WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Reynolds family was one of the wealthiest in our country in the 1930s. Their tobacco empire ran the state of North Carolina.
The heir to this empire was Smith Reynolds. A young man with an eye for ladies and a love of flying.
"He was the youngest licensed pilot in the country," Phil Archer shared. "We have his license signed by Orville Wright when he was 16. He followed his dreams and one of those dreams turned out to be Libby Holman as well. She started as a chorus girl but in a couple of years, she was getting major roles. By 1930, she was a star and was called the leading light of Broadway."
The two fell in love quickly. Five days after Smith divorced his first wife, he married Libby. A beginning highlighted in controversy and an ending highlighted by murder.
On July 5, 1932, Smith was shot in the head, where he later died at a hospital. He was only 20 years old.
There was a big party that night. Following that, the only people at that end of the mansion were Smith's wife Libby, and his best friend and advisor Ab Walker.
A national media circus surrounded this case especially since the stories between Libby and Ab weren't adding up.
"Smith came downstairs, according to Ab, and said our around the world trip is canceled and I'm going to end it all tonight. So, he threw his wallet at him and said you can have that." Archer continued, "Libby was the most frustrating of all because she claimed amnesia for 48 hours."
"Libby said she was lying in the bed and suddenly awoke to find Smith standing over her with a gun to his head. The problem with that is the trajectory of the bullet passing through his right temple and out under his left ear and passing through that window seven feet above the ground. The sheriff was in this space and saw the blood and saw the hole knew more about forensics and never believed it was suicide and Smith shot himself while standing up."
And then there's the testimony of the night watchman, William Fulcher.
"He heard a faint pop. He went around to the window of Smith and Libby's bedroom and stood for three minutes listening. He never heard any cries; never heard any screams."
The case continued to garner headlines as the testimonies drug on.
"There then was a finding of death by parties unknown. Not suicide and a grand jury found first-degree murder charges for his wife Libby and his best friend Ab Walker. This would have carried a death sentence by electric chair in 1932."
But during testimony, it came out that Libby was pregnant. The very idea that Reynold's heir would be born in prison was too much. And all it took was a call from the Reynolds family to the state solicitor.
"That is a demonstration of power if I've ever seen it. We want a murder case to simply be dropped. And it was."
Libby would go on to act in movies and have her child Christopher Reynolds. But he died in a mountain climbing accident. Libby committed suicide while in her 60s. Ab moved to Texas to escape the rumors but was quoted on the stand as saying "Some details of what happened that night I will take to my grave." And he did.
We will never know what happened that night. But this exhibit allows us a peek into the facts and in some way gives peace to a family so important to the Triad and the state of North Carolina.
The exhibit runs through the end of the calendar year. You can get ticket information on their website.