Pearl Bryan
Encyclopedia
Pearl Bryan was a 22 year old pregnant woman who was decapitated in Fort Thomas
, Kentucky
in 1896. Her head was severed below the fifth vertebra. Due to the murder's gruesome nature, it achieved significant notoriety at the time. More recently, there have been claims that her ghost
haunts Bobby Mackey's Music World
located in Wilder, Kentucky
.
just behind what is now the YMCA
in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Scott Jackson was soon arrested for the murder and later implicated Alonzo Walling. Jackson and Walling were later convicted and hanged
in early 1897 behind what is now the Newport Courthouse on York Street, just south of the Taylor-Southgate bridge. They were the last people hanged in Newport. The gallows located behind the courthouse were torn down following the execution. The case was very popular nationally at the time, provoking citizens to take souvenirs from the crime scene (even branches), and buy Pearl Bryan "merchandise" from a store near the Newport Courthouse. One report says the trial was "theatrical." The actual double-hanging was urged to be done hastily due to the threat of a public lynching by friends and relatives of Bryan. Ries relates that even during a jail break
, the two men remained in their cell in fear of being lynched and were heavily protected.
explored Pearl's murder and possible supernatural activity regarding the ghosts of her murderers at Bobby's Mackey's Music World. The Ghost Adventures crew made supposed contact with the suspected killer of Pearl, Scott Jackson, who, through electronic voice phenomena, said "I killed...Pearl Bryan."
Fort Thomas, Kentucky
Fort Thomas is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, on the southern bank of the Ohio River and the site of an 1890 US Army post. The population was 16,325 at the 2010 census, making it the largest city in Campbell County and it is officially part of the Cincinnati – Northern Kentucky metropolitan...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in 1896. Her head was severed below the fifth vertebra. Due to the murder's gruesome nature, it achieved significant notoriety at the time. More recently, there have been claims that her ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
haunts Bobby Mackey's Music World
Bobby Mackey's Music World
Bobby Mackey's Music World is a nightclub and honky tonk that is currently owned by country singer Bobby Mackey and located on 44 Licking Pike in Wilder, Kentucky...
located in Wilder, Kentucky
Wilder, Kentucky
Wilder is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 3,035 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Wilder is located at ....
.
Convictions
Pearl's body was found headlessDecapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
just behind what is now the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Scott Jackson was soon arrested for the murder and later implicated Alonzo Walling. Jackson and Walling were later convicted and hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
in early 1897 behind what is now the Newport Courthouse on York Street, just south of the Taylor-Southgate bridge. They were the last people hanged in Newport. The gallows located behind the courthouse were torn down following the execution. The case was very popular nationally at the time, provoking citizens to take souvenirs from the crime scene (even branches), and buy Pearl Bryan "merchandise" from a store near the Newport Courthouse. One report says the trial was "theatrical." The actual double-hanging was urged to be done hastily due to the threat of a public lynching by friends and relatives of Bryan. Ries relates that even during a jail break
Prison escape
A prison escape or prison break is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture them and return them to their original detainers...
, the two men remained in their cell in fear of being lynched and were heavily protected.
In Popular Culture
An episode of Ghost AdventuresGhost Adventures
Ghost Adventures is a weekly American paranormal television series that premiered on October 17, 2008 on the Travel Channel. Currently produced by MY-Tupelo Entertainment , the program follows and stars ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin, as they investigate locations that are...
explored Pearl's murder and possible supernatural activity regarding the ghosts of her murderers at Bobby's Mackey's Music World. The Ghost Adventures crew made supposed contact with the suspected killer of Pearl, Scott Jackson, who, through electronic voice phenomena, said "I killed...Pearl Bryan."
External links
- Mysterious Murder of Pearl Bryan author unknown, archived at the Kentucky Virtual Library
- Pearl Bryan Murder from Jim Reis' article Pieces of the Past
- Legend of the Pearl Bryan Murder from Troy Taylor's book No Rest For The Wicked
- Pearl Bryan a personal recollection by Albert Vinton Stegman Jr.
- JACKSON AND WALLING DIE; Execution at Newport, Ky. March 21, 1897 New York Times article regarding the execution of Jackson and Walling.