Episode 181 The Crimes of Winona Spriggs

In the summer of 1924, a railroad worker was found dead near tracks in Little Rock. Weeks later, his wife was found dead in another state. What followed was a series of headlines that pointed to one woman—Winona Spriggs. Her name would appear again and again over the next fifty years, linked to crime, escape, and murder. This is the story of a family broken, and of the woman who never stopped running.

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Episode Sources

• Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock, AR), 1924–1974
• Arkansas Democrat (Little Rock, AR), 1924–1954
• The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), 1924–1954
• Tulsa Tribune (Tulsa, OK), 1924–1948
• Miami News-Record (Miami, OK), August 1946
• The Salinas Californian (Salinas, CA), 1953–1954
• The San Bernardino Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October–November 1974
• The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA), March 16, 1954
• Associated Press (AP) wire reports, 1924–1954
• Pulaski County Circuit Court records (Arkansas)
• Oklahoma criminal investigation records (Miami, OK)
• California Superior Court records (Salinas, CA), 1954
• Arkansas State Penitentiary records and parole files
• Oklahoma Department of Corrections records
• California Department of Corrections records
• U.S. Census records (1910, 1920, 1930, 1940)
• Marriage and divorce records for Winona Spriggs / Winona Green / Winnie Ola Freeman
• Death records for J.R. Green, Lena Green, Robert Sheldon Wilkinson, Harold Jonassen, and Winnie Ola Freeman
• Library of Congress, Chronicling America newspaper archive
• Newspapers.com archival database
• Ancestry.com historical records
• Unknown Misandry blog: “Winnie Ola Freeman (Winona Green): The Cat Woman” (2014)

Episode Music

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