Joe Ball

I think it would be fair to say that Joe Ball was one of the U.S.'s greatest nutcases. You see, Joe ran a small bar outside of Elmendorf, Texas, on Highway 181. In fact the name of the place was quite amusing - The Sociable Inn. Well our Joe had a few problems with women, well it was a big problem actually, he couldn't get rid of them. Or at least not until he installed a big concrete pool out the back of the Inn. In this pool he kept 5 alligators. And from this point on it gets interesting.

The Sociable Inn became well known around the area once Joe began feeding his new pets in front of audiences. It was also popular for it's many different barmaids and waitresses, it seemed Joe had an endless supply of them coming and going. His wives also seemed to disappear quite regularly too. But one thing that Joe always had was fresh meat for the alligators.

Joe was very protective of these animals as well. Once, when a neighbor complained about the stench of rotten meat, Joe pulled out a gun and threateningly explained that it must have been the 'Gators food' and that the neighbor should mind his own business in future. Another neighbor was so threatened by Joe that he moved to another city to get away from 'that crazy guy.'

For Joe Ball things seemed to be going well, despite the fact that his waitresses keep leaving in the middle of the night, never telling anyone of there departure. This was until 1937, when one such waitress, Minnie Gotthardt, 22, had worried family members speaking to police. As Minnie was employed by Ball the police questioned him, but unable to find any substantial evidence, he was cleared of any involvement.

A few months later another family went crying to police about there missing daughter, Julia Turner, who also happened to work for Ball. The police went back down to the Inn, and Ball gave them the same answer as last time. He said she had said she was having troubles and wanted to leave the area. When police did a check of her room it was quickly found she hadn't packed any clothes. So they went back to Joe Ball for a second round of questioning, telling him she had packed no clothes. On this occasion Ball suddenly remembered that he had lent her $500 because she was desperate, and could not go back to her home as she was having trouble with her roommate. Ball was again in the clear

Unfortunately Ball couldn't seem to stop himself and in the next few months two more employees went missing. The local police turned the case over to the Texas Rangers who did a check into Balls previous employees and found a few dozen of them had vanished. More damning for Ball was the fact that no one had seen either his second or third wives since they 'ran out' on him. The jig was almost up for Joe Ball.

The Texas Rangers questioned Ball relentlessly, but he wouldn't crack. He gave them nothing. Unfortunately for Ball though, he had left a few too many strings untied. His head handyman cracked and told of times that he was forced at gunpoint to feed pieces of female corpses to the alligators. And his old neighbor was back in town to tell why he ran away. He had witnessed Ball hacking pieces of meat from a human and feeding them to his alligators. The cops almost had enough to get Ball.

On September 24, 1938, Police showed up at The Sociable Inn to check Ball's meat barrel. Realizing the it was all over poor old Joe Ball hit the "NO SALE" button on the cash register. He then reached in and grabbed his pistol from the draw inside. With only two possibilities to choose from Ball chose the easier of the two. He shot himself. Some say it was a shot to the heart, some say a shot to the head, either way it was only one shot, and it was fatal. Joe Ball took his secrets to the grave and unfortunately we will never know exactly how many women found themselves being used as "'Gator Food".

Interesting Bits:
It was a well told joke for years before his discovery that Ball fed his waitresses to his alligators.

Ball's handyman, William Sneed, despite admitting to helping dispose of bodies, only spent two years in prison.

For a special treat Ball sometimes fed his 'Gators live Cats and Dogs.

The Alligators were sent off to the San Antonio zoo. One would think that they had a change in diet while there.

Tobe Hopper, of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame, made a film that would seem to be based on Joe Ball. It was called "Eaten Alive."

Ball's third wife eventually surfaced years later. It seems that she knew about her predecessors fate and decided that she didn't want to go the same way. She ran away, but knew about "4 or so" murders. She was never charged with any crime.