EPISODE 5
Bonus Vault Content
Rev. Henry Hugh Proctor (1868 - 1933)
Pastor of First Congregational Church, Reverend Proctor was one of the black community’s most powerful leaders in the early 1900’s in Atlanta.
First Congregational Church atlanta - 1899
Proctor is shown top row, 7th from the left.
Wheat street baptist church
Modern-day historical plaque, located outside the main sanctuary doors.
ripper suspect henry huff
In addition to the evidence shown here, Henry Huff was seen with bloody clothes and scratch marks on his arm the night Sadie Holley was killed. Was Huff the Ripper?
Rev. Henry Hugh Proctor (1868 - 1933)
Reverend Proctor was a key figure in addressing both the Atlanta Race Riot of 1906 and the killings of the Atlanta Ripper several years later.
wheat street baptist church
This photo shows a plaque located on the corner of present-day Wheat Street Baptist Church in Atlanta. In July 1911, Wheat Street Baptist held a mass meeting of black citizens, concerned about the mysterious killings of African American women in their community. Sadly, the building that meeting was held in, burned in the Great Fire of 1917. The present day Wheat Street Baptist building was built in 1920. The church is still active today.
“hand of god as seen in work of the ripper”
This is the article that the Atlanta Constitution ran on the morning after Rev. Proctor delivered his address about the Ripper. This article was merely a small sampling of excerpts from his full sermon. There is no full transcript of all Rev. Proctor said that day.
“police protect negro from a mob of blacks”
A bizarre story in the Constitution, fueled by Ripper mania. Fall, 1911
railroad map - 1850
As early as 1850, a rail line stretched north from Atlanta that included stops in both Acworth, Geo, and Bristol, Tenn. Did the Ripper terrorize citizens of other cities using the South’s vast rail network as his mode of transport?
a tennessee ripper?
Late on an April night in 1911, someone broke into the home of the Marshall family in the tiny town of Bristol, Tennessee (300 miles north of Atlanta). The assailant slashed the throats and faces of Mr. Marshall, Mrs. Marshall, and their 10-year old son. This sparked a flurry of articles in the local paper about an alleged “ripper” being on the loose. Strangely, the description of the assailant was remarkably similar to the description Emma Lou Sharp’s submitted to Atlanta police several months later.
THE GEORGIAN TERRACE HOTEL - 1911
The spectactular, 10-story Georgian Terrace Hotel opened in Atlanta in October, 1911. Here it is shown on a postcard from 1912.
THE GEORGIAN TERRACE HOTEL - grand opening
The grand opening of the Georgian Terrace was an elegant affair. This article, from the Atlanta Constitution, goes into great detail about the sights and sounds of that night.
THE GEORGIAN TERRACE HOTEL - 1911
From another angle. This image comes from a postcard mailed in 1914.
mary ann duncan - ripper victim #10
After a six week break, the Ripper reemerges. The murder of Mary Ann Duncan was reported on Sep. 1.
eva florence - ripper victim #12
Not mentioned in epsiode 5, but Eva’s brother-in-law, John Clower, offered a $100 reward for the capture of Eva’s killer.
minnie wise - ripper victim #13
When the body of Minnie Wise was discovered in south Atlanta, a large crowd gathered beneath the tree where her body was found. This is one of the only Ripper stories accompanied by a photo (Atlanta Georgian).
the tabernacle
Not mentioned in episode 5, but Dr. Broughton’s Tabernacle church was opened in September of 1911 in downtown Atlanta. Today this building is a popular music venue, simply called “The Tabernacle.”
an apology from the author…
“To my fraternity bothers back then, I’m sorry. I set a bad example. To my African American friends now, I’m sorry as well. I should have known better, and it wasn’t okay.”
Half-lick - episode 5.5 - “A Thief in paris”
Click the image above to hear the true story of the greatest art heist of the 20th century.