Who Killed Laura Foster

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with Jan Kronsell, a Danish university business professor and the author of Land of friendliness and beauty: A Danes Guide to Western North Carolina, The Doctor's Secret: Another version of the Tom Dooley legend, and his latest release, Who killed Laura Foster?: My view on a 150-year old murder. While admitting that “the truth will never be found, unless someone invests a time machine,” Jan wrote Who killed Laura Foster as a sort of culmination piece to satisfy, to the best of his ability, his immense curiosity towards the North Carolina legend since first learning about it in the late 1990s. Jan shares his 20+-year journey to painting the clearest picture he could of the murder of Laura Foster, including the possible reasons behind the suspicious behaviors of Laura’s father and her cousin Anne’s younger brother Thomas directly before and after her death, and the series of events that allowed Jan to pinpoint the most likely location of her grave. He also offers his thoughts on why this particular story is so enduring over a century later. “Everybody has their own version of the story,” says Jan. “And I think that’s great because [...] it’s not about telling the truth⁠—it’s about keeping the legends alive.”

Om Podcasten

Welcome to the Life in the Carolinas Podcast. Our show features a blending of stories that are primarily based on the syndicated TV show, Carl White's Life in the Carolinas and newspaper columns written by Carl White. Like Carl often says, "It's never a bad time for a good story!" The podcast is hosted by Carl and features specials guests as they share the stories behind the stories. All too often we simply do not have enough time to share everything we would like during broadcast. This podcast will allow us the opportunity to share more information and allow our viewers and readers a chance to get to know our guests more intimately. The Carolinas offer some of the finest people, landscapes, and opportunities to explore. We have traveled to the high elevations for the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games which are considered to be among the best in the nation. We discovered the beauty of the brackish Waccamaw River and learned about the massive live oaks that predate the founding of America. In Gold Hill, NC we made a connection with the past and learned about the early days of gold mining in America. We were more than intrigued with a visit to the historic Wilcox Hotel in Aiken, SC and the stories of the Roosevelt Suite. Are the stories true? It's fun to think about the possibilities. Did you know Edgefield, SC was the home of ten South Carolina Governors and that the world-renowned Jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie was from Cheraw, SC? What about those mysterious Brown Mountain Lights in the North Carolina Mountains? They have kept people guessing for hundreds of years. Do you know what they are? The stories are abundant and only limited by how many tomorrows we have for their telling. Join us as we share our stories, traditions, charm, and southern hospitality.