Joe Ball: The Alligator Man of Texas

I’ve been obsessed with Joe Ball for weeks now. Every time I think I’ve heard the wildest part of his story, another detail crawls out of the old newspaper clippings and makes my skin crawl all over again.

Between 1936 and 1938, this quiet tavern owner from Elmendorf, Texas, killed at least five women (some say up to twenty) and fed their remains to the five live alligators he kept in a concrete pit behind his bar. He called the place the Sociable Inn. Customers loved watching him toss chickens to the gators while sipping cold beer. Nobody realized the “extra meat” sometimes came from somewhere else.

This is Joe Ball. The original Alligator Man. The real-life monster who inspired Tobe Hooper’s 1976 cult horror film Eaten Alive. Let’s walk through how a decorated World War I veteran became one of Texas’s most infamous killers.

Joe Ball’s Early Life: War Hero Turned Tavern Owner

Joseph D. Ball was born January 7, 1896, in San Antonio, Texas. He served in World War I as a sergeant. He earned medals for bravery. When he came home in 1919, he worked as a bootlegger during Prohibition. He made good money. He loved fast cars and faster women.

By 1934, he opened the Sociable Inn on Highway 181 near Elmendorf. It was a roadhouse with cold beer, a jukebox, and that famous alligator pit out back. Joe charged a nickel to watch the gators feed. On weekends, the place was packed.

He was charming. Tall, broad-shouldered, always smiling. Women loved him. Men wanted to drink with him. Nobody saw the rage underneath.

The Disappearances: Waitresses, Wives & Girlfriends Who Vanished

Joe had a type: young, pretty barmaids who worked for him. When they got pregnant or asked for more money, they disappeared.

• Minnie “Big Minnie” Gotthardt, 24 – barmaid, vanished in 1937
• Julia Turner, 23 – barmaid, vanished in 1937
• Hazel “Schatzi” Brown, 22 – barmaid, vanished in 1938
• Dolores Goodwin, 25 – wife #2, vanished in 1938
• Carrie Coleman, 38 – girlfriend, body parts found 1938

He told different stories every time. “She ran off with a sailor.” “She went back to Louisiana.” “She’s visiting family.” Neighbours noticed the alligators were getting fatter.

The Alligator Pit: Texas Justice, Texas Style

An old man from Seguin told police he’d seen Joe cutting up something that looked suspiciously like a human torso behind the tavern. He’d kept quiet for months. Finally spoke up. Sheriff’s deputies arrived with a search warrant. They found fresh blood in the pit. A butcher’s cleaver. A .22 pistol. And a barrel of lye with human hair floating in it.

Joe saw them coming and walked inside, locking the door. He put the pistol to his heart and pulled the trigger. Dead at 42. No confession, trial and No real answers.

The Aftermath: What the Alligators Ate

Deputies shot the five gators and cut them open. They found buttons, hair clips, and a human hand. Not enough to identify anyone, but enough to confirm the worst. The Sociable Inn burned down years later. Locals say it was arson. Nobody wanted the place standing. Joe’s family buried him quietly. His mother insisted he was “a good boy who just snapped.”

Joe Ball in 2026: The Legend That Refuses to Die

Even today, the Alligator Man remains part of South Texas folklore. The pit is long gone, but people still drive past the old site on Highway 181 and slow down. Tobe Hooper’s 1976 film Eaten Alive is loosely based on Joe. (He changed the location to Louisiana and added a scythe-wielding maniac, but the alligator feeding scenes? Pure Ball.)
And every few years, a new “I knew someone who knew Joe” story pops up in San Antonio bars.

Final Thoughts: Monster or Myth?

Here’s what keeps me up at night. Joe Ball killed himself before anyone could ask the big questions. How many women did he really feed to those gators? Five? Twenty? More? We’ll never know. But one thing is certain: somewhere out there, bones are still resting at the bottom of a concrete pit that doesn’t exist anymore. If this one left you chilled, check out my piece on Karl Denke next. Same era. Same “harmless neighbour” vibe. Completely different kind of nightmare.