Episode 167 A Widow’s Stand in Georgia - The Story of Amy and Robert Mallard

In 1948, Robert Mallard, a Black World War II veteran, was murdered by a white mob in Toombs County, Georgia. His wife, Amy Mallard, witnessed the attack—and instead of arresting the killers, authorities charged her with his murder. Set in the heart of the Jim Crow South, this episode of Southern Mysteries explores the deeply rooted racism that allowed a lynching to go unpunished while a grieving widow was put on trial. Learn how Amy Mallard found the courage to speak out, and how the national outrage that followed became part of the growing civil rights movement. 

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Episode Sources

• The Mallard Murder Case – New Georgia Encyclopedia
• Amy Mallard Photo – New Georgia Encyclopedia
• “Just Another Killing” – TIME Archive (1948)
• Original TIME Magazine Report (1948)
• Strange Fruit and Spanish Moss – Blog post on Robert Mallard (2016)
• The Atlanta Constitution – Nov. 29, 1948
• The Macon News – Dec. 2, 1948
• The Atlanta Constitution – Dec. 10, 1948
• The Macon News – Dec. 11, 1948
• The Atlanta Journal – Dec. 11, 1948
• The Macon News – Dec. 13, 1948
• The Atlanta Constitution – Dec. 14, 1948
• The Macon News – Dec. 15, 1948
• The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 12, 1949
• The Macon News – Jan. 12, 1949
• The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 13, 1949
• The Atlanta Journal – Jan. 13, 1949
• The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 14, 1949
• The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 15, 1949
• The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 15, 1949 (cont’d)
• The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 16, 1949
• The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 17, 1949
• The Atlanta Journal – Jan. 17, 1949
• The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 18, 1949
• The Atlanta Constitution – Jan. 19, 1949

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.