Tragedy on River Road

In the early morning hours of October 1935, a body is discovered very near the intersection of Blankenbaker Lane and River Road.  The corpse is identified as 26-year-old Evelyn Sliwinski, wife of a local tailor, who was last seen “making the rounds” across Louisville hotspots. A witness comes forward and identifies the man she was with – none other than the year’s Triple Crown winning jockey, William “Smokey” Saunders. A manhunt ensues, eventually ending with Saunders’ arrest, who is brought back to Louisville on charges of murder. This lecture will follow the twists and turns of a saga which gripped the Great Depression public, and ended with a surprising conclusion.