Pearl Bryan, Part 3: Everyone Has a Story

Send a message to Monica and Olivia! By the end of February 1896, the murder of Pearl Bryan had become more than an investigation. It had become a true spectacle. Detectives were chasing new leads. Reporters were printing every rumor they could find. Songs were being written, crowds were paying to watch reenactments of the crime, and seemingly everyone connected to Pearl Bryan had something to say. Some witnesses offered details that could change the entire case. Others told stories that became stranger every time they were repeated. In Part 3, a mysterious midnight journey comes under new scrutiny, William Wood’s role in the case becomes increasingly complicated, and two young women step forward with extraordinary claims about what happened before—and after—Pearl Bryan arrived in Cincinnati. Scott Jackson has a story. Alonzo Walling has a story. William Wood has a story. May Smith has a story. And Lulu May Hollingsworth has... several. Everyone has a story. But which one is true? Pearl Bryan folksong used with permission from Smithsonian Folkways Records Vintage Ads: Ayer's Cathartic Pills (1896) Conroy's Washer (1896)