Oliver Springs Murder House Mystery
For over 60 years, a murder has brought curiousity to our former coal mining town. If you’ve ever heard of the notorious murder house, it wasn’t just a spooky campfire story. Two sisters, alongside their houseboy, were murdered right here in our very own town during the 1940s. While it was very tragic and families suffered great loss, it has been a mysterious story told for many years. Supposedly shot by their errand boy, Leonard Brown, Margaret and Ann Richards were found dead on February 5th, 1940. Alongside them was Brown, who was sixteen years old. Due to the fact that Brown had been found near a second floor banister with the old, antique pistol in his hand, the police had ruled it as murder-suicide. In 2001, a witness came forward and had declared he had seen two men outside the house, lurking, and they had threatened him if he came clean; he had opted to stay anonymous. Author of the article “1940 Murder Case Yields a Bigger Mystery for Police” states, “A jury of 12 white men met inside the mansion and heard five hours of testimony from 25 witnesses. After 20 minutes of deliberation, the panel came to the conclusion that Brown wasn't the killer” (Mansfield 6). Because of this, to some people these murders still are today a mystery, leaving this the most notorious murder in Oliver Springs, Tennessee. With many controversies occurring in our town, no one seems to know who really killed these citizens. Many people and families strongly believe in certain theories. I encourage you to look into these murders and choose for yourself whose side you are on.
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