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Coxton is a small coal mining town in central Harlan County, Kentucky.

In the 1930s, Harlan County made national headlines due to deadly battles between coal companies and union organizers.

But little Coxston, Kentucky, situated in the valley of the Clover Fork of the Cumberland River,

was often named in national papers between 1925 to 1927, following the disappearance and murder

of 14-year-old Mary Vickery. A prime suspect was arrested and eventually tried, convicted, and sentenced to life for Mary's murder.

But in the spring of 1927, a young woman stepped off the train in Harlan County to deliver information to authorities that would free the man convicted of this crime.

Welcome to Southern Mysteries, exploring Southern history and true crime.

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