Episode 171 Dark Hollow - A Mississippi Murder Mystery

Southern Mysteries Podcast

Shannon Ballard

True Crime, Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 918 Ratings

🗓️ 1 September 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In February 1922, a road crew in rural Copiah County, Mississippi, stumbled upon a horrifying scene—a woman’s charred remains hidden in a ravine known as Dark Hollow. For two days, her identity was a mystery. When a child's discovery of a burned key ring offered a name, the investigation quickly escalated into one of Mississippi’s most shocking murder cases of the 1920s. This episode of Southern Mysteries unravels the tragic life and violent death of Ada Drury Converse. From a difficult upbringing and early motherhood to a string of marriages and financial success, Ada's life was marked by struggle—and, ultimately, betrayal. 💌 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 @southernmysteriesInstagram: @southernmysteriesEmail: [email protected] Episode Sources Feb 20, 1922 – Selma Woman Killed by Husband, Uncle Charges. The Selma Times-Journal, Page 1 – Newspapers.com Feb 23, 1922 – Sons of Mrs. Ada Drury Converse Held on Questioning of Death. The Montgomery Advertiser, Page 3 – Newspapers.com Feb 23, 1922 – Converse Held in Houston in Copiah Murder. Jackson Daily News, Page 1 – Newspapers.com Feb 26, 1922 – Mrs. Converse Wrote to Son Since Arrest. The Selma Times-Journal, Page 1 – Newspapers.com Mar 01, 1922 – Sheriff Confident Milton Drury Killed His Mother. The Selma Times-Journal, Page 1 – Newspapers.com May 13, 1922 – Milton Drury Please Guilty to Murder of Mother. The Montgomery Advertiser, Page 1 – Newspapers.com May 19, 1922 – Drury Says Pleaded Guilty to Avoid Hangman’s Noose The Winona Times, Page 1 – Newspapers.com Sep 15, 1933 – Infamous Copiah Murderer Once Again at Liberty. Clarion-Ledger, Page 1 – Newspapers.com Sep 20, 1933 – Normal People Won’t Waste Sympathy on this Convict. Clarion-Ledger, Page 6 – Newspapers.com 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, hosting creator of Southern Mysteries.
0:05.5	The often forgotten stories and mysteries of the South that you hear here are made possible in part
0:12.2	due to incredible folks who support this show on Patreon. I want to say a big welcome and heartfelt
0:19.1	thanks to new patrons, Mead Baldwin of Millersville, Maryland,
0:24.8	Kristen Purvis of Chantilly, Virginia, Chris Ballback of Lafayette, Louisiana, and those of you
0:31.4	who have joined from mysterious locations, Connor Carroll, Leshiosavich, Jody C, and Candy Fagan. Thank you so much. Your support
0:41.7	helps keep these stories alive. Now, if you're new here and you'd like to join them, you can head to
0:48.6	patreon.com slash southern mysteries, where you can unlock the first three seasons of the podcast, exclusive bonus episodes, and my monthly audacious series where I dig into some of the most scandalous crimes and scandals in American history.
1:07.0	You can sign up now at patreon.com slash southern mysteries and start listening right away
1:13.5	or just search Southern Mysteries podcast in the Patreon app.
1:18.4	Thanks for being here.
1:19.9	Now, let's get into the story.
1:26.5	It was an unbelievable story in the little town of Dentville, Mississippi.
1:32.6	On a cold February morning in 1922, a man carrying water to a road construction crew discovered
1:40.1	the remains of a woman in a ravine in Coppia County, an area known as Dark Hollow.
1:47.8	For two days, she remained nameless.
1:51.0	Then a young boy playing near the scene spotted a gearing that would help identify the victim.
1:58.6	This case would become one of Mississippi's most infamous crimes of the 1920s.
2:05.6	Welcome to Southern Mysteries, exploring Southern history and true crime. I'm your host,
2:11.6	Shannon Ballard. This is Episode 171, Dark Hollow, a Mississippi murder mystery.
2:21.3	What began as an ordinary workday in the small town of Dentville, Mississippi,
2:27.3	would spark one of the most disturbing murder investigations in the state's history.
	...

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