Hello friends. Coming up in two weekends, I’ll be talking about a topic I’ve been researching and writing about for years, what I call “The Murder on South Street.” It’s the first program of the year for the Davidson Historical Society, on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at 4pm, at Davidson Town Hall, 251 South St., Davidson.
Rachel Workman of Ghosts of Davidson and I will recount the 1914 killing of Davidson doctor W.H. Wooten by druggist Monroe Jetton. (We’re both on the historical society board.)
It’s a story that made headlines across the South – a tale of high society, jealousy and friendships gone wrong, set in downtown Davidson..
If you’ve followed me for a while, you may have read one of my stories about this. Most recently, my piece “A Murder on South Street: When Jealousy Struck Charlotte High Society” appeared in the October 2024 issue of Charlotte Magazine.
I first heard about the murder when I closed on my house on South Street in Davidson in 2002 – a house that Dr. Wooten built in the 1890s. After the deal was done, previous owner Dorothy Beam hinted at the scandal, and I couldn’t help but chase the story.
Rachel tells the tale on her Ghosts of Davidson tours.
It has three main characters: Wooten, Jetton, and Jetton’s wife, Josie Shipp Jetton. On February 10, 1914, Monroe Jetton shot Dr. Wooten “in a fit of jealousy” after becoming suspicious about the doctor’s relationship with his wife. A century later, some people in town were still reluctant to talk about it.
The program is free. It will be at Davidson Town Hall, 251 South St., Davidson, right in the neighborhood where the events of 1914 happened. Register at DavidsonHistoricalSociety.org. We’d love to have you join us as a member, too. Memberships begin at $25 a year.
David Boraks 