The Big Story
The Woman Was a Witch
by
Only part 2 of this episode is known to have survived. It recounts the case of Tulsa women Nell Willetta Horner and Virginia Evans, who were exploited by Carolann Smith, the woman who owned the home where they boarded. Smith took Horner and Evans’s earnings over the six years they lived there, and obtained additional money from Evans’s father for supposed treatments and nursing expenses.
Reporter Cleve Bullette of the Tulsa Tribune became concerned about Horner’s disheveled appearance while she worked in the newspaper’s morgue. As he learned more about her living conditions, he investigated the women’s claims. Their testimony described harsh accommodations and disturbing treatment, including having to bury Smith’s dog in a steel coffin. Smith was convicted and sentenced to a year in prison.
The episode presents a reported human-interest case through the dramatic storytelling of The Big Story, a radio series centered on newspaper reporters and the investigations behind their stories. The account also notes that the house later became known as the “Hex House,” and that Smith’s fate after her release is unknown.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.