In 1931, 18 year old Helen Spence became a household name, and Arkansas folk hero, after she sought vengeance for the death of her father and stepmother. Over the next three years, the media followed Helen’s trial, imprisonment, second murder charge, prison escapes, and her murder at the age of 22.

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Episode Sources

Encyclopedia of Arkansas: Helen Spence (1912–1934)
People’s River History Project: A Secret History of American River People
Denise White Parkinson: Daughter of the White River: Depression-Era Treachery and Vengeance in the Arkansas Delta
Only In Arkansas: River of Redemption: The Helen Spence Story
The Daily World: Decisions of the Arkansas Supreme Court, January 13, 1930
The Shreveport Journal: Wounded Man is Thrown in River, April 24, 1930
Hope Star: Body of Timber Worker, Drowned in River, Found, June 5, 1930
The Columbus Ledger: Girl Kills Accused Slayer of Father in Courtroom, January 20,1931
The Barre Daily Times: Young Woman Didn’t Trust Jury with Trial, January 20, 1931
Sun Herald: Courtroom Slayer Gets Five Year Term, April 2, 1931
Reading Times: Arrest Trusty for Killing Girl Who Fled Prison, July 13, 1934
Daily News: Tragedy of Helen Spence Eaton, July 22, 1934
Hope Star: Martin Acquitted in Eaton Slaying, September 28, 1934
Arkansas Times: The river people, August 17, 2006
Fox 16 TV: River Justice: pardon sought for Delta folk hero
Malvern Daily Record: Helen Spence: An Arkansas Folk Hero for the Ages, March 6, 2023

Episode Music

Impromptu, Traveler and Unanswered Questions by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Episode 147 Helen Spence Arkansas Delta Folk Hero 29:05 Share

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Episode 147 Helen Spence Arkansas Delta Folk Hero