Heads or Tails

DESCRIPTION: 

On this episode of They Walk Among America…  Trapped on a vast isolated ranch with nothing and no one else for miles and miles around, deprived of sleep, food and viciously beaten after a grueling workday. Will the victims survive the place known as The Texas Slave Ranch?…

*** LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED *** 

‘They Walk Among America’ is a Law & Crime podcast network production.

This episode was researched and written by Emily G. Thompson and Eileen Macfarlane

Editing by Brad Maybe.

Script editing, additional writing, illustrations and production direction by Rosanna Fitton.

Narration, narration editing, and production direction by Benjamin Fitton.

MUSIC: 

Call To Battle by Louis Lion 

The Part Where It Begins by Stephen Keech

Sleep by Stephen Keech

Darkest Space by Lost Ghosts

Within The Void by Hill

Lights Out by Tru Genesis

System Failure by Wicked Cinema

The Ritual by Wicked Cinema

For more information visit https://lawandcrime.com/podcasts/ or https://theywalkamonguspodcast.com/ 

REFERENCES:

COURT DOCUMENTS

State of Texas v. Walter Wesley Ellebracht, Sr., Walter Wesley Ellebracht, Jr., Carlton Robert Caldwell, et al. 

Ellebracht, Jr., Walter Wesley v. Texas, The State of Appeal from 198th Judicial District Court of Kerr County, July 25, 1990, Docket Number: 04-86-00512-CR 

NEWS ARCHIVE / NEWSBANK 

Miami Herald, The (FL), April 8, 1984

Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA), April 8, 1984

UPI (USA), April 12, 1984

Daily Breeze (Torrance, CA), April 13, 1984

UPI (USA), April 13, 1984

UPI (USA), April 15, 1984

UPI (USA), April 19, 1984

UPI (USA), July 7, 1984

The Dallas Morning News, August 18, 1984

UPI (USA), December 19, 1984

UPI (USA), April 29, 1986

Houston Chronicle, April 30, 1986

UPI (USA), April 30, 1986

UPI (USA), May 10, 1986

UPI (USA), May 11, 1986

UPI (USA), May 12, 1986

Houston Chronicle, May 13, 1986

Houston Chronicle, May 14, 1986

UPI (USA), May 14, 1986

Houston Chronicle, May 15, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, May 15, 1986

Houston Chronicle, May 16, 1986

Houston Chronicle, May 17, 1986

UPI (USA), May 17, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, May 19, 1986

UPI (USA), May 19, 1986

Houston Chronicle, May 20, 1986

UPI (USA), May 20, 1986

Houston Chronicle, May 21, 1986

Houston Chronicle, May 22, 1986

UPI (USA), May 22, 1986

UPI (USA), May 24, 1986

Houston Chronicle, May 28, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, May 28, 1986

UPI (USA), May 28, 1986

Houston Chronicle, May 30, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, May 30, 1986

UPI (USA), May 30, 1986

Houston Chronicle, May 31, 1986

Daily Breeze (Torrance, CA), June 1, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 1, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, June 1, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, June 2, 1986

UPI (USA), June 2, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 3, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, June 3, 1986

UPI (USA), June 3, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 4, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, June 4, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 5, 1986: 17

The Dallas Morning News, June 5, 1986

UPI (USA), June 5, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 6, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, June 7, 1986

UPI (USA), June 7, 1986

THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, June 8, 1986

UPI (USA), June 8, 1986

UPI (USA), June 11, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 12, 1986

Sun-Sentinel, June 12, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 13, 1986

UPI (USA), June 13, 1986

UPI (USA), June 15, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 17, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, June 17, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 18, 1986

Miami Herald, The (FL), June 18, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, June 18, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, June 19, 1986

UPI (USA), June 19, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 20, 1986

UPI (USA), June 21, 1986

Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA), June 23, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, June 23, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, June 24, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 25, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 26, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, June 26, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 27, 1986

Houston Chronicle, June 28, 1986

Houston Chronicle, July 2, 1986

Houston Chronicle, July 3, 1986

Houston Chronicle, July 4, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, July 4, 1986

Houston Chronicle, July 8, 1986

Houston Chronicle, July 9, 1986

Houston Chronicle, July 10, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, July 14, 1986

Houston Chronicle, July 15, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, July 15, 1986

Houston Chronicle, July 16, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, July 16, 1986

Houston Chronicle, July 17, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, July 17, 1986

Houston Chronicle, July 18, 1986

Houston Chronicle, July 19, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, July 20, 1986: 35

Houston Chronicle, July 21, 1986

The Dallas Morning News, June 10, 1988

Houston Chronicle, December 19, 1990

The Dallas Morning News, December 19, 1990: 41

San Antonio Express-News, August 11, 1997

San Antonio Express-News (TX), January 22, 2013

Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post (TX), January 23, 2013

San Antonio Express-News (TX), February 3, 2013

NEW YORK TIMES 

www.nytimes.com/1986/07/19/us/three-are-sentenced-in-texas-torture-case.html 

www.nytimes.com/1986/07/20/us/three-given-terms-of-up-to-15-years-in-texas-torturings.html 

www.nytimes.com/1986/07/16/us/around-the-nation-deliberations-continue-in-texas-drifter-s-death.html 

www.nytimes.com/1986/07/18/us/around-the-nation-life-sentences-an-option-in-texas-slavery-case.html 

www.nytimes.com/1984/04/13/us/murder-charged-in-drifter-death.html 

www.nytimes.com/1986/05/13/us/witness-in-slavery-trial-describes-threats-to-life.html 

www.nytimes.com/1984/04/14/us/six-charged-with-murder-in-death-of-drifter-on-texas-ranch.html 

FURTHER RESOURCES

https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/07/23/relive-the-horrifying-story-of-the-texas-slave-ranch/ 

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19840413.2.37&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 

Texas Monthly, Aug, 1986, pg 84 - https://books.google.ie/books?id=XSwEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA84 

Texas Monthly, Jan 1987, pg 89 - https://books.google.ie/books?id=SyoEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA89  

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/04/12/Court-records-tell-story-of-torture-death-at-slave-ranch/7325450594000/ 

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/04/19/Brainwashing-alleged-at-slave-ranch/8484451198800/ 

http://texaswelcomesfriends.com/texas-Fun/texas-Fun_Highways/texas-Fun_Highways_i10.html 

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/208613961/walter-wesley-ellebracht 

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Texas-Slave-Ranch-offspring-made-the-best-of-4246636.php 

BOOKS 

‘The True Story of the Texas Slave Ranch - How a Degenerate Ranching Family Got Away With Murder’ by Richard L Ellison