In July of 1906, Rowan County, North Carolina, was shaken by one of the most brutal crimes in state history. Isaac Lyerly, his wife Augusta, and two of their young children were murdered in their farmhouse near Barber Junction. Bludgeoned with the family’s own axe and left in a fire meant to destroy the evidence, the crime horrified Salisbury and quickly drew national attention.

Three of the surviving Lyerly sisters escaped the burning home, carrying their wounded sister Alice to safety, only to watch her die hours later. What followed was a wave of fear, anger, and suspicion that led to the arrest of several African American tenant farmers who lived and worked on the Lyerly farm. Within weeks, three of them, Nease Gillespie and his sons Jack and Harrison, were lynched by a mob of thousands before a trial could ever be held.

But was the official story true? Some said the motive was a dispute over a wheat crop. Others pointed to alleged confessions. And decades later, researchers Bill and Rachel James, authors of The Man From the Train, suggested the Lyerlys may have been victims of a traveling serial killer whose bloody trail of axe murders stretched across the country.

In this episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we take you back to Rowan County before and after the Civil War, through the life of Isaac Lyerly, the night of the murders, the chaos that followed, and the questions that remain to this day. Was justice done , or did fear and mob violence bury the truth forever?

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

•Life in Salisbury and Rowan County from the Civil War through 1906

•Isaac Lyerly’s story as a farmer, veteran, and father

•The night of the murders and the survival of the Lyerly sisters

•The arrests, mob violence, and Rowan County’s infamous lynching

•Theories of motive and The Man From the Train connection

•A reflection on justice, due process, and the scars of history

Sources and Further Reading:

•The Man From the Train by Bill James and Rachel McCarthy James

•A Game Called Salisbury by Susan Barringer Wells

•Troubled Ground: A True Story of Race, Sex, and Murder in the South by Claude Clegg

•Articles and archives from Newspapers.com

•Local history blog: Iredell County Public Library

•Rowan County records and archives

•FindAGrave.com memorials for the Lyerly and Gillespie families

•Contemporary news reports from The Charlotte Observer and The Salisbury Post

Credits

• Narration: Curtis Hildreth
• Music: Isaiah Hildreth
• Research & Writing for this episode: Darlene Hildreth
• Co-Host / Listener’s Seat: Melody Gwyn
• 
  

Call to Action

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In February 1988, a single gunshot shattered the quiet of a Durham, North Carolina, neighborhood. Barbara Stager told police her husband Russ's death was a tragic accident. But as investigators dug deeper, the picture-perfect image of a devoted wife began to crack.

In this episode of Hard Times & True Crimes, we step back into the 1980s Durham - a city caught between its tobacco past and high-tech future, where Baptist faith and family values shaped everyday life, and where appearances mattered. Against that backdrop, the story of Russ and Barbara Stager unfolds: a tale of love, betrayal, financial secrets, and deadly deception.

Was it an accident, or something far more sinister? Join us as we explore the twists and turns of a case that shocked North Carolina and left a community asking how well we ever really know the people closest to us.

Narrator: Curtis Hildreth

Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth

Sources:

Bledsoe, Jerry. Before He Wakes: A True Story of Money, Marriage, Sex and Murder. Onyx, 1996.

https://www.newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/image/943650628/?match=1&terms=russ%20stager

https://www.newspapers.com/image/941772843/

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In the warm summer of 1955, Judge Curtis Chillingworth, Florida’s youngest ever circuit judge and a man known for his fairness would vanish from his beachside cottage in Manalapan, just south of West Palm Beach. His wife, Marjorie, disappeared with him.

Footprints led to the sea and never came back.

What followed was one of Florida’s most shocking true crime cases: a tale of organized corruption, political ambition, and backroom rackets. The judge had made powerful enemies because he didn’t bend the law for anyone.

This episode of Hard Times and True Crimes digs into the Chillingworth legacy, the dangerous underground justice system of 1950s Florida, and how one murder unraveled an entire network of dirty power.

If you love true crime stories steeped in Southern history, old Florida glamor, and morally complex characters, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Sources and Credits:

• Wikipedia – Curtis Chillingworth biography – His life, career, disappearance, and posthumous legacy
• HistoricalCrimeDetective.com – Grim Justice coverage – Narrative dramatization and case context
• Coastal Star – “Manalapan: 60 years on…” – Local retrospective on the murder’s lasting impact
• Charley Project & Doe Network – Case summary, physical evidence, and post-disappearance detail
• newspapers.com
• murderpedia.com
• findagrave.com
  • The Palm Beach Post (1984) – Recalled the Chillingworth murders as “Brutal, 1955” crimes and court drama.
  • Time Magazine (1960) – Covered the case’s breakthrough under the headline “Crime: The Scoutmaster & the Judge”, detailing the chilling method of execution.
  • The Coastal Star (2015) – “Manalapan: 60 years on…” revisited the case with fresh interviews and local recollections.
  • Indiana Digital Newspapers (1961) – The Decatur Daily Democrat reported the dramatic courtroom reaction during Peel’s trial, even calling for the electric chair.

🎶 Music Credits:

“Time of My Life” Music by Beat Mekanik" (@beatmekanik

• “Private Detective” Private Detective Mystery Theme
  BY ADAMMONROE
• (Both tracks sourced under royalty-free licensing

📖 Bonus Reading Recommendation:

The Least of These

by Ricky Allred

A hauntingly powerful look at the forgotten lives of Randolph County’s poor.

In The Least of These, author Ricky Allred uncovers the deeply human, often heartbreaking stories of the men, women, and children who lived—and died—in the Randolph County Poor House between 1794 and 1922. With compassion, careful research, and local insight, Allred gives voice to those who were silenced by poverty, disability, illness, and neglect—people buried without names, remembered by few, but part of our shared history.

If you’re drawn to true crime because you’re captivated by the overlooked, the misunderstood, this book will resonate deeply.

You can order a copy here:

🔗 The Least of These by Ricky Allred on Amazon

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In 1983, a brutal double homicide in Houston, Texas shocked the public—not just because of the violence, but because of who was eventually held responsible. Karla Faye Tucker, a 23-year-old woman with a troubled past, quickly became one of the most controversial figures in modern true crime history.

But this isn’t just a story about murder. It’s about transformation.
It’s about a young woman who claimed to find God behind bars.
It’s about a justice system unprepared for the public outcry that followed.
And it’s about the power—and limits—of redemption in the face of execution.

In this episode, we take you back to the early 1980s, setting the stage for a crime that would spark national debate and change how many Americans viewed the death penalty. Through historical context, court records, and public reaction, we explore how one case became a cultural flashpoint—and why it still resonates today.

🔎 Topics We Cover:

The social and political climate of 1983 America

Details of the murder of Jerry Dean and Deborah Thornton

Karla Faye Tucker’s troubled upbringing and drug use

Her religious conversion and its media impact

The legal battle leading to her execution in 1998

Public and political responses—from outrage to advocacy


📌 Trigger Warning:
This episode includes descriptions of graphic violence and themes related to capital punishment, substance abuse, and trauma. Listener discretion is advised.

Narrator: Curtis Hildreth

Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/21/larry.king.tucker/

https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/1988/69327-4.html

https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/1993/69426-4.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karla_Faye_Tucker

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1211342973/?match=1&terms=karla%20faye%20tucker

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💬 Share your thoughts with us or leave us a review—it helps more listeners find the show!

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In this special mini-episode, we revisit 102. Murder on Route 66: The Welch Family Tragedy with a surprising update. You can listen to the original episode here: https://www.hardtimesandtruecrimes.com/102

One of the individuals directly connected to the original case recently reached out to share his personal account - a version of events that includes powerful and deeply personal claims involving details not known to the public.

While we don't claim to validate or endorse these elements, we believe every voice matters - especially those closest to the story. In this episode, we present his experience in his own words, allowing listeners to hear his side and draw their own conclusions.

Expect a thought-provoking shift from true crime into the unexplained - a blend of real tragedy and mystery that pushes the boundaries of what we think we know.

Topics Touched On:

• A firsthand account from a victim of the Welch Family case
• Possible government secrecy and cover-ups
• Trauma, memory, and personal truth

Disclaimer: The views and experiences shared in this episode are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of this podcast or its hosts.

Listen Now and let us know what you think: fact, fiction.....or something in between?

The original episode can be found here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2019397/episodes/17234317

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🔍 We explore:

Life in Guilford County during the 1930s: farming, factories, and community life

• The role of racism, mob justice, and prohibition in shaping public reaction
• The confession, trial, and execution of Asbury Respus
• Forgotten victims and the haunting question: how many did he really kill?

⚖️ This episode is told with care, drawing from archived newspaper reports, public records, and field interviews. We aim to honor the truth, not exploit the pain.

🎵 Music:

by Isaiah – used with permission. Haunting instrumental with Appalachian roots, fitting the tone and time period.

Sources & References:

Greensboro Daily News Archives (1931–1932)

• Salisbury Post (1931)
• Library of Congress: Historic Rosenwald Schools & Henry Reed Collection
• North Carolina Room, Greensboro Public Library
• “Guilford County: A Brief History” by Gayle Hicks Fripp
• “Before He Was Caught” – Prison and execution records from NC State Archives
• 📝 Update: We forgot to include this excellent blog post during our original source list. It offers helpful background and images from the Asbury Respus case:
  “Asbury Respus – North Carolina’s First Serial Killer” – Abandoned NC

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If you are enjoying the podcast, we’d love your support. Subscribe, leave a review, and share with someone who loves real Southern history.

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In this gripping true crime episode, we explore the harrowing and heartbreaking story of Graham Staines, an Australian missionary who was burned alive along with his two young sons by a radical mob in Odisha, India, in 1999.

Even in the face of horrific violence, forgiveness and faith can speak louder than hate.

Narrator: Curtis Hildreth

Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth

Sources:

https://web.archive.org/web/20110409123228/http://www.hvk.org/specialrepo/wadhwa/Graham.html

https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19990208-staines-killing-murder-of-australian-missionary-and-his-two-sons-in-orissa-shocks-india-780092-1999-02-07

https://wecan.be/beencouraged/21/

https://www.deanrader.com/staines.html

https://www.hindustantimes.com/photos/news/delhi-rains-waterlogged-roads-fallen-trees-how-rain-battered-delhi-pics-101748146671500.html

https://youtu.be/D8slM-LK7gE?si=ilyVKpF2S2qKatf2

https://www.persecution.com/ - Voice of The Martyrs

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In 1949, deep in the Smoky Mountains of Sevier County, Tennessee, a savage double murder shattered the stillness of a quiet Appalachian community.

Charlie Perry—a former Knoxville bootlegger turned tourist camp owner—and his longtime housekeeper, Josie Law, were brutally killed in their home at Perry’s Camp, a rustic riverside lodge in Flat Branch Hollow. Charlie had been tortured—his body bearing the marks of cruelty before the final blow was delivered. Josie was slain trying to defend him.

Three local men—Claude Robertson, Hermie Lee Jones, and Basil Jones—were arrested and charged with the murders.

Why would they do such a thing? What went wrong in those hills that led to such bloodshed?

This episode of Hard Times and True Crimes takes you beyond the headlines and into the heart of the Smokies—through moonshine, hidden sins, local legends, and the astonishing redemption story of one of the killers.

🎧 MUSIC CREDIT:

🎼 Southern Gothic by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4385-southern-gothic

Music promoted by https://filmmusic.io

🔍 SOURCE CITATION:

Sources

Most of the story is drawn from R.S. Allen’s “The Perry’s Camp Murders”, a detailed account of the crime, the community, and the confessions that followed.� The Perry’s Camp Murders by R.S. Allen .

Available on Amazon Kindle and in print editions.

newspapers.com

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🎧 New Episode: The Perry’s Camp Murders

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