In the summer of 1924, a railroad worker was found dead near tracks in Little Rock. Weeks later, his wife was found dead in another state. What followed was a series of headlines that pointed to one woman—Winona Spriggs. Her name would appear again and again over the next fifty years, linked to crime, escape, and murder. This is the story of a family broken, and of the woman who never stopped running.

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Episode Sources

• Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock, AR), 1924–1974
• Arkansas Democrat (Little Rock, AR), 1924–1954
• The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), 1924–1954
• Tulsa Tribune (Tulsa, OK), 1924–1948
• Miami News-Record (Miami, OK), August 1946
• The Salinas Californian (Salinas, CA), 1953–1954
• The San Bernardino Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October–November 1974
• The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA), March 16, 1954
• Associated Press (AP) wire reports, 1924–1954
• Pulaski County Circuit Court records (Arkansas)
• Oklahoma criminal investigation records (Miami, OK)
• California Superior Court records (Salinas, CA), 1954
• Arkansas State Penitentiary records and parole files
• Oklahoma Department of Corrections records
• California Department of Corrections records
• U.S. Census records (1910, 1920, 1930, 1940)
• Marriage and divorce records for Winona Spriggs / Winona Green / Winnie Ola Freeman
• Death records for J.R. Green, Lena Green, Robert Sheldon Wilkinson, Harold Jonassen, and Winnie Ola Freeman
• Library of Congress, Chronicling America newspaper archive
• Newspapers.com archival database
• Ancestry.com historical records
• Unknown Misandry blog: “Winnie Ola Freeman (Winona Green): The Cat Woman” (2014)

Episode Music

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

In December 1968, Barbara Jane Mackle was kidnapped from a motel room outside Atlanta, Georgia. The circumstances surrounding her abduction were so strange, investigators could barely make sense of them. The search for twenty year old Barbara Jane Mackle became a race against time that gripped her family and drew national attention.

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Want more Southern Mysteries? You can 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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Episode Sources

• Miller, Gene. 83 Hours Till Dawn. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1971.
• “FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives: Ruth Eisemann-Schier, 1969.” Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ten Most Wanted Program Archives.
• “Kidnapped Heiress Rescued from Buried Box.” The Miami Herald, December 21, 1968.
• “Barbara Mackle Found Alive.” The Atlanta Constitution, December 21, 1968.
• “Agents Seize Suspect in Mackle Kidnapping.” The Miami Herald, December 21–23, 1968.
• “Man Held in Heiress Kidnap Case.” The New York Times, December 22, 1968.
• “Girl in Box Case.” Los Angeles Times, December 22, 1968.
• “Suspect Caught in Marsh After Days on the Run.” Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale), December 1968.
• “Woman on FBI List Seized in Oklahoma.” The Oklahoman, February 8, 1969.
• United States v. Gary Steven Krist, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 1969.
• United States v. Ruth Eisemann-Schier, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 1969.
• FBI, Supplemental Case Report: Kidnapping of Barbara Jane Mackle, December 1968 (declassified portions).
• Jordan, C.D. “Account of the Mackle Kidnapping Rescue.” Interview, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 1970.
• Associated Press. “Heiress Found Alive in Buried Box; Ransom Paid.” December 21, 1968.
• United Press International. “Search Intensifies for Kidnappers After Ransom Drop Fails.” December 1968.
• “Krist Granted Medical License Despite Record.” The Indianapolis News, July 23, 1985.
• U.S. Department of Justice. “South Florida Man Sentenced in Cocaine Trafficking Case.” DOJ Press Release, 2006.
• “Eisemann-Schier Paroled and Deported.” The Miami Herald, 1973.
• Emory Wheel (Emory University). “Student Kidnapped from Decatur Motel.” December 18–22, 1968 coverage.
• “The Mackle Kidnapping Revisited.” People Magazine (retrospective feature), 1998.
• “Buried Alive: The 1968 Abduction of Barbara Mackle.” CNN.com, Crime Retrospective Series, 2003.
• “83 Hours in the Earth.” CBS News Sunday Morning, archival retrospective segment.

Episode Music

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

In 1877, a young woman arrived in Jefferson, Texas, wearing diamonds and traveling with a man who claimed to be her husband. Days later, her body was found in the woods, and her name was unknown. She became known as Diamond Bessie, and her death led to one of the most sensational murder trials in Texas history. This episode of Southern Mysteries explores her life, the circumstances of her murder, the trials of Abe Rothschild, and the legacy of a woman the town refused to forget.

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Want more Southern Mysteries? You can 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

🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries

Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists.

📱 Follow on Social Media:

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

Episode Sources

• Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) entry on "Diamond Bessie"
• Handbook of Texas Online
• Library of Congress Newspaper Archives
• “East Texas in the 1800s: Jefferson and the Murder of Diamond Bessie,” Jefferson Historical Society
• Oakwood Cemetery, Jefferson Texas burial records
• University of North Texas Portal to Texas History
• The Diamond Bessie Murder Trial – Jefferson Playhouse historical archives
• “The Jefferson Murders” — archived article from The Dallas Morning News
• East Texas Tales by Bob Bowman
• Chronicling America – Historical newspaper records (Library of Congress)
• Marshall, Texas Capitol Hotel registration archives (via local historical society)
• “Diamond Bessie Reenactment Keeps History Alive” — Texas Highways
• Ancestry records and obituaries (Watertown, NY) for Annie Stone / Bessie Moore
• Archives of the Rothschild family business in Cincinnati (local historical collections)

Episode Music

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