Bald Knobbers
True Crime Historian
Richard O Jones
4.4 • 729 Ratings
🗓️ 30 November 2025
⏱️ 98 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
For this remastered edition, I’ve dug deep into the vault and combined Episodes 7 and 77, both regarding post-Civil War vigilante action in the Ozark Mountains.
- The Giant Vigilante Captain Nat Kinney
- The Botched Execution of Chief Bull Creek Dave
Hear More Stories About Botched Executions
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You can pay more if you want to, but rent at the Safe House is still just a buck a week, and you can get access to over 400 ad-free episodes from the dusty vault, Safe House Exclusives, direct access to the Boss, and whatever personal services you require.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Paulbular.com |
| 0:03.5 | Bald Knobber, the giant vigilante Captain Nat Kinney. |
| 0:07.8 | The Giant Vigilante Captain Nat Kinney. Bald Knobbers are bound by an oath, not to reveal anything connected with the organization, |
| 0:34.6 | to obey the captain or leader in anything he may direct. |
| 0:39.4 | This is taken in some lonely spot in the woods on the top of some steep knob or in an old cave at |
| 0:45.6 | midnight. He stands in the middle of the circle of bald knobbers, all with their masks on and guns |
| 0:52.1 | in their hands. Over his head the limb of a tree stretches, and on that limb a rope hangs down. |
| 0:59.0 | A loop is made at one end, and the others pull at the other end until the rope almost strangles him. |
| 1:06.0 | Then, standing on his tiptoes, with his right hand held up straight, |
| 1:10.0 | with his left hand over his heart, and with a cocked shotgun at his breast. |
| 1:14.6 | He swears never to divulge and always keep the secrets of the order, to obey the orders of the leaders at any and all times and any and all things, |
| 1:23.6 | failing in which he hopes he may be killed dead by the most horrible methods. |
| 1:29.4 | And then the circle of masked men repeat the words, dead, dead, dead, and he is given |
| 1:35.9 | the hand of fellowship. |
| 1:50.0 | They meet at a certain place and proceed to a house which they have marked for what they term a visit. With railroad ties to be used as battering rams, they can force a door in one blow, |
| 1:56.0 | and they generally force both front and rear doors to prevent their victims escape. |
| 2:01.6 | He is generally found in bed and dragged out no matter what the weather. |
| 2:06.6 | He finds himself surrounded by a mob of men who, while they keep up the most unearthly howling and dancing, |
| 2:12.6 | flash dark lanterns upon him. |
| 2:15.6 | Every man in the mob has his face covered with a mask. |
| 2:19.3 | This mask is just a black bag with holes cut in it for eyes and nose, |
| 2:24.3 | and these holes fringed with red. |
... |
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