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
• 
  

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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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