There's a local tale that needs to be told in its entirety before it is forgotten forever.
"Her ghost still wanders the banks of Crooked Creek near the abandoned mine shaft, trying to find her horse so she can make it home to her parents for dinner."
He said that his grandmother mentioned a headstone at the town cemetery that bore an inscription declaring the innocence of the man accused of killing a beautiful, young, local girl as she made her way to a neighbor's house on horseback. He was executed for her murder in 1913, and supposedly, there was never another person hanged in our hometown after.
"No way. This never happened in our town or it would be a well-known story. I don't believe it." I remember telling him.
So, we set out to find the headstone as proof that there might be some truth to the tale. The year was 1999 or 2000, so smart phones and web sites like Find A Grave weren't an option for us just yet. After one or two attempts, we finally stumbled on to it. It was on the corner edge of what had once been considered the potter's field:
Sure enough, it was there. It even proclaimed is innocence like my friend's grandmother had said! Our excitement grew. Why wasn't this a bigger story?
My bestie, @coreytell, and I weren't your average teenagers. We grew up in a small, incredibly quiet town called Harrison, located in the Northwest corner of Arkansas. When we weren't spending time in some abandoned cemetery out in the middle on nowhere, we were at the library's genealogy room, trying to find information on any interesting headstones we ran across. We didn't have any kind of morbid fascination with death, but rather, a fascination with history, legends, and folklore. Both of us were often in trouble with our parents for what they assumed was staying out late and partying with friends, when in reality, we had probably been driving miles of dirt roads looking for something abandoned to explore. We figured it was probably best if we didn't correct them for fear our parents would think there was something wrong with us. At least partying is normal teenage behavior, right?
In our spare time, we started researching the mystery of Odus Davidson & Ella Barham, but couldn't find very much at the time. Here's a quick synopsis of the mystery we uncovered:
~ The Legend ~
It was November of 1912, and 18 year old Ella Barham set out on horseback to a neighbor's home for help with alterations on some clothing. Hours later, her horse returned home without her.
A search party was sent out along the banks of Crooked Creek, and shortly after nightfall, her dismembered body was found hastily scattered and buried at the mouth of an abandoned mine shaft.
Ella's family was loved by the community, who immediately went into an uproar. Circumstantial evidence pointed to Odus Davidson, who had been seen working with an axe nearby. Rumors flew that he had once tried to court young Ella, but she turned him down, angering Davidson.
When the officials showed up to confront Davidson at his home, he fled on foot with pepper in his socks to try to confuse the police hounds. They found him after a bit of a chase, and they had to take him by train to a jail in the next county for fear a lynch mob would storm the one in Harrison.
Many people pleaded Odus Davidson's innocence, that the two were secretly in love, and that he would never hurt anyone, let alone Ella. Even Davidson himself never once wavered from his story.
At his execution by hanging, the town made an event out of the ordeal. It is said there exists photos of Davidson looking out at a crowd minutes before his execution, and that this photo along with pieces of the rope which Davidson hung from, were sold as souvenirs shortly after.
Executions by hanging were soon made illegal in the state of Arkansas, and Odus Davidson was the last man to be die by such in Harrison.
The tale goes on to say that many years later, a man at the brink of death confessed to the gruesome murder, hence the inscription on Odus Davidson's headstone.
Now, Ella's ghost can't rest. She is forever bound to the banks of Crooked Creek, trying to find her way home.
WE WANT TO SHARE OUR RESEARCH & DOCUMENTARY WITH THE STEEMIT COMMUNITY!
The documentary will be posted in installments here on the Steemit platform, and it will explore the oral tradition of this story compared to any documentation, images, artifacts, or testimony of witnesses we can find on the subject. I hope to find out whether this story is actually kept quiet in my hometown, or if it is merely overshadowed by other, unsavory pieces of the town's history.
If I'm lucky, maybe we can uncover whether or not Davidson was truly guilty of this horrible murder.
I hope to document as fully as possible and donate my completed project to local history museums and family members of Davidson & Barham who have volunteered their time to speak with me.
~ CONTEST DETAILS ~
Now that you know a little about the documentary we have our hearts set on making, we need your help creating an appropriate, attention-grabbing title.
The Steemit user who comes up with the best title will receive $5 SBD!!
Though I have not yet decided on the final format of this project (film, book, or otherwise - budget pending), the winner of the title contest will also get a loving shout out in the credits.
Here's how to enter:
1. Upvote & resteem this post.
(Any rewards earned on this post will help fund the making of the documentary, which will then be posted for all to enjoy here on Steemit. @winstonwolfe, @coreytell, and I all live at least 2 hour's drive from my hometown now, so there will be travel expenses, as well as fees for the local heritage muesem. The more budget we have, the more entertaining the final product will be for the Steemit community!!)
2. Comment on this post with your best idea for a title for our documentary.
(Please make it easy on us and only enter one title as a contest submission.)
3. Have your friends and followers vote for your title or they can even enter their own!
(A good way to garner votes is to create a Steemit post of your own that showcases your title entry, and link back to this post so your followers know where to go to vote.)
4. The top 4 users with the title idea/comment with the most votes by the time this post cashes out in seven days (July 10th, 2017) will be considered as finalists.
The final winning title idea will be decided on by @winstonwolfe, @coreytell, and myself.
Don't forget to follow us to see where this story goes! Though @winstonwolfe is a skilled videographer and @coreytell an imaginative and thoughtful writer, this will be our first attempt at creating a documentary that has local and historical value.
To say, "We are very excited to share this with you" is an understatement!
Thanks for reading AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL WHO ENTER!
To say, "We are very excited to share this with you" is an understatement!
Thanks for reading AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL WHO ENTER!