When the farmer Lorel Wardlow died from an acute case of quinsy after a long illness, the country doctor who took care of him signed off on the death certificate without an autopsy or postmortem. But the little town of Kyle was soon buzzing with gossip about his widow, Belle Wardlow, and her association with the farmhand Harry Cowdry, who helped take care of his boss during his final days. Before the dust settled on the case, there would be accusations of murder, an exhumation of the body, three trials, one hung jury, a prison break and a scandal that rocked Southwestern Ohio.
