeThe Hillbilly Heist: Misadventures in Money LaunderingBuckle up for the true story of the 1997 Loomis Fargo heist. This is Ocean's Eleven goes country, with a crew of small-time crooks, a would-be hitman, and one of the world's worst money launderers.What happened next was a colossal cascade of failure.Podcast SourcesBlue Ridge True Crime Sources & LinksExplore More ContentBlue Ridge True Crime SubstackBlue Ridge True Crime YouTube ChannelMy BookBlood on the Blue Ridge on Amazon (written with Scott Lunsford)
2025-11-1024 min
Book Cougars Podcast: Two Middle-Aged Women on the Hunt for a Good ReadEpisode 246 - A Flock of WordsWelcome to Episode 246!
We recap some fun Biblioadventures in this episode. Emily got to see Mel Rosenthal in conversation with Virginia Evans about her debut novel The Correspondent at an event hosted by RJ Julia Booksellers. Chris had a research visit to Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library, where she enjoyed their book arts exhibit and admired the mantel in front of which Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Raven.” She also had an impromptu browse at New Haven’s used bookstore, Grey Matter Books.
We also had some Couch Biblioadventures. Because we recently read Daphne Du Maurier’s excellent...
2025-11-041h 25Blue Ridge True CrimeThe Greenbrier Ghost: Testimony from the Great Beyond?In 1897, a young West Virginia woman named Zona Heaster Shue was found dead. The official cause was "an everlasting faint." Case closed. But then, her mother, Mary Jane Heaster, claimed her daughter's ghost visited her for four consecutive nights with a chilling accusation: Zona had been murdered by her husband, her neck broken. This is the only known case in American history where testimony from a ghost helped convict a murderer. But was it a spectral vision, a mother's desperate dream, or a clever ruse to ensure justice? Join us as we dig into the bizarre and...
2025-10-2719 minBlue Ridge True CrimeTom Dooley: Murder Mystery, and a Mountain BalladWe're heading down a dark trail into one of Appalachia's most enduring mysteries. In May of 1866, Laura Foster rode out on her family's mare and vanished into the North Carolina mountains. Her body was later found in a shallow grave, sparking a manhunt, a sensational trial, and a public hanging that would be immortalized in a folk song known around the world.But what really happened to Laura Foster? Was Confederate veteran and "rock star" fiddle player Tom Dooley truly the killer, or was he protecting a deadly secret? In this episode, host Alfred Dockery is joined by...
2025-10-2039 minBlue Ridge True CrimeFlatwoods: A Monster, A Myth, and Legends of the WeirdTravel back to September 12, 1952, in the small town of Flatwoods, West Virginia. What began as a flash in the sky witnessed by a group of boys playing football quickly spiraled into one of America's most bizarre and enduring UFO encounters. This is the story of the terrifying, ten-foot-tall Flatwoods Monster—a story of mass hysteria, Cold War anxiety, and the two fascinating paranormal investigators who turned a local legend into a national phenomenon.Visit the Blue Ridge True Crime Substack for articles and updates.Check out the Blue Ridge True Crime YouTube Channel fo...
2025-10-1316 minBlue Ridge True CrimeThe Forgotten South Carolina Witch TrialsEveryone 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.SourcesBlue Ridge True Crime Sources & LinksExplore...
2025-10-0612 minBlue Ridge True CrimeSilent Witnesses: Pocket Watches That Held Historic SecretsIn 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.SourcesBlue Ridge True Crime Sources & LinksExplore More ContentBlue Ridge True Crime SubstackBlue Ridge True Crime YouTube ChannelMy BookBlood on the Blue Ridge on Amazon (written with
2025-09-2919 min
Shipwrecks and Sea DogsThe Murder of Kim WallKim Wall was a fiercely independent journalist whose reporting spanned the intersections of identity, gender, culture, social justice, and global politics. Her life was tragically cut short in August 2017 when entrepreneur Peter Madsen brutally murdered her on board his submarine UC-3 Nautilus, which he built himself.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Kim Wall Memorial Fund: https://www.iwmf.org/programs/kim-wall-memorial-fund/
Remembering Kim Wall: https://www.rememberingkimwall.com/
A Silenced Voice, by Ingrid and Joachim Wall: https://www.amazon.com/Silenced-Voice-Life-Journalist-Wall/dp/1542018110
My guest for this episode is Alfred Dockery from Blue Ridge True Crime...
2025-09-2343 minBlue Ridge True CrimeThe Murder of Gladys Kincaid (Part 2)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.SourcesBlue Ridge True Crime Sources & LinksExpl...
2025-09-2232 minBlue Ridge True CrimeThe Murder of Gladys Kincaid (Part 1)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 s...
2025-09-1542 minBlue Ridge True CrimeThe Cocaine Freefall: Guns, Gold, and Gucci LoafersA 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 b...
2025-09-1116 minBlue Ridge True CrimeThe Killer and The Philosopher: Two Legendary NC HermitsIn 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 Intro01:36 The Murder of Holland Higgins
2025-08-2924 minBlue Ridge True CrimeThe Forgotten Fugitive: John Paul Scott’s Daring Alcatraz EscapeJohn “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.SourcesBlue Ridge True Crime Sources & LinksExplore More ContentB...
2025-08-0514 minBlue Ridge True CrimeGunslinging Moonshiners: Who Made It Out Alive?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.SourcesBlue Ridge True Crime Sources & LinksExplore More ContentBlue Ridge True Crime SubstackBlue Ridge True Crime YouTube ChannelMy BookBlood on the Blue Ridge on Amazon (written with S...
2025-07-2236 minBlue Ridge True CrimeNC Moonshine Mysteries: One Tall Tale, One True LegendIn 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...
2025-07-2116 minBlue Ridge True CrimeAppalachian Ballads: Otto WoodThe Legendary Otto Wood: Ballads and Banditry in AppalachiaIn 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.Sources
2025-07-1736 min
Ghost GossipThe Witch Trial of Winnsboro - Mary Ingleman 1792* * * Trigger Warning for animal death, and conversation of death and torture * * *Beyond Salem's shadows lies a forgotten tragedy. In 1792, the town of Winnsboro, South Carolina, became a stage for paranoia and violence. Today, we shine a light on the devastating Witch Trial of Winnsboro, revealing the appalling actions of a community turned against itself. Listen as we recount the horrific treatment endured by neighbors, victims of a hysteria that may have been forgotten. Links used for today's episode:Witch stories of Fairfield County | The...
2025-04-2831 min
Charlotte Readers PodcastIn “Cartledge Creek,” Sam McGee’s Civil War Ancestors Experience the Conflict as ConfederatesIn this episode 243, we visit with Sam McGee, author of “Cartledge Creek,” a gripping novel of the Civil War in which his own family’s story is told.
Jim Dockery, the youngest of Alfred Dockery’s sons, is shipped off to fight for the Confederacy. His father is one of Richmond county’s most prominent opponents to succession and a vocal advocate for black suffrage. He is also one of the county’s largest plantations with many enslaved working the fields. Despite this contradiction, Jim and his five older brothers enlist in the army. The horrors of war and the inhu...
2021-09-1045 min
Klassiker-FaibleKostüm-Faible #04 – Downton Abbey Staffel 4Neue Wege, harte Entscheidungen und traumatische Ereignisse: In diesem Downton Abbey Rewatch besprechen Anne und ihr Gast Christian Steiner von der Second Unit die Serie von Anfang an und machen in dieser Folge mit der vierten Staffel weiter.
Diese Staffelbesprechung gleicht einer Therapie-Sitzung. Wir sprechen darüber, welche Veränderungen der Weggang von Dan Stevens mit sich gebracht hat, warum Mary sehr an Sympathiepunkten eingebüßt hat und warum wir die Story rund um Anna mehr als furchtbar und innerhalb des Verlaufs schlecht verhandelt finden. Doch es gibt auch ein paar Lichtmomente in all dem Schatten, die u.a...
2019-07-111h 47
Saturday ReviewLife of Pi, Dance of Death and Restless are all reviewedLife of Pi, Yann Martel's 2002 Booker winner, was reputed to be unfilmable. But now Ang Lee has attempted to prove everyone wrong with an extraordinary 3D and CGI display that brings not just a boy and a tiger to life, but a whole ocean. How effective is it in telling the story?There are two television offerings: The Girl is a film starring Toby Jones and Sienna Miller as Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren which will go out on BBC 2 on Boxing Day. It focuses on their relationship during the making of The Birds, when Hedren had...
2012-12-2241 min
The Buzz - BuzzWorthy RadioMARIETTE HARTLEY!Hartley began her career in her teens as a stage actress, coached and mentored by the noted Eva Le Gallienne. Her film career began with Ride the High Country (1962), a western with actors Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea, and directed by Sam Peckinpah. She also had a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie (1964). In 1963 she played Clary in Gunsmoke episode 53In the 1963-1964 television season, she appeared in an episode of ABC’s drama about college life, Channing and in two episodes of The Virginian. In 1966, she appeared as Polly Dockery in the series finale, "A Burying for...
2011-01-2122 min