Table of Contents
Nannie Doss (born Nancy Hazle)
Nancy Hazle was born in 1905 in Blue Mountain, a serene enclave nestled between Anniston and Jacksonville in Calhoun County, Nannie’s early life was marred by hardship. She emerged as one of the five offspring of Jim Hazle and Louisa “Lou” Holder Hazle. However, this seemingly idyllic family portrait concealed a grim reality. Nannie’s childhood was shadowed by adversity and distress.
Jim Hazle, whose biological connection to Doss remained uncertain, proved to be a domineering and abusive presence. His authoritarian grip subjected Nannie and her siblings to prolonged absences from school, compelling them to shoulder onerous household tasks and toil on the family’s agrarian property. In contrast, Nannie’s mother, Louisa, stood as a beacon of warmth and compassion, extending her love to Nannie and her three sisters.
At the age of seven, Nannie experienced a pivotal incident. She claimed to have sustained a head injury during a train journey when an abrupt deceleration thrust her into a metal seat. This episode, she later contended, marked the genesis of her later-destructive inclinations. Concurrently, a fixation with romance magazines, particularly the poignant narratives in the “lonely hearts” columns, gripped her imagination. In a later-life interview with Life magazine, Nannie attributed her adult challenges to a head injury she sustained at the age of seven. The incident occurred during a family trip to a relative’s place in downstate Alabama. This journey was a remarkable experience for her, as it marked her first time leaving the farm and embarking on a vacation.
The consequences of this accident were severe. Nannie endured months of intense pain, accompanied by episodes of blackouts. The lingering effects of the injury plagued her for the rest of her life, manifesting in persistent headaches that she would continue to experience. In her own words, she recalled, “I suffered from pains and blackouts for months, and the headaches persisted throughout the remainder of my life.”
“I suffered from pains and blackouts for months, and the headaches persisted throughout the remainder of my life.”
Nannie Doss
Marriages
Charlie Braggs
At the age of 16, Nannie married Charlie Braggs, whom she had met at a linen factory where their paths had crossed as co-workers.
Over the course of four swift years, the couple welcomed the arrival of four daughters into their lives.
However, the once-promising union began to unravel as the years went by, burdened by the weight of marital strife. Charlie, her husband, found solace in the habits of drinking and smoking, forming a routine that further distanced him from his familial responsibilities. His absences from home would occasionally stretch into days, leaving an emotional void in the household.
I married, as my father wished, in 1921 to a boy I only knowed about four or five months who had no family, only a mother who was unwed and who had taken over my life completely when we were married. She never seen anything wrong with what she done, but she would take spells. She would not let my own mother stay all night…
Nannie Doss
In 1927, subsequent to the birth of their youngest daughter, a tragic turn of events unfolded as two of their children succumbed to suspected food poisoning. The prevailing belief, shared even by her own husband, is that Nannie harbored a sinister hand in their demise. The weight of suspicion bore heavily upon Braggs, prompting him to flee their home, taking their eldest daughter Melvina, while leaving Florine the newborn behind.
After Bragg’s mother passed away a short time later, Nannie took on a job in a cotton mill to provide for Florine and herself. During the summer of 1928, Bragg brought Melvina back along with a divorcée who had her own child. This ultimately led to the dissolution of Bragg and Nannie’s marriage. Nannie, in turn, returned to her mother’s home with her two daughters. Bragg consistently asserted that he parted ways due to his apprehension towards her.
Frank Harrelson
After the end of her first marriage, Nannie found solace in the “lonely-hearts” column of the local newspaper. She meticulously corresponded with several men whose advertisements caught her attention. Among the replies she received, only one truly captivated her: the response from Frank Harrelson, a 23-year-old factory worker with a talent for crafting beautiful verses. His black-and-white Kodak photo was equally charming, showcasing dimpled cheeks reminiscent of Clark Gable and wavy hair akin to Grant Withers.
Nannie and Frank married in 1929, however, throughout their life together, alcohol remained an integral component of Frank’s life. As time progressed, the initial honeymoon bliss began to erode, revealing to Nannie that her once statuesque and handsome partner, characterized by his square jawline and rugged countenance, was battling alcoholism.
To her astonishment, this revelation was not the extent of her disheartenment. She unearthed the unsettling truth that Frank had a history of incarceration due to felonious assault, shattering the illusion of his gentlemanly demeanour. The persona of “Gentleman Frank” had been a façade.
Nannie had acquired a deadly skill, possibly honing it for the day she’d eliminate Frank Harrelson. Having already dispatched two infant daughters, killing children had become routine, as they were mere burdens.
By the early 1940s, surviving daughters Melvina and Florine married. In 1943, Melvina gave birth to Robert. In February 1945, Melvina’s difficult pregnancy led her to call Nannie for support at the hospital. Nannie attended to her daughter all night, catering to her needs. Despite this, shortly after giving birth to a girl, the baby died suddenly. Mosie Haynes, Melvina’s husband, had been asleep in the room. In a haze from the surgery, Melvina thought she saw Nannie use a hatpin on the baby’s head, unsure if it was real or a nightmare.
Months later, Nannie probably killed her two-year-old grandson, Robert, while caring for him. He died unexpectedly from asphyxia, and shortly after, Nannie received a $500 pay-out from a life insurance policy she had on him.
After 16 years of marriage Frank Harrelson became Nannie’s next victim. In the aftermath of a night marked by drunken revelry, coinciding with the conclusion of World War II, Nannie surreptitiously introduced lethal rat poison into Frank’s hidden jar of moonshine. The outcome was Harrelson’s agonizing death, at the age of thirty-eight.
People assumed he died of food poisoning. Meanwhile, Nannie collected enough life insurance money from Harrelson’s death to buy a plot of land and a house near Jacksonville.
Arlie Lanning
Arlie Lanning, residing in Lexington, North Carolina, became Nannie’s next unfortunate target. He too had responded to a local lonely-hearts column. Employing her familiar strategy, Nannie chose rat poison as her method of harm. This time, the poison was discreetly introduced into one of Arlie’s meals. His passing was attributed to heart failure, a conclusion that appeared plausible given his heavy drinking habits and the presence of a flu virus circulating in the region during that period.
Poor, poor Arlie. You know what he said to me before he breathed his last? ‘Nannie,’ he said, ‘Nannie, it must have been the coffee.
Nannie Doss
Consequently, the circumstances surrounding his demise aroused minimal suspicion, bolstered by Nannie’s meticulously crafted façade as the ideal partner. This led to the absence of any autopsy. Following Arlie’s passing in 1950, Nannie took up residence with her sister Dovie. However, tragically, Dovie’s life also met a premature end not long after Nannie’s arrival June 30.
Richard Morton
The Diamond Circle Club, a correspondence association helping individuals find life partners, for an annual membership fee of $15. Nannie eagerly anticipated the monthly newsletter which introduced the latest members along with their aspirations. It was here that Nannie found Richard Morton.
Richard soon became enthralled with Nannie. Convinced of their compatibility, he took a decisive step by composing a letter to the Diamond Circle. His intention was clear: he respectfully requested the removal of both his and Nannie’s names from the available members’ list. Grateful for the opportunity to encounter Nannie through their platform, he extended his heartfelt gratitude for facilitating their introduction.
the sweetest and most wonderful woman I have ever met
Richard Morton
In October of 1952, Nannie and Richard became husband and wife. She then relocated to his quaint home in Emporia.
However, just a few months into their marriage, despite his charisma, Morton found himself in dire financial straits, burdened by overwhelming debt. Even when he managed to secure credit through his charm to buy Nannie a trinket, he’d also purchase another for a woman he was secretly involved with in town.
During this period, Nannie’s attention was dedicated to caring for her mother, Lou. Following the passing of Nannie’s father in January 1953, Lou came to live with her daughter and son-in-law. Tragically, after only a few days with her daughter, Lou fell severely ill and eventually died with chronic stomach pains.
A short time later Nannie’s fourth husband’s health took a similar turn, and he too passed away not long after, displaying similar symptoms.
Sam Doss
Sam had been amongst Nannie’s pen-pal admirers. Following Richard Morton’s murder, she hastily boarded a bus to rendezvous with Doss in his native town of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Doss initially brought a refreshing divergence from her prior companions; gainfully employed as a state highway inspector, he exuded a calm and concise demeanour, almost invariably adorned with a necktie. He willingly contributed to household chores, cooking, devoid of the domineering airs that had tainted her previous relationships. His disposition remained non-intimidating and far from violent.
Christian women don’t need a television or romance magazines to be happy!
Sam Doss
Sam’s unwavering adherence to his traditional values often annoyed Nannie, who was more open-minded in the wrong way for her new husband. He held a firm conviction against indulging in frivolous reading of inexpensive magazines or romantic novels, viewing them as idleness.
In his perspective, mediums like radio and television existed to cultivate the intellect, leading him to label comedies and love stories as subjects to be avoided.
Spending habits were stringent: the electric fan remained idle until temperatures reached unbearable levels; room lights were used sparingly, switched on only upon entry and promptly off upon exit.
Sam’s frugality and unwavering austerity became overwhelming for Nannie she sought respite in her hometown of Alabama. No sooner had she taken her leave Sam pursued her ardently, sending letters imploring for forgiveness. To underscore his sincerity, he willingly opened his purse strings, enabling her to relish the accustomed lifestyle.
Yet, her reservations persisted, with concerns that he retained financial control. In response, he restructured his financial affairs, ensuring parity of financial autonomy. Moreover, he procured two life insurance policies, designating Nannie as the primary beneficiary.
Soon after moving back, Sam was admitted to Hospital the diagnosis a severe infection to the digestive tract. He was released on October 5.
On October 12, 1954, Nannie laced a cup of coffee with arsenic. Before midnight, Sam Doss was dead.
The doctor who had examined Sam before his discharge from the hospital was shocked upon learning of Sam Doss’s demise. Such a turn of events, he remarked, appeared inexplicable. Consequently, he deemed it imperative to initiate an autopsy.
As his suspicions had suggested, the demise of Sam Doss was far from being due to natural causes. Upon examination of the intestines and stomach, Dr Schwelbein unearthed traces of a pork roast supper alongside a staggering quantity of arsenic, capable of killing an entire team of horses.
Nannie Doss, unable to explain where the arsenic came from, was promptly arrested.
Investigation and Confession
Under interrogation, and in return for being able to keep her romance magazines, Nannie confessed to killing her husbands.
After confessing to the murders of four or her five husbands, Nannie Doss leaves the county attorney’s office and heads to jail.
The day following the confessions, Special Agent Ray Page and a team of detectives from Tulsa embarked on a widespread operation, spanning across Kansas, North Carolina, and Alabama. Their mission was to oversee the exhumation process for several individuals closely related to the case: her husbands, her mother, her sister Dovie, her nephew Robert, and her mother-in-law. Evidently, traces of arsenic were prominently detected in the bodies of each deceased spouse and her mother.
In contrast, the bodies of the remaining family members did not exhibit signs of toxic substance presence. However, their demise was characterized by an unsettling commonality – asphyxia. A prevailing suspicion gained momentum, suggesting the grim possibility that they might have been smothered while in their slumber.
The focus of Oklahoma’s case rested solely on Samuel Doss, with Nannie Doss also facing prosecution under the guidance of J. Howard Edmondson, who would go on to become the state’s governor.
On May 17, 1955, Nannie Doss entered a guilty plea, resulting in a life sentence. Notably, the state refrained from seeking the death penalty due to her gender. It’s important to mention that Doss was not implicated in the other deaths.
In an interview regarding her life at McAlester prison in Tulsa, Doss expressed dissatisfaction with her limited job options, as she was assigned to the laundry department. Despite her interest, her offers to contribute in the kitchen were politely turned down.
Doss passed away from leukaemia on June 2, 1965, precisely a decade after her incarceration began. She found her final resting place at Oak Hill Memorial Park in McAlester, Oklahoma.