Episode 166 Lady Wonder The Psychic Horse

Southern Mysteries Podcast

Shannon Ballard

True Crime, Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 918 Ratings

🗓️ 23 June 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the 1920s, a Virginia horse named Lady Wonder stunned the public with her supposed psychic powers - spelling out answers, solving crimes, even picking presidents. Was she a telepathic marvel, as Dr. J.B. Rhine believed? Or a clever illusion, as magician John Scarne claimed? Discover the story behind the horse that made America believe. 💌 Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries 🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists. 📱 Follow on Social Media: Facebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTikTok @southernmysteries Instagram: @southernmysteriesEmail: [email protected] Episode Sources “Meet Lady Wonder, the Psychic Horse Who Appeared Twice in LIFE.” LIFE Magazine retrospective. Life.com “Lady Wonder: The Psychic Horse.” Strange Company Blog by Undine, May 2016. strangeco.blogspot.com Newspaper Archives via Newspapers.com: Roanoke Times, March 1957 – Obituary and public reaction to Lady’s death; The Knoxville News-Sentinel, 1952 – Reports on Lady’s police involvement; Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1948 – Coverage on Lady’s election predictions; Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), feature on John Scarne’s skepticism. Find a Grave Memorial – Claudia Fonda findagrave.com The Story of Beautiful Jim Key by David Hoffman (public domain archive) Internet Archive Jim Key Digital Archive – Missouri State Library Missouri Digital Heritage State Symbols – Missouri Wonder Dog and Related Animal Curiosities sos.mo.gov Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey y'all. I'm Shannon Ballard, host and creator of Southern Mysteries. This show is
0:06.2	independent, which means it's just me, a microphone, and a deep love for sharing the forgotten
0:12.2	stories and mysteries of the South. I couldn't do it without the incredible folks who support
0:17.9	the show on Patreon. Your support makes all the difference, and I am so
0:23.2	grateful. A big welcome and heartfelt thanks to new patrons, Chris Ziegler in York, South Carolina,
0:31.2	Stephen Krause in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and Mindy Fitner in San Rafael, California. And to those of you who joined for
0:39.5	mysterious locations, Tracy, Chuck Kaysen, and Stacey, thank you for your support.
0:46.8	I'm so grateful for each of you. Your support keeps these stories alive and helps grow this
0:52.7	community of curious minds. Now, if you're new to Southern
0:56.3	Mysteries, maybe you hear the story today and you think to yourself, I want more of this.
1:01.2	There are so many stories that aren't available here where you're listening. They're only
1:05.6	available to patrons. So you can head to patreon.com slash Southern Myster mysteries. There you can unlock the first three seasons
1:14.0	of the podcast, exclusive bonus episodes, and the monthly audacious series where I dig into
1:20.6	some of the most scandalous crimes and controversies in American history. You can sign up now
1:26.3	at patreon.com slash Southern Mysteries or just search
1:31.0	Southern Mysteries podcast in the Patreon app. Thanks for being here. Now let's get into the story.
1:42.5	Some animals have done things so unbelievable, so mysterious.
1:48.4	It's hard to explain.
1:50.3	There was Jim the Wonder Dog in Missouri, a hunting dog who followed commands in foreign languages
1:56.9	and predicted Kentucky Derby winners.
1:59.7	In Tennessee, a horse named Beautiful Jim Key, amazed crowds by spelling words and solving math
2:06.6	problems.
	...

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