The Nowhere Dispatch

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Episode 41 - The Regulator-Moderator War, Part 2 - Texas Yell Jan 03, 2019

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It's the early 1840s in East Texas and a gang of gun-toting outlaws have taken over Shelby County. Led by a violent, bloodthirsty colonel, the band does as they please and punishes all who oppose them. The penalty for opposing Regulator rule is death and their only enemy, the Moderators, have been driven underground. But, as so often happens, corruption and power soon reach their limits. In a story populated by characters, both wicked and wretched, who could only be found on the bloodstained pages of backwoods lore, all is nearly lost for settlers in the deep frontier, trying to find their place and purpose among the pines. Tune in for the conclusion to a two-part series on this dark, eerie chapter of my local history: the Regulator-Moderator War.

Episode 40 - The Regulator-Moderator War, Part 1 - Neutral Ground Dec 01, 2018

Show notes

Land feuds are among the oldest conflict known to mankind. The right to say "I am in charge here" is not earned easily. It is often bought with blood and tears.
In the 1800s, there was a piece of land in Texas called the Neutral Ground. After Texas became a state, the name faded away, but its legacy remained. A place where bandits and bad men hid out and preyed on settlers, this dark place among the pines was fierce and untamed. Some men rose up and tried to settle it but they were carried away by the lust for power. Others rose up to staunch the flow of violence and the result was only more bloodshed. Tune into this episode of the Nowhere Dispatch to learn about the largest land feud in the nation's history, one that surpassed even the Hatfields and the McCoys. This is the story of the Regulator-Moderator War, also known as the Shelby County War of the 1840s, a strange tale that left a bitter legacy.

Episode 39 - Stories for the Waning Year Oct 29, 2018

Show notes

That time of year has arrived again...when time begins to slow and things get quiet. Leaves die and fall, the air gains a sharp edge and our thoughts turn to old stories, the spookier the better. Last year, my friend Ashley and I read you some eerie stories to ring in our favorite holiday, Halloween. We had so much fun we decided to do it again. As the year wanes, we feel the urge to settle our bones into a good chair and share a ghost story or two...we hope you'll join us for a tale, nowhere wanderer, as the rain falls on the roof and the shadows get long. Perhaps you can share one of your own.

Episode 38 - Piney Woods Phenomena Oct 15, 2018

Show notes

There is something about the land out here. Strange things happen without explanation and then fade away, sealed by time and fading memories. But the scars on the land remain. A freak windstorm that came from nowhere. A mysterious blackout that plunged and entire town into darkness. Fires that burned vast stretches of prairie and forest alike. The phenomena of the Piney Woods are unique and strange. Listen in and learn about the way nature takes its course in this part of the world.

Episode 37 - The Texarkana Moonlight Murders Sep 30, 2018

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In 1946, a mysterious wave of serial homicides fell upon the East Texas border town of Texarkana. Violence was not unknown in the town but this was something different. Young couples enjoying the moonlight on lover's lanes were being gunned down by an unknown assailant who stalked the backroads and shadowy places in the Piney Woods. To this day, no one has ever been convicted for the Texarkana Moonlight Murders and the Phantom who committed these hideous acts has never been definitively identified. Listen in and I'll tell you about the reign of terror that fell on a Texas town caught between the joy of an ended world war and the dawn of the age of the serial killer.

Episode 36 - La Mala Cosa Aug 27, 2018

Show notes

When you look into the woods...what looks back at you?Is there something out there, stalking through the pines? Since the beginning of history, mankind has given many names to a specific kind of beast that waits in the woods. The wild man. Sasquatch. Bigfoot.But there are other names. Names you might not know. Some of them come from right here, in my part of the world.I'll tell you all about them in this episode. Consider it my own personal take on one of the most famous cryptid legends in existence. It's true, listeners, there are strange creatures here in the middle of nowhere and one of the most famous, written about in the first printed document concerning what was once called The New World, is known as la mala cosa.

Episode 35 - The Church of Wells Jul 30, 2018

Show notes

When people hear the word "cult", they tend to think of doomsday groups or splinters of major religions, operating off the beaten path in secrecy and at the fringes of society. In reality, a cult is just a small group of like-minded people who sometimes twist holy scriptures to suit their own vision. One such group can be found right here in East Texas. I'm not here to say if the Church of Wells is or isn't a cult. There's no mistaking the fact many others have called them such over the years. In this episode, I'll tell you a bit about this group so that you can decide for yourself.

Episode 34 - The Bragg Road Ghost Lights/The Light of Saratoga Jul 09, 2018

Show notes

Just at the edge of the county line, at the edge of your thoughts, awaits a legend. All legends are true, I think, and they only become more real with each telling. Stories live and grow through the ways we share them. This is the way that myths, folk tales and legends are born.I went on a trip to visit a legendary place not far from me. The famous Bragg Road, also known as the Ghost Road in Hardin County. I didn't see the ghostly lights that some claim haunt the road, but I learned a lot about the history of the area and the road itself. I also had a creepy experience unlike anything I had seen before. Tune in and travel down the dark, lonely road with me.

Episode 33 - Rebel McMahon Apr 18, 2018

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Nearly 20 years ago, a 3-year-old boy named Rebel McMahon was murdered by his mother in a small East Texas town. Although his mother was arrested and sentenced to prison, young Rebel's case never received much coverage in the media. His mother was an unstable criminal who should never have gotten the chance to do this evil deed, so why did it happen? Why did this case fade away? A reporter named Jay Arrington contacted me and I conducted an interview with him to find out just what happened to this case and about the strange details that surrounded it.

Episode 32 - The Dalton Gang Feb 17, 2018

Show notes

At the close of the 19th century, things were changing in the Old West. Roving bands of outlaws were still carrying out stickup robberies and train heists, but their days were numbered. One of the last and most infamous of the Old West robber gangs to terrorize the frontier was the Dalton Gang. This infamous band of outlaws went through numerous configurations but their legacy was sure to last through the years to come, like an echo from a gun blast on the empty prairie. Tune in to learn about the fate of one of the most notorious outlaw gangs of that bygone age and how they came right here to my hometown many years ago.

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