On June 3, 1985,   police cautiously pursued a Chevy Blazer with four passengers. A slow chase had persisted for several miles-- from Greensboro into Summerfield, North Carolina. Suddenly, the Blazer stopped and a bomb was detonated from within.  The vehicle and four bodies exploded into pieces on NC Hwy. 150.  This is the conclusion to the harrowing story of how bitterness and hatred led to the deaths of nine people and destroyed three families in the process. Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSources:Bledsoe, Jerry 1988. Bitter Blood: A True Story of Southern Family Pride, Madness, and Multiple Murder.  E.P. Dutton, NAL Penguin, New York, NY.newspapers.comfindagrave.comhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/943382405/?match=1&terms=sharp%20susiehttps://www.newspapers.com/image/943362092/?match=1&terms=sharp%20susiehttps://www.newspapers.com/image/943368187/?match=1&terms=sharp%20susiehttps://www.newspapers.com/image/943369597/?match=1&terms=sharp%20susiehttps://www.newspapers.com/image/943371389/https://www.newspapers.com/image/943374896/Show Sponsor: Functional Spaces  https://functionalspacesnc.com/Functional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

In the years between 1984 and 1985, three intertwined families experienced the murders of close family members.  The murders spanned from Louisville, Kentucky to Winston Salem and Greensboro, NC. Susie Newsome Lynch and Fritz Kenner were first cousins and lovers. They shared grandiose delusions, paranoia, bitterness and a murderous hatred for the people they believed were conspiring to take Susie's boys away from her. They would do ANYTHING to keep that from happening!  Eventually, nine people would end up dead at their hands. Listen to part one of this story to hear the intriguing details.  Male Narrator- Curtis HildrethMusic- Isaiah HildrethSources:Bitter Blood : A True Story of Southern Family Pride, Madness, and Multiple Murder Written  By Jerry Bledsoenewspapers.comfindagrave.comhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/943382405/?match=1&terms=sharp%20susiehttps://www.newspapers.com/image/943362092/?match=1&terms=sharp%20susiehttps://www.newspapers.com/image/943368187/?match=1&terms=sharp%20susiehttps://www.newspapers.com/image/943369597/?match=1&terms=sharp%20susiehttps://www.newspapers.com/image/943371389/https://www.newspapers.com/image/943374896/Functional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

An episode of America's Most Wanted in 1989 showcased the story of John List who killed his entire family - wife, mother, and three children - leaving them in the ballroom of their 19-room mansion. More than one viewer called in to say that John List looked strikingly like their neighbor, Bob Clark. After fingerprints prove they were one and the same, he was arrested and the details of his horrible crime came to light. Narrator: Curtis HildrethLetter Reader: Tim GwynIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSources:Family photographs commissioned by John List and his wife, Helen. - The Springfield Union. December 9, 1971 edition., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=105692703https://web.archive.org/web/20060321184241/http://www.goleader.com/list/https://www.newspapers.com/image/966748997/?match=1&terms=list%2C%20johnhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/831457706/?match=1&terms=list%20johnhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/288766910/?match=1&terms=list%20johnhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/467886627/?match=1&terms=list%2C%20john&clipping_id=146031730Functional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

In December 1934, a young missionary couple, John and Betty Stam, were beheaded by Communist soldiers in Anhui Province along with a Chinese Christian brother named Chang Shushing. Listen to their story here. Male Narrator: Curtis HildrethMusic: Sherry WhiteSources:By Life or By Death: The Life and Legacy of John and Betty Stam  By Andrew Montoneranewspapers.comfindagrave.comChristianfocus.com https://www.christianfocus.com/blog/2014/12/08/triumph-through-tragedy-the-martyrdomWheaton College Archives https://fromthevault.wheaton.edu/2019/12/03/stam-baby-safe-remembering-john-and-betty-stam/https://omf.org/us/the-martyrdom-of-john-and-betty-stam/Asia Harvest https://www.asiaharvest.org/china-resources/anhui/1934-john-betty-stamThe Voice of the Martyrshttps://gfamissions.org/john-and-betty-stam/About  Hudson Taylor, the Founder of China Inlet Missionshttps://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/missionaries/hudson-taylor.htmlhttps://document.desiringgod.org/a-camaraderie-of-confidence-en.pdf?ts=1462481152About the Opium Wars and Christianity in Chinahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlZpo580bA8https://www.asiaharvest.org/100-years-of-communism-in-china-we-reveal-the-hero-of-the-centuryhttps://ir.vanderbilt.edu/bitstream/handle/1803/9478/Guan%2C%20T%20HHT.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=yhttps://www.biblesociety.org.uk/uploads/content/bible_in_transmission/files/2012_winter/BiT_Winter_2012_Sneller.pdfhttps://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/hong-kong-and-the-opium-wars/#:~:text=Hong%20Kong%20became%20a%20British,wishes%20of%20the%20Chinese%20government.About Christianity in China Todayhttps://www.billionbibles.com/china/three-self-patriotic-movement.htmlFunctional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

As Westward expansion began in the US after the Civil War, homesteaders staked land claims across the plains. One family set up a crude store and Inn along the trail, taking advantage of the location where many a weary traveler would pass by. But many of those travelers began to disappear after stopping at the Bender's place. What searchers found on the property, dubbed "Hell's Half-Acre" by newspapers, was nothing they could have imagined. And history doesn't tell us why a whole family would kill innocent travelers, nor if they were ever captured for their crimes.Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSources:Jonusas, Susan. Hell’s Half-Acre. Penguin Random House. 2022.https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/bender-family.htmhttps://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015484/1873-05-15/ed-1/seq-2/https://www.newspapers.com/image/58162259/?terms=Bender&match=1http://murderpedia.comFunctional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

Reverend George Washington Carawan was charged and found guilty of the murder of a school teacher named Clement H. Lassiter .  After learning the jury had found him guilty and that he would be hanged for his crime,  Reverend  Carawan pulled a gun and shot the prosecutor and then  himself. Male Narrator- Curtis HildrethMusic- Isaiah HildrethSourcesnewspapers.commurderpedia.comfindagrave.comNCpedia.commurderbygaslight.comgoosecreekisland1blogspot.com.Functional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

The seaside town of Brighton, England had a string of poisonings in the late 1870's.  The victims became severely sick after eating chocolate cream candies from a local sweet shop owned by J. G. Maynard. Mr. Maynard rid his shop of the chocolate inventory, but townsfolk continued getting sick and one young boy died after eating a piece of the offending candy.   Investigators were stumped until the town doctor reluctantly came forward with information that helped shed light on the possible culprit. Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSources:https://jvc.oup.com/2021/03/04/hysteria-and-victorian-women-in-art/#:~:text=Victorian%20women%20were%20expected%20to,France%2C%20England%2C%20and%20America.https://murderpedia.org/female.E/images/edmunds_christiana/christiana-edmunds.pdfPerrin, Lisa. The League of Lady Poisoners. 2023, San Francisco, Chronicle Books.Functional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

Alma Kellner born in 1901, was the daughter of wealthy brewers in Louisville, Kentucky.On December 8, 1909, Alma disappeared on her way to attend mass at St. John's Roman Catholic Church, not far from her home. At first it was believed she had been kidnapped but no ransom demands were ever made. Approximately six months from the time she went missing, on May 30, 1910, her dismembered body was discovered in the sub-cellar of St. John’s church.Joseph Wendling, a Frenchman, who had been the janitor at the church, also disappeared about a month after Alma's disappearance. He quickly became the prime suspect. Wendling was found and arrested in San Francisco, California. He was sent back to Louisville where he was tried and convicted of Alma’ murder.Although Joseph Wendling was tried and convicted, it was all circumstantial. Hans Schmidt, the killer priest is an alternate suspect in this case as he was in Louisville from August 1909 to March 1910 working between St. John’s and St. Boniface Roman Catholic churches. Listen to the episode and tell us who you think murdered little Alma Kellner. Male Narrator- Curtis HildrethMusic by Isaiah HildrethSourcesfindagrave.comnewspapers.comwikipedia.comSouthern Mysteries PodcastLouisville's Alma Kellner Mystery by Sean M HerronKentucky History and Haunts PodcastAll poetry.comFunctional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

Before there were restraining orders and women's shelters galore, domestic violence victims often suffered for years in silence. This is the story of one woman and her final desperate attempt to save herself when she realized there was nowhere else to turn. Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSources:https://www.newspapers.com/image/208805495/?terms=hughes%20francine&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/209277272/?terms=hughes%20francine&match=1https://www.themarysue.com/francine-hughes-the-mixed-legacy-of-battered-woman-syndrome/https://retroreport.org/transcript/transcript-the-domestic-violence-case-that-turned-outrage-into-action/https://www.newspapers.com/image/210051314/?terms=hughes%20francine&match=1https://stockbridgecommunitynews.com/national-domestic-violence-awareness-month-area-familys-1977-tragedy-changed-laws-on-domestic-violence/https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2014/10/27/burning-bed-domestic-violence/16224277/The Ballad of Francine Hughes  https://youtu.be/zuyRoKi5X8c?si=85SeWPqfC53_Wvo5Functional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

Today's episode is about  the life and crimes of Father Hans Schmidt. He was executed in 1916 for murder.  Schmidt is the only priest ever to be executed in the United States. Music- Isaiah HildrethMale Narrator- Curtis HildrethSourcesnewspapers.commurderpediawikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Schmidt_(priest)https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/the-dreadful-crimes-of-the-only-priest-ever-executed-on-the-electric-chair-2975072643d3Functional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

On Mother's Day 1985, a young mother and her two little girls were found dead in their home near Ft. Bragg, NC. The youngest of her daughters was left alive, alone, crying, and dehydrated in her crib waiting for a rescue. The murders bore a striking resemblance to the 1970 killings at Ft. Bragg of the MacDonald family. Investigators had to figure out if this was a copycat crime or a totally unrelated case. Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSources:Whisnant,  Scott.  Innocent Victims; The Spellbinding Account of An Unthinkable True-Crime. Onyx, 1993.https://thecrimewire.com/true-crime/staff-sergeant-tim-hennis-murderhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/623994986/?terms=Eastburn&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/624000237/?terms=Eastburn&match=1https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/11/14/three-trials-for-murderhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastburn_family_murdershttps://www.foxnews.com/us/25-years-later-widower-recalls-slain-familyFunctional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

Martha McKay was found murdered on her family property in Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas. Her mother was found murdered on the same property twenty-four years earlier. .  Travis Lewis was Martha's killer--the same person  convicted in the  murder of Martha's mother and cousin when he was just fifteen years old. This case is proof that sometimes lightening does strike twice. Music Furry Lewis Public DomainCopywrite  free acoustic Delta Blues Instrumentalnewspapers.comfindagrave.compodcast -Southern Fried True Crimehttps://memphismagazine.com/habitats/lady-of-the-lake/https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2020/03/25/martha-mckay-murder-travis-lewis-horseshoe-lake-arkansas/5085237002/https://people.com/crime/inside-the-bizarre-case-of-a-killer-striking-twice-23-years-apart-murdering-a-mother-and-daughter/https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/woman-found-murdered-same-snowden-property-horseshoe-lake-arkansas-where-n1169906https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/horseshoe-lake-crittenden-county-7164/https://www.blacksouthernbelle.com/black-women-juke-joint-owners-and-food-heritage/https://www.messynessychic.com/2023/02/17/americas-last-juke-joints/#google_vignettehttps://folkways.si.edu/furry-lewis-rural-blues-performer/music/article/smithsonianFunctional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

In early 1970 Capt. Jeffrey MacDonald is awakened by the screams of his wife and daughters being attacked.  He claims a group of drugged-up hippies were the intruders, but authorities quickly begin to question that claim. This conclusion to the MacDonald family murders delves into the alternative theories put forth by the defense and ends with where the convicted murderer is today.  Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSources:https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/convicted-murderer-jeffrey-macdonald-s-appeal-dismissed-and-consecutive-life-sentenceshttps://macdonaldcasefacts.com/html/timeline.htmlMcGinniss, Joe. Fatal Vision. Putnam, 1983.Potter, Jerry Allen, and Fred Bost. Fatal Justice: Reinvestigating the MacDonald Murders. W.W. Norton, 1995.Functional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

At the height of the hippie culture and "Satanic Panic" in the early 1970s, a gruesome murder is committed at Fort Bragg, NC.  A pregnant mother and her two small daughters are repeatedly stabbed to death.  Her husband, Captain Jeffrey MacDonald, is also injured but survives the attack. He is able to describe the four assailants who had killed his family; drugged-out hippies chanting, "Acid is groovy. Kill the pigs." In the coming days, the tale becomes even harder to believe and authorities question Captain MacDonald's version of events.Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth Sources:McGinniss, Joe. Fatal Vision. Putnam, 1983.Potter, Jerry Allen, and Fred Bost. Fatal Justice: Reinvestigating the MacDonald Murders. W.W. Norton, 1995. Charlie Manson’s Home on the Range. Esquire, March 1970California Evil.  Esquire, March 1970https://macdonaldcasefacts.com/html/guilt.htmlhttps://macdonaldcasefacts.com/html/timeline.htmlhttps://nccriminallaw.sog.unc.edu/the-dr-jeffrey-macdonald-habeas-case-and-actual-innocence/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tate%E2%80%93LaBianca_murdersFunctional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

Belle Gunness also known as Hell's Princess was a pig farmer in the early 1900's. She posted help wanted and lonely hearts ads in newspapers--luring men to their deaths with promises of love and wealth.Music By Isaiah HildrethMale Narrator Curtis HildrethSources:newspapers.comHell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men  by  Harold Schechter  wikipediabiography.comlegendsofamerica.comallthatsintresting.comhttps://americanliterature.com/author/charles-perrault/fairy-tale/the-story-of-blue-beard americanliterature.comFunctional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

On March 5, 1873, two women were found brutally axed to death on the secluded Smuttynose Island just off the coast of Maine. Music by Isaiah HildrethMale Narrator Curtis HildrethSources:Mystery on the Isles of Shoals: Closing the Case on the Smuttynose Ax Murders of 1873 by J Dennis Robinsonnewspapers.comfindagrave.comFresh Hell Podcastfosters.comwikipedia.comnewengland.comhttps://www.des.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt341/files/documents/geo-187-024000-bbxm-isles-of-shoals-final.pdfhttps://www.fayrehalefarm.com/new-hampshires-isles-of-shoals/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/graves-smuttynose-murder-victimshttps://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/portsmouth-herald/2018/07/08/history-grave-concern-in-kittery/11574170007/https://numa.net/2013/02/is-there-treasure-off-new-englands-isles-of-shoals/Functional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

Accident? Suicide? Or Murder? The question of "Z" Smith Reynolds' death is still not answered to this day more than ninety years later. The wealthy heir of the RJ Reynolds Tobacco fortune was shot on his sleeping porch after hosting his friend's 21st birthday party at his estate. The initial ruling was suicide. However, ballistic evidence cast suspicion on that theory, and two people were charged with his murder. The inquest sparked more questions than it answered.Intro and Outro Music: Courthouse Blues, Clara Smith Vol. 3 (1925) Public DomainNarrator: Curtis HildrethSuicide Hotline: In the US - dial 988 - 24 hoursHopeline Crisis Intervention - 877-235-4525 Sources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._J._Reynolds https://reynolda.org/https://reynolda.org/about/history-timeline/https://youtu.be/Mta1Cba0ToI?si=SHci78ur1jLwbAb7 (Youtube video)https://reynolda.org/museum/exhibitions/smith-and-libby/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._J._Reynolds_Tobacco_Companyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Smith_Reynoldshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston-Salem,_North_Carolinahttps://www.newspapers.com/image/651207970/?terms=smith%20reynolds&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/932321497/?terms=reynolds%20smith&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/651286296/Functional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

On March 1, 1922, Tennessee sent four men ( under the age of twenty) to the electric chair to pay  with their lives for the life  they took. Music by Isaiah HildrethMale Narrator: Curtis HildrethSources:newspapers.comThe Appalachian Storyteller wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandler_Motor_Carknoxnews.com https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2018/08/11/gallows-gurney-six-infamous-east-tennessee-executions-maurice-mays-whitecaps-bluebills-billy-irick/958465002/Functional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

Georgia Tann was a social worker whose crimes spanned three decades from the 1920s to 1950. What appeared to be benevolence on her part was actually greed and downright evil that affected many families during those years. She led a secret life and was beyond scrutiny for most of those years. Sadly she was never brought to justice for her horrible deeds. Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSources:https://www.americanadoptions.com/adoption/history-of-adoptionhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/311167409/?terms=sipple%20alma&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/769617267/?terms=georgia%20tann&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/109886102/?terms=georgia%20tann&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-chronicle-georgia-tann-1954/3661842/https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-110-baby-snatcher-3-15-2019/https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3181&context=jsswhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_TannPhoto: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38235660/georgia-tann This photo is in the public domainFunctional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

In 1914, Lowe Daniels lived in the Uwharrie forest. He made his living making and selling whiskey. One day he came home from a trip and out of nowhere,  shot his wife, his wife's seventeen year old sister, his seventeen year old sister and a sixteen year old neighbor boy.  After he'd finished his killing spree, Lowe took his banjo off the wall,  sat by the fire,  picked his banjo and sang until the sheriff came to arrest him. Music by Isaiah HildrethSources: findagrave.comnewspapers.comRicky AllredJohn Cravenrandolphhistorywordpress.com https://randolphhistory.wordpress.com/tag/moonshine/Functional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspacesnc.com/Support the Show.www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC