A 1933 Murder

Hi, I'm Holly and I'm Haley. Welcome to Mountain Mysteries, Tales from Appalachia. Was it a free up? Yeah, I need to tell me what that is.

Oh well, it's called Greg. G-R-E-G. Mm-hmm. Well, welcome back.

Hi. We were just talking about plants and apparently an app that tells you how often to water them, which I need because... The only way I ever remember how... Does it give you reminders?

Like, please water plants. Yeah, it's like it says how many you have like three plants ready for watering and then you just open and it tells you which ones. Nice. So you just take pictures of each plant.

Does it also tell you information about them? Yeah, and you're able to name them. So Mark, Wes and I went through this was like a fun little thing we did and named all of them. Bonding.

And they've got some pretty wild names. Cynthia, Cleo Hatra. Cynthia's my aunt's name I can't do. Rachel.

Nice. Layla. Nice. See Stalkington the second.

I like that. I have see Stalkington the third. Wow. And see Stalkington the first.

Wow. A whole family. Maurice. Nice.

Doug. Okay. Felicia. Oh, by Felicia.

Big leaf smalls. Love it. Herbert. Susan.

Chief big leaf. Nice. Judas. Wow.

Did he betray the other plants? Well, he's a prayer plant. So we fella due to salt fitting. Yeah.

Kendall. Nice. Klaus. And Yen.

Love it. I love the diversity. Yeah. I really do.

I love that. And they really do look good. Yeah, they're doing well. I need to kind of prune a few of them.

But... My home is a real mix of fake and real. Yeah. I mean, even on the outside too.

Yeah. So, so I have this big plant that gets a lot of sun because it's near the deck. So that's doing really well. Most of my house plants were the most part of doing fairly well.

I've got several in the kitchen. However, on my fireplace, I have some fake ones. Yeah. And then outside, I have a mix of real and fake.

Yeah. So from far away, you can't tell that they're fake. Right. So on like, you know, the front porch area, they are fake in the large little stands that I have.

I think I'm going to do that this summer. It's smart. It's smart. I always forget to water them.

That's my problem. That's my problem. See, I can get away with my hostas and some of my others not watering too often because they're pretty hardy. But those other ones are really tough to try and keep the flowery ones are tough to keep alive.

So I just go fake. And you know what? My neighbors have been like, oh, I love your garden. It always looks so good.

And I was like, thank you. They're fake. But you know what? Along my walkway.

Yeah. They're all fake. Yeah. And I love it.

That's great. Yeah. That's amazing. It's just wonderful.

We've been pressure washing my son and I. Yeah. So, I bought a pressure washer off of Facebook marketplace for 30 months. Oh, it's a day.

I know. Now, it's a plug-in one. Like, it's not the gas powered, which is a little bit better quality. Gas powered one and more expensive.

But for 30 bucks, you know, we're getting all the paint off of our driveway and all the things slowly, but surely it's a process. I know. Yes. Because I'm going to get my whole driveway sealed.

Right. Yeah. Well, I wanted to give you a quick update on, you know, the last time, one of the last few times we recorded. That's the fullest.

Yes. We suspected. So, the results come back. The results came back.

No, syphilis. I know we were all super worried that I had syphilis. I mean, it would explain a lot of things. Yeah.

So, my doctor thought it was kind of funny that that was suggested. And he was like, well, I definitely want to do the uric acid test to see if it's going out. Not that either. That's also not good.

And we were just kind of like chatting and he's like, I mean, do you want to do the test for syphilis? Like, just for fun. And I was like, how much would it cost me? He's like, it's already included in like your insurance.

I was like, hey, yeah, buddy, let's do that. It's hilarious. He's like, no, I just want to say, I don't think you syphilis. I was like, I don't think I do either.

But let's just do it. Let's not rule it out, Haley. Right. Let's not say I don't.

If we don't know for sure. We don't know 100%. So, but yeah, we ran the test for syphilis. And it was negative.

So, what do you have? Oh, we think arthritis. Because I'm on a new like anti-inflammatory, nonsteroidal something. Not like a Gebovin.

Right. It's not like that. It's like a, it's more high powered than in the leave, right? But it's not addicting.

And it's not a, you know, anything like that. So, like an approximation kind of kind of like that, but prescription strength. Right. So, I've been on that for a little bit.

I think I've run south this week, but he was kind of hoping that that would kind of alleviate it and let it heal if it's really interesting. Are you better? Yeah. I mean, you don't have your brace on.

I know, I suppose you're wearing it and I'm not because it annoys me. But it's still got just a little twinge when I kind of do certain motions, but I'm just letting it rise. So when you're out in public and you need that, you know, that helps sign if you're going to have a hard time to use your left hand. Yeah.

Because that, like that kind of hurts a little bit. That kind of motion doing an F for a B, do a B in sign language. Yeah. That hurts.

So, but you know, it's much better than it was. I'm glad and I don't have syphilis. So, well, I felt like, you know, all the times that you were taxing, right? There was a real possibility.

It was a real possibility. But see, there was a part of me that's like, dang, you know, if it is syphilis, that's just a shot of penicillin. We're good. Yeah.

Like what an easy solution. Exactly. That's my problem. This makes it, you know, knowing that it's probably long term arthritis really does set you back.

Maybe hope that it was syphilis. I hoped it was the SIF, because then we could just talk about how you were. How I had syphilis. Syphileptic.

Syphileptic. Yeah. That would have been great. But alas, no.

Wasn't I good enough? And then again, just think of all of the ads that we could do. Yeah. For penicillin.

For condoms. I once had the SIF, because I made four choices. But it's okay. Now with my rubbers and my shot.

I'm back to normal and back to podcasting. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. No.

All right. So yeah, no, I'm syphilis-free. Good. Never had it in the first place.

Good. Good. We haven't ruled out the herb and some of the other stuff. We did not need to test for any of those.

Well, because he's like, you would know if you had those. Maybe some burning, I guess. I was like, well, I have no symptoms of any of it. Yeah.

I also have no symptoms of syphilis. Well, I still think that that doctor at the urgent care, she had seen a lot clearly. She clearly has seen a lot of syphilis in her head. And she was like, you look like it.

Yeah. It was a lot. That's what she's finding. She didn't ask me it like about if I had a partner, if I was engaging in any activities.

And unprotected. Yeah, none of those questions were asked of me. But just to see what she looked like. You walked in.

And she was like, that's the SIF. That's the walking SIF. As I'm there in my school branded shirt, like polo situation, like very professional looking. She's like, or she knew it.

She knew it. She knew. She knew. She could tell.

I wonder what she would think of me. What does TD would she give me? I don't know. That's exciting.

I think it's just in gonorrhea. So yeah, you could be chlamydia and herpes herpes. I love that. Holly herpes.

Wow. I know. Yeah. That was what she thought.

Well, you know, she was so funny. She came back in and she was like, we're gonna test for the syphilis in your gas. She said, I'm also gonna throw gonorrhea in there because I think that but could be it do. And I'm like, I like that.

I just look, okay. My personal favorite is once she gave you the steroid and you were leaving, she said, Oh, by the way, you're not diabetic, depressed, high blood pressure, bright, polar, I was like, no, no. Oh, good. Okay.

Then you can take that medicine. I was like, none of none of that. I'm telling you, she's a national treasure. We've got to protect this woman.

We do. Well, and my doctor asked, he's like, and he was kind of trying to like not be mean to her and like, show off ill about another physician, which I appreciate as a professional. Yes. But he was like, you know, sometimes like when they're fresh out of med school, like you see fresh out of med school, these things and you think like, because you've just learned about it, you're like, Oh my gosh, this could be that and did it.

And I was like, the whole time he's talking, I'm just kept looking at him. And I said, she was at least 75. He was like, dang, that's some old syphilis. I'm telling you, she had seen things.

She had seen things. And she had seen so many things that she just assumed it was all the things. It was all syphilis. She has.

I mean, I think if she had been right, though, I would have had to go back and be like, I mean, thank you. You're on it, Susan. Like you got it. I don't remember what her name was.

Well, Susan, you got it, Barbara, Carolyn, you got it, Sandra. We don't know. We don't know. But the truth is, you are syphilis free, syphilis free, gout free, gout free, gonorrhea free.

We don't know. I didn't get to the one. That's still the one that's up in the air. Good.

Good. Do probably have arthritis, though. So that's, you know, I think I'd rather have had syphilis. Because I was at one time.

Like, it's true. It's silly. You could. I don't think that you should advertise that.

Like, I can't wait to get syphilis. Like, I don't know. No, no. It's probably long term arthritis of some sort.

It's okay. You'll be advertising. Hello. I want to talk to you today about Ben Gay.

Tiger ball. Oh, I love Tiger ball. I have a jar in my cabin. So when I have my grains, I will put it on my, it really like helps just kind of open all of them.

Yeah. Tiger ball. Okay. What do we have today?

Besides syphilis that I don't have. She doesn't have just a clarify. Just a clarify. I don't have syphilis.

You weren't. Yeah. We were all worried. I, we were really begging on it.

For our careers. For our careers. Yes. Okay.

So we are going to talk about a death from 1933. Oh, I love going back. And this serious death. I love it.

And this one's from the Charleston, South Carolina area. Charleston. Yeah. Okay.

So it's fall of 1933. It's in brisk November evening. I love it. Miss Elsa Everhart.

Oh, I think. And a friend they were going home after an evening spent driving when they came upon a matron, Mary Revenal. She's laying in the road. They flagged down a passer by named John Townsend and it says in this article and quote a one armed boy.

Oh, blessed it. Named Allen Holmes. Tom's I do believe. I knew it was him because he was harmless.

He's the one unbended one armed boy. What they called him? I don't know. Oh, okay.

So he was interviewed later. And he said that I was one. Sorry. He's like, quote, the two ladies asked us to give them a hand.

He was like on the sidewalk. He called me as one to get. Okay. All right.

Okay. So they all thought that she was a victim of a hit and run or something like that. So she's like been laid out on the sidewalk. They're asking the one armed man to give them a hand.

So they think that it's a hit and run. So they load her into the vehicle and they set off for Rober Hospital because it's the 30s and we don't have cell phones. So we're not calling for 911. Right.

And there's probably not an EMS service. It would probably just be like cop show. Right. Yeah.

And so they're like, we're just going to load her up and roll out. Okay. Check her in the back of the model T. So she's still alive at this point.

Excellent. So on the way, she's screaming out an agony and she says let me out of the car. I know I'm going to die. The pain hurts me so.

Oh, so at the hospital, Dr. Nurse's tried in vain to determine the cause of her condition when Dr. Finger. I see the dad of the armless ball.

I eat the doctor or nurse hip. It's actually nurse glass cock glass cock glass cock. Dr. Finger and nurse glass cock.

Don't figure your glass cock. No, that's good. I mean, he could. But I mean, look, syphilis.

Oh, my goodness. That's why you lost an arm. That's why you lost his arm. Yeah, this is because of finger and glass.

Okay. All right. So this is a death. This is horrible.

I'm sorry. That's fine. Here we go. Okay.

So she, they're asking her like, what happened? And she says, a man hit me. They asked, you know, if it was a car and she says, no, I don't know what it was. It was a man.

So they don't have any like clue to her condition. There's not like bleeding or right. There's really nothing that they can figure out. So there was really little that they could do and she soon passed away.

So the coroner examines her body postmortem and they discover the source of her, you know, pain and everything was a small gunshot wound under her right arm. Oh, so she even shot the bullet grazed her forearm before entering her body under the upper right arm and becoming lodged in her chest. The cause of death was internal bleeding. And it looked like, like somebody had, like when they shot at her, she put her arm up, like to defend herself.

And it went in under her armpit. And it was a small caliber. So probably leave a lot. Probably not.

So it probably went in and like rattled around her chest and caused all kinds of things. Thank you. Dr. Glass, thank you.

So Dr. Finga. Dr. Finga is a nurse.

Okay, so people couldn't figure out like why anyone would want to harm her. She's well known and respected figure in Charleston society, property, maybe, and her death, you know, really shocked the community. She was originally from Detroit, Michigan, but she had lived in the south since her marriage to William Martin in 1892. The Martin's owned Woodside Plantation and the of Shirley's, South Carolina.

And they had four children prior to William's death in 1905. So she was living in Savannah, Georgia a few years later when she became engaged to a wealthy man from Charleston named John, Ravel, Rabenil. And they got married in 1907. So come quick turn around there, Mary.

You know, Dr. Finga, sometimes when you're grieving, you know, you're just looking for somebody to sort of feel that place and maybe be a dad to the four kids and help. True. Yeah.

Yeah. So John was the eldest son of a prominent physician. So he was wealthy too. Yeah.

And he was a pioneer of the phosphate industry. Okay. Which is bizarre. So John Kerry John's father's work in the phosphate industry.

He's also a prominent member of the Charleston's golf community. And he had meddled in several tournaments. Wow. Fancy.

So they moved back to Charlotte. Mary becomes active in all kinds of different charities and social clubs, including the country club of Charleston, the Epiphany Guild of St. Michael's Church and the American Legion Auxiliary. She was the president of the Social Affairs Committee at the country club.

She organized tees and dances. She was just like this overly really good hostess. Like us. Right, obviously.

Yeah. She just went on here. We got the sip. Hi.

You drink tea with us. So she, yeah, she just was really, really good hosting things. Everybody likes her. She's exciting.

She held benefits for local charities in her home. For the one on Boy for the one on Boy. But she accommodated New England poet Robert Frost when he visited Charleston. So he stayed in her home.

Which is great. I wonder if he wrote Fire and Ice about her or the road not taken. Mm-hmm. So her party did take the road.

The road took her. It took her. Yeah. Thank you, Dr.

Fingert. Okay. So her prominence in the community was, you know, why it was such a shock that she was killed. Right.

Like, or somebody shot her. You know, the Charleston police department responded with an extensive investigation. The detective assigned to her case was Herman Berkman and WP Rentiers. I feel like when they have like initials as their first name, like, you know, it's going to be a wild duo.

Oh, yeah. They conducted over 75 interviews following the shooting. They met regularly with the chief detective to discuss the case. And as it kind of unfolded, they considered a number of theories on the circumstances about the death.

The theory that somebody intentionally murdered her actually wasn't like the prominent theory. So the chief detective said we have investigated this case from every angle and have found nothing that would indicate a motive for taking her life. So they're saying, like, she was well liked by everyone. Like, they couldn't figure out anything that she would have done.

That would have caused somebody to want to murder her. They believed that her death was likely unintentional, possibly caused by a stray bullet. There was just shooting guns out in the street. Well, I don't know.

So, okay, so there were several residents that reported hearing a screeching cat or a cat bite going on out in the street right before the gunshot. So the police thought maybe someone was annoyed by the cat and like fired a shot for them to like scatter kind of thing. And it accidentally hit her. Like she was running place run time.

But with her arms up? Right, that's what's weird. The fact that the police found no gunpowder on her body supported the theory that she was shot from a distance, which would make sense. Yet, you know, she said, you know, a man hit her.

And the trajectory of the shot indicated that defensive position and made that theory kind of not super plausible. Right. So another theory was put forth by a friend of her's Nikki Payne and presumed that she either committed suicide or accidentally shot herself. So Mr.

Payne adamantly insisted, quote, we don't shoot cats down here. He claimed that she, that Mary owned a 38 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun. And at one time had asked him to teach her how to shoot it, which he refused to teach her how to shoot the gun, which is weird. But all right.

So he said that she might have accidentally discharged a gun after tripping. But that theory kind of went out the window when no weapon was found at the scene and based on the trajectory of the bullet, they couldn't figure out how it would be self inflicted. And her son said that she never undergone. And when he brought one home, she refused to let him have it in the house because it scared her.

Okay, so weird. The whole suicide thing is kind of yeah, stupid. So the final theory that police had was that, you know, she was a victim of a robbery. The crime occurred in one of Charleston's best neighborhoods.

It was near a really popular grocery store and really close to the battery. If you don't think about Charleston, the battery is like kind of a fort sort of situation. However, crime often spilled over from neighboring areas where there was a lot of, you know, sex work going on and robberies and things like that. Civilists.

Civilists. Yeah. So the around this time, the nation's last talk. What are you doing here?

But we were going through the Great Depression during this time too. That's true. People were desperate. People were really desperate.

So people who you never would have thought would have been involved in a kind of crime were resorting to the things like robbery. The police though didn't believe that robbery was likely cause as her pocketbook and jewelry were untouched. Detectives tried to determine whether she had been wearing this first stole that she often wore, but they couldn't figure out if she had been wearing it or not. She was wearing the first stole in Charleston.

It was November. I know, but still. Yeah. That she always wore.

So they got- Darling, I love the sweat. Quite figure out if she was wearing it or not. So they were like, well, maybe if it was a robbery, maybe they took that, but they didn't know. But if they never found it.

Right. Maybe. Maybe that's all he got because people started coming around. Could have been.

Several residents, including Colonel Glover, who was an army instructor of Reserve Officers, were called hearing a shot followed by the sound of the patter of feet running away. So kind of that same mentality of like, tried to robber, fired the shot, panicked, and got out there. Yeah. Yeah.

So there was not, you know, a lot of evidence in the case was growing cold. So they offered a $250 reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the death. However, months of feeling tips turned up nothing. They, you know, couldn't figure out what happened and the investigation stalled.

So yeah, lots of things going on with the Great Depression and, you know, increase in crime. We're seeing increased crimes in Chicago, in New York. There were a number of high-profile murder cases in South Carolina, including Mary. In Columbia, there was a kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old Herbert Harris Jr., who was the son of a chain store executive.

The night that Mary was killed, Earl Riggs killed ex-pleasement, Charles Hilton with an ice pick after an argument on a market street. So there's just a lot of like weird little things going on. How do we all get out the one on British Boy? We have not.

It's rolled out the one on our boy. Just saying. I mean, I'm still pointing gun. Yeah.

Young man, please leave my stolen alone. And she puts her arm up and he goes, and he attempts to get her pocketbook. But then he sees other people. So he runs away.

But then when the car comes back, he pretends to be, what's happening? And they're like, you man, help us with this lady. Give us a hand. So he extends his one hand that was previously used to shoot her.

Maybe. There's the answer. There's the answer. The very getter to Dr.

Fingar and Nurse Glasscock. Oh my gosh. They can save her. But then they didn't.

But then they didn't. Maybe Detective Payne can figure it out. He's going to give you the pain and the business. Oh my god.

Tell me what you know, Waron on Boy. I don't know. You know. Tell me, Dr.

Fingar. What do you think? He was like, hmm. And he puts his finger to his mouth.

Hmm. Not just Glasscock. That's Nurse Glasscock to you. Not to his.

It's weird that she had. I think it's better that he is Dr. Glasscock. And she is nurse painter.

That would make more sense. That makes a lot more sense. But to each their own. I guess.

Sorry. All right. So we've got this up. One of them is Great Depression, increased crime rates as that kind of starts going down.

There's this decline in crime rates in Charleston and everywhere else we've got some of these social programs that come out and kind of help with that. Thank you, Roosevelt. Thanks, Roosevelt. So even with all that though, the death of Mary Ravenell remained in the minds of the people of Charleston for many, many years.

In 1938, a suicide note found beside the body of 34-year-old William Allen in blacks in Virginia confessed to killing five people, including two in Charleston, South Carolina. So residents of Charleston immediately thought like, oh my god, this is this be the guy. Yeah. So the Charleston police, I think too.

For the Charleston police department sent chief detective Joseph Wise and detective James Addarby to Virginia to investigate. So at the time of his suicide, William Allen had a warrant out for his arrest for the brutal murder of 28-year-old Jeanette Worsham. He wrote his confession in two parts. The first part was dated three days prior to the killing of Miss Worsham.

And detailed, quote, the knife and swift weight I used to kill two in Charleston, South Carolina, one in Hopewell, Virginia, one in Petersburg, Virginia. The second part of the note said, quote, no job, no money, no health. I'm going to take Jeanette with me. So the detective has conducted many interviews trying to figure out where, like kind of pinpoint his whereabouts to see if it lined up.

They learned that he was the adopted son of a Virginia farmer. He married a woman from the Charleston area who traveled to Hopewell, Virginia for work in 1926. They had two children prior to separating in 1929 when he was arrested for poor treatment of his family. His wife returned to South Carolina where she remarried a Charleston county man.

And despite this connection, they didn't believe that Allen had ever visited Charleston. And from interviews with his friends and families, he determined that he lived and worked in Blackstone throughout 1933. So it wasn't in the area. So no.

So upon coming back to Charleston, they interviewed Allen's former spouse. She claimed of not seeing Allen since her 1929 divorce. And from her, the detectives learned that he always carried a knife strapped to his leg and was very practiced in its use. So this was the same type of knife used to kill Jeanette Worsham, which, you know, according to, you know, his own letter, that's what he used to kill his other victims.

So it's not him because this guy used a gun. Right. Sorry. I'm sorry.

I'm going to my coffee. They also learned that he was very fond of detective stories. And in his report to the police commissioner, the chief hypothesized that quote, in order to convey the news of his deed and death through newspapers to his estranged wife and other possible friends in Hopewell and Petersburg, Allen mentioned these places. So they don't think that he actually committed any crimes there.

They're thinking he just put that in there. So it would show up in these places. Right. So there's a lot of inaccuracies in his confession and the fact that he never visited Charleston, they were pretty sure he was not the one responsible.

So nearly 100 years after her death, the Charleston police department detective notebook. What is it with these names? I don't know. So they have this notebook that documents the murder and it made its way to the records and management division where it was put into like an archive.

So that's how people are able to, you know, find information. Yeah. So they were never able to figure out, you know, who done it? What happened?

It's weird to me that like if we're going on the robbery motive, that nothing else was taken. My thing is maybe the person was scared off pretty quickly. That would be or I also would look at it as what was happening with her family. Like was there any jealousy?

And even was there somebody who used to be affluent who kind of hung out with her who maybe was losing their fortune? And you know, they were angry or targeting her. Like to me, especially in this time period, it seems either for like anger, like they were really mad at her because if you were going to rob someone, I mean, maybe she's a perfect target. But wouldn't you want to rob their house where you could get more?

You would think so unless it was like, you know, desperation. I don't know. I still think that someone maybe had something against her like, yeah, you know, possibly when you're in society and you're a part of it, you got, you know, bitches be jealous. Bitches be jealous.

Yeah. I know, you know, Haley would probably try and rob me. Yeah, sure. Yeah.

But I'm going to put the finger on you. Well, that's all I have. I wonder if he became a proctologist, Dr. Finger.

That would make some sense. That makes a lot of sense. Yeah. Or a hanecologist.

Okay. Saying where that both could be plausible. Both are possible. And then the hands are done.

But I think more, you know, the other way around. Please, I know that. Yes. All is well.

All is well. No, Scott, bring me the speculum. The speculum. Yeah.

Well, yeah, this was a weird episode. It was bizarre. It's, it took many turns. It did.

And still with no answers. No answers. So I kind of don't know why we did it. But I love the names.

Yeah. Pain, finger, glass cock, the armless boy. The armless boy. And I'm one armed.

Well, he was harmless with one armless on the other side. Whatever. What a journey. What a journey.

Well, well, Dr. Finger. First last walk until we meet again. Oh, oh, thanks.

All right. If you want to get ahold of us and tell us how much you hate this episode, please do so by emailing haly at mountain mysteries dot Appalachian at gmail.com. You can find us on Facebook at mountain mysteries tales from Appalachia. You can also find us on the Instagram at mountain mysteries dot Appalachia and for more bonus content, even more crazy antics from haly and haly.

Please find us on mountain mysteries. Oh, that's not it. Patreon dot com slash mountain mysteries. Good job.

Good job. You made it. I was too consumed with the cock. Glass cock.

And the finger. And the finger. Okay. Well, Lafayette, Indiana.

This one was for you. I feel like they needed that one. They needed a win. Let's hope they did.

Yeah. So it was a happy, happy ending for them. Yeah. All right.

Oh, maybe we'll be back next week. We might be we might be canceled. Absolutely. We probably should be.

I think so. Yeah. All right. Bye.

Bye. Bye.