A Catlick Vault Exclusive
In Episode 9 and Episode 10 of the Catlick podcast, B.T. Harman introduces and examines the theory that the perpetrator of the notorious Atlanta Ripper killings was prominent South Georgia businessman, W.H. Mitchell.
Born in the south Georgia railroad town of Thomasville, Georgia, William is the son of the wealthy Thomas Cole Mitchell and Isabella Heyser Reynolds. His father, T.C., was the founder of the famed Mitchell House (shown below).
W.H. would be the oldest of 7 children
W.H. Mitchell’s father, Thomas Cole, constructed the luxurious Mitchell House hotel in 1874. W.H. would have been 12 at the time.
AGE 15-18 - At the time, Emory was located in Oxford, Georgia. Little is known about Mitchell’s time at Emory except for this anecdote as reported by the Atlanta Constitution in 1908.
AGE 22 - The local Thomasville paper reports that W.H. Mitchell traveled to Columbus, Georgia, to visit the Eagle & Phenix Cotton Mills. His mission was to “study the business of manufacturing cotton.” Though Mitchell was only about 22 at the time, the article noted that he “masters anything which he undertakes.”
AGE 24 - Mitchell marries Miss Lula Livingston, the daughter of a state senator.
From the Macon Telegraph • Nov. 25, 1886
AGE 25
Though he was only 25, W.H. was invited to travel to Atlanta with the mayor of Thomasville and a delegation of other influential men. The paper reported that the goal of their trip was to “look after Thomasville’s interest in the Atlanta and Hawkinsville railroad.”
AGE 31 - In the 1890’s a group of local businessmen start a cigar manufacturing facility in Thomasville. A community named La Cubana was constructed on the outskirts of town. La Cubana was built as a village for the Cuban workers.
In 1893, W.H. Mitchell and several business associates charter The Cubana City Cigar Company. The city of Tampa, Fla., already had a thriving cigar manufactory, and Mitchell makes several trips to there to recruit Cuban immigrant cigar makers to Thomasville.
Mitchell eventually travels on behalf of the company as a salesman. One Thomasville paper said of him “When it comes to pushing an enterprise, Will Mitchell is a hummer."
AGE 32 - Mitchell travels to New York and applies for a passport.
AGE 33-34 - W.H. travels solo to South America on two separate occasions during this time. He’s there for a total of 19 months “for business” according to the papers. His wife and children remain in Thomasville.
From the Thomasville Times-Enterprise • June 13, 1896
AGE 33 - While Mitchell is in Brazil, his business partners reorganize the company under a new charter and name. His name is absent from the official paperwork.
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AGE 44 - Mitchell is part of a group of businessmen who file a petition to charter a new rail line that would extend south from Thomasville. The charter is granted, and in 1907, the name of the line is changed to the Mexican Gulf Railroad Company.
AGE 45 - W.H. Mitchell had two half-brothers who were much younger than him. They both attended the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Frank graduated in May, 1911.
From the 1910 Georgia Tech Blue Print yearbook • Frank Mitchell is listed in the class of 1911
AGE 46 - On September 25, 1908, newspapers break the story that a man dressed as an old black woman attempted to abduct Lucile Linton, a prominent white lady of Thomasville. Later, Miss Linton would identify W.H. Mitchell as her abductor.
From the Atlanta Constitution • Sep. 25, 1908
By October, the Mitchell story was statewide news.
After a sensational trial in December of 1908, William H. Mitchell was found guilty of assault and battery. He was sentenced to one year on the chain-gang.
When the trial was over, the Atlanta Constitution ran a lengthy article with the title “South Georgia Mystery Baffles Investigators: Defendant’s Queer Acts Described by Neighbor.” Excerpt below…
From the Atlanta Constitution • Dec. 7, 1908
AGE 47 - After several vigorous appeals by Mitchell’s legal team, his prison sentence begins. Due to bad health, Mitchell is confined to the prison hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia, instead of the chain-gang.
From the Atlanta Constitution • Aug. 1, 1909
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AGE 48 - After just 10 months in jail, Mitchell is released early due to good behavior.
From the Daily-Times Enterprise Thomasville • July 12, 1910
AGE 49 - Despite his dire health condition while in jail, Mitchell is now healthy enough to resume farming. A July 19, 1911, news article from a Thomasville paper told readers about the summer’s healthy harvest of cantaloupes. The article mentioned W.H. Mitchell having just shipped his first load of cantaloupes for the season.
AGE 50 - 52 — During this time, W.H. Mitchell is fairly absent from the newspapers. However, we do have records of him selling various pieces of land during this time. His wife travels during away from Thomasville during this time as well.
AGE 53 - Lula Mitchell was also 53 at the time of her death.
From the Times Enterprise - Thomasville • July 27, 1915
AGE 53 - 55 — After the death of his wife, W.H. Mitchell engages in various business pursuits. He starts a real estate company and attempts to open a cannery in Thomasville. In 1917, he attends a banquet hosted by his college fraternity, Kappa Alpha Order.
AGE 56 - In 1918, a small ad appears in the local Thomasville newspaper, advertising Mitchell’s home for rent. It is not known where W.H. Mitchell lived after this.
From the Daily Times-Enterprise Thomasville • Oct. 12, 1918
AGE 57 - 59 — The last traces of W.H. Mitchell’s life before he dies are a few financial transactions. In 1919, he sells some more land, and then in 1921, his son T.C. appoints a lawyer to recoup some tax losses on W.H.’s estate.
AGE 67 - William H. Mitchell’s death certificate lists Nov. 1, 1929, as his date of death. Cause of death listed as acute dilation of the heart, hiccups, and gastritis. He died in Thomasville. There is no known obituary.
William Hamilton Mitchell was buried alongside other members of his family at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Thomasville, Georgia.
Photo via findagrave.com
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To hear the full story of the Atlanta Ripper and THE MITCHELL THEORY, listen to Catlick, an original, historical true crime podcast by B.T. Harman.
If you’ve got thoughts or tips about THE MITCHELL THEORY, email us at themitchelltheory@gmail.com.
