It's a glorious day for another Author Roast and
Toast with Jo-Anne Myers, and we're going to have an exhilarating and exhausting day filled with fun and
adventure. The meeting spot is her favorite Ma and Pa restaurant in her town
of Logan, rightly named The M & M family diner. There the hostesses meet Jo-Anne and stuff their faces with unlimited flapjacks, ham, bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy and cinnamon
coffee cake - washing everything down with juices, coffee, teas, milk and
hot cocoa.
From there, everyone piles into limousines for the short scenic ride to neighboring Vinton County, population,
13,435, and named after the 19th century U.S. congressman Samuel Finley Vinton.
The county is abundant with deer, bobcats and coyotes, and is known for staying true
to its hometown Appalachian traditions. Parades that run straight down Main
Street and small-town festivals filled with fun for the entire family are as
much a part of the life here as pizza parlors and ice cream shops that also
deliver a hot meal. Fine dining and good, old-fashioned country cooking, are
easy to find in these Appalachian foothills.
The tour begins at the Wayne National Forest where everyone fishes for lunch and is entertained by a local bluegrass band. While the chef prepares the catfish and blue gill they caught in the lake, along with salads, breads, homemade ice cream and all the keg beer one can drink, the hostesses visit the local historical attractions. Mt. Olive Bridge, erected in 1875 by Civil War veteran George Washington Pilcher, is one of five covered bridges the beautiful area of rolling hills offers. A hike to the Hope Furnace tour is next, one of 46 iron furnaces in the area known as the hanging rocking iron region which extended from northern Kentucky to Logan, Ohio.
Returning to the lake for a relaxing meal, the hostesses find Kenny G in full swing, who breaks from playing to beg Jo-Anne for an autograph and a photo. Her guests tell comical stories about her, like the time she accidently bought two of the same blouse at different stores or how she gets her work schedule wrong and shows up on her day off. Afterward, is an afternoon of rock rappelling and horseback riding. For the faint of heart, Vinton County also offers bird watching and Hummingbird feeding at the local Visitor Center.
One mile farther, is
Lookout Rock. Legend has it a group of men coming to Moonville were surrounded
by a pack of wolves. The men built a fire and took refuge on Lookout Rock all
night, fearing attack. The Atkinson Fire Tower
is next. Constructed in 1929, this fire lookout station is 1000 feet tall and gives a person a spectacular view of the surrounding hills. The last stop on the tour is the Lake
Hope-Zaleski ceremonial mounds. More than 25 burial sites have
been discovered in the Lake Hope-Zaleski area. They are believed to be erected
by the prehistoric Adena people between 900BC and 200AD. The largest is 14 feet
high and 80 feet in diameter at the base.
Exhausted, everyone returns to Ravenswood Castle, a medieval inspired Inn. They
are greeted by eager staff members who whisk them off to our suites, each with an
adjoining master bath. After a nice long soak in a hot tub scented
with bath oils, they each enjoy a massage, manicure, pedicure and facial.
Jo-Anne dresses in a Dolce & Gabanna red beaded ankle-length gown with matching
jacket, knowing the male guests will be sporting
designer tuxedos by Emillio Pucci. She and the hostesses are lured into the massive dining room by the delectable aroma of baked ham and
pineapples. Homegrown vegetables, breads and desserts, including cheesecake,
pies, German chocolate cake with coconut and almond frosting, await them. The
room is lavishly adorned with antique armor and other medieval décor, and
stuffed deer, boar and bear heads stare down at them from the walls.
The gloved, uniformed
servers dutifully stand by, waiting on their beck and call. White
taper candles brighten the room and the soft sultry sounds of world-renowned
Harrison Harp Orchestra play in the background. Each of the guests toast Jo-Anne with compliments of her great writing and painting abilities.
Drinks and
coffee are served on the patio where the sensual sounds of pianist Evgeny
Kissin cut through the cool air. After a quick change into jeans and boots, the hostesses accompany Jo-Anne for an
evening stroll through the abandoned town of Moonville, a railroad station and
loading place for timber and other products. Moonville is famous for two
things: the Tunnel and the Moonville Ghost.
Constructed in the mid-1800s, the 100 yard Tunnel is the most isolated, desolate
stretch of track on the B&O from St. Louis, Missouri to Parkersburg, West
Virginia. Sound travels well in the tunnel, and when one of hostesses whisper from one end, their voice is heard all the way to the other side.
Spooky things have
occurred at Moonville, but none compare to the story of the Moonville Ghost.
A long time ago, a train supposedly struck a brakeman on a rainy, cold night.
The man was drunk and swayed into the path of the oncoming locomotive. Folks
claiming to have seen the ghost, say the lantern of the brakeman glimmers and
waves as if to stop that train.
Holding tight to their
lanterns, the hostesses dare one anther to walk the entire distance of the eerie dark
tunnel, but only Jo-Anne is brave enough to complete the creepy task.
Afterward, everyone returns to
the castle for the limousine ride back into town, but the fun doesn't end there.
Everyone hits the bars into the wee hours of the morning, playing
quarters, a drinking game with Tequila and Jack Daniels.
When dawn breaks, the hostesses wish one another farewell and go
their separate ways to prepare for Jo-Anne's next roast and toast.
The Crime of the Century:
The residents of
Rolling Hills, a hamlet in southeastern Ohio, were horrified when the
dismembered bodies of two missing teens were pulled from the local river.
Multiply suspects surfaced, but only one was railroaded, Richard Allan Lloyd, a
known nudist and hothead.
What began as an
evening stroll turned into what found only in horror films, and dubbed ‘the
crime of the century’. 18 year old
Babette, a voluptuous beauty contestant and horsewoman, and her 19 year old
boyfriend Shane Shoemaker, a jealous and possessive unemployed printer, were
last seen crossing a trestle bridge. Within fourteen days, their mutilated
torsos and severed heads and limbs were unearthed, suggesting satanic cult
activity.
With an investigation
smeared with contradicting statements, and a botched crime scene, investigators
built a flimsy case against Richard Lloyd. The three-week trial was based on
police corruption and ineptitude, fairytale theories, and forensic mishandling.
This heinous crime
shattered the sense of security for Rolling Hills, destroyed two families, and
forever scarred the town. This story is a detailed account of finding justice
for Babette and Shane, and of one man’s perseverance to gain his freedom from
death row.
Excerpt: The Disappearance
October
4, 1982, started out as an ordinary autumn evening, for this mined-out
Appalachian region in southeastern Ohio. The sticky summer was gone. The ground
was blanketed with gold and red leaves, and the last full moon before All
Hallows’ Eve, was complete. A cosmic cycle said to stir passions in some, anger
and rage in others.
“Beggars’ Night,” was just around the corner. Homes
were elaborately decorated with Paper-Mache witches and goblins, as carved
pumpkins of all sizes sat on porches and in yards, made even creepier with lit
candles.
Yes,
it would have been an average evening, if not for two unnerving events. First,
the arrival of the notorious motorcycle gang, The Devil's Disciples. The group
frequented The Home Tavern, a sordid bar on the corner of Gallagher and
Motherwell. According to police reports, having a thirst for alcohol, the
bikers and their sweaty, leather-clad women produced numerous problems while in
town. Calls from residents, concerning fistfights and disorderly conduct,
flooded the police station. Locals reported spotting some members of the gang
roaming the streets as the reports of vandalism kept the police busy.
Originally
the Depot Hotel, The Home Tavern, sat directly across the street from a
twenty-five acre “infamous” cornfield. A common place for knife-fights, pot
parties, and hanky panky from all ages. Running through the cornfield was the
murky and meandering Hocking River.
The
second incident, involved sex, lies, lust, and murder as gunfire emanated from
the opposite end of the cornfield. The sounds of shots echoing from the nearby
cornfield was such a common sound that it caused them little concern.
What shortly followed
was a frantic search for two missing sweethearts, 19-year-old Shane Shoemaker,
and 18-year-old Babette Lloyd. Chief White immediately posted an announcement
in that day’s newspaper, stating the “public was invited” Lt. Phillipes was put
in charge of that search party.
The meeting sight was
the old Kroger building on Round Street, near the home of Shane Shoemaker. At 4
pm., despite being a chilly and windy day, sixty to seventy people showed up
for the search. Among the crowd, were Babette’s mother and stepfather, Nancy
and Richard Lloyd, the local news team, deputy sheriffs, city police, and
officers from the Masonville Vocational School.
Attorney Jack Jones was also present. He now represented
the Shoemaker family, who were out of town. He used this time to tighten the
noose around the stepfather’s neck.
What
took place within a few hours became legendary for the close nit community.
At 5:45 pm., Chief
White used his walkie-talkie, to radio Lt. Phillipes, who stayed at the command
post with Richard and Nancy. Only a few short words were needed.
“We found something, but we don’t know what it
is,” said the chief.
What searchers found .
. . was unthinkable.
Just 150 yards north of
the railroad trestle spanning the Bottle Neck River, Sheriff Reynolds and one
of his deputies reported “something entangled in debris,” near their small
boat.
The officers initially
said they believed the object was an animal carcass. Once it was dislodged and
floated down stream, they realized it
was human. Both torsos were reportedly snagged against brush along the
riverbank. Both torsos were nude and so badly decomposed, officers said they
were unable to determine their sex.
The remains were pulled
to shore and coroner Rausch was summoned to the riverbank. Many searchers, upon
leaving the crime scene, were overheard by reporters asking one another “Are
the authorities looking for one killer or two?”
After his initial
examination of the bodies, the coroner said he was unable to rule on the cause
of death. What he did say, was that if one man committed both murders, it was “during
a great rage” and by someone with something “very personal” against one, or
both, of the victims.
The discovery of the
bodies shocked and silenced the group of volunteers. Some remained silent,
while others were seen conversing in hushed tones, telling reporters they “expected
the search to turn up nothing.”
When officers carried a
body bag from the river, Lt. Phillipes approached Nancy and Richard, who he
described as “the quiet couple.” He claimed Richard calmly asked, “Is it them?”
Lt. Phillipes
reluctantly admitted it was two individuals. He claimed Richard then asked, “Are
they all chopped up?”
Phillipes said he was
shocked by that comment. He claimed when he asked Richard why he would ask such
a thing, he said Richard claimed to be psychic. Phillipes said he was taken
back by the man’s “strange statements and unemotional attitude” of the discovery
of two murder victims. He said Richard then suggested officers should search
the adjoining cornfield.
Note: All names have been changed to protect the innocent and guilty.
Website: Books and Paintings by JoAnne
Order your copy of “The Crime of the Century” by JoAnne Myers HERE
Other books by JoAnne:
Murder Most Foul-a detective/mystery
Wicked Intentions-a paranormal/mystery anthology
Poems About Life, Love, and Everything in Between
Upcoming Releases:
Loves, Myths, and Monsters- a fantasy anthology available April 24
Twisted Love-a biography true crime anthology available in May
Flagitious-a detective/mystery novella anthology
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