- This event has passed.
Unravelling a Mystery: Researching a Century-old Murder
November 3 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm CDT
What: Unravelling a Mystery: Researching a Century-old Murder
When: 11/3/23 @6pm
Where: Library Auditorium
Who: Ages 18+
No Registration Required
A young woman murdered. A swift arrest. A trial based on circumstantial evidence.
In the days before DNA analysis, could justice prevail?
Join author Nita Gould as she tells the 1912 story of her cousin, 18-year-old Ella Barham, who was raped, murdered, and dismembered in broad daylight in the rural Arkansas Ozarks. The brutal crime shocked the nation. When authorities arrested Odus Davidson, age 29, locals demanded justice and threats of mob violence raged. Davidson was tried and hanged in Harrison, making him the last person to be legally hanged in Boone County, Arkansas. But was he guilty? Did he act alone?
Learn how Gould collected and organized the resource materials for this century-old crime to write her book, Remembering Ella: A 1912 Murder and Mystery in the Arkansas Ozarks, and its companion resource, The 1913 Trial of Odus Davidson: The Official Witness Testimony.
Author Nita Gould first heard this disturbing story as a young woman, after discovering Ella’s headstone on a trip with her mother through an overgrown family graveyard. The story haunted Gould for years, especially after she inherited a small tin box filled with Ella’s personal belongings. Gould was driven to unearth answers long-buried under decades of gossip and folklore. Her subsequent tenacious pursuit to create an authoritative account of the community, the crime, and the subsequent legal battle spanned nearly fifteen years.
This program is part of the Hot Springs/Cold Blood True Crime Festival, which takes place on Friday, November 3rd and Saturday, November 4th at the Garland County Library. Events include:
– Understanding Human Trafficking | 11/3 | 1 PM
– Murder & Mimosa Mocktail Happy Hour | 11/3 | 5 PM
– Unravelling a Mystery: Researching a Century-Old Murder | 11/3 | 6 PM
– Witness for the Lamb Author Talk | 11/3 | 7 PM
– Hot Springs, Cold Cases with the HSPD | 11/4 | 3:30 PM
– Victimology: A Victim-Centered Approach to Cracking Cold Cases | 11/4 | 5:30 PM