Name: Murder & Mayhem in Northeast Oklahoma
Brand: Larry Wood
SKU: 9781467156820
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Murder & Mayhem in Northeast Oklahoma

9781467156820

$24.99

During the 1800s, when northeast Oklahoma was part of Indian Territory, many fugitives from US justice, like Henry Starr and Cherokee Bill, sought refuge in its hills and hollows. Statehood in 1907 did little to tame the area. Northeast Oklahoma remained a hideout for outlaws into the gangster era of the 1930s, when one of the biggest manhunts in history failed to flush Pretty Boy Floyd from the rugged Cookson Hills. Even in modern times, the region has been home to its share of desperate characters and notorious incidents. Join award-winning author Larry Wood as he chronicles dramatic criminal episodes in northeast Oklahoma history.

Cover image for Murder & Mayhem in Northeast Oklahoma, isbn: 9781467156820

Wicked Flagstaff

9781467156394

$24.99

A rowdy red-light district, secret tunnels, and scathing newspaper editorials.

Once home to sheep herders and ranchers, the railroad brought a new breed of pioneer to Flagstaff. Entrepreneurs and outlaws alike flocked to the growing town, some finding success and others finding their end at Greenwood Cemetery. When saloons and bawdy houses rebelled against new blue laws, quick-thinking mayor Thomas E. Pollock found a compromise that appeased most locals. Incorrigible characters like Commodore Perry Owens and Ben Doney could be found in town at the Parlor Saloon, while Dutch May Prescott kept the red-light district in the black.

Author Susan Johnson uncovers the weird and wicked side of Flagstaff.

Cover image for Wicked Flagstaff, isbn: 9781467156394

Wicked Erie

9781467155311

$24.99

Discover sinister stories of Erie's hidden history.

Life on the lake is not always pleasant, as these stories of scandal, robbery, murder, suicide, the mob, and more, reveal. The threatening reign of terror from the Phantom Burglar in the winter of 1926 kept Erie residents living in fear, culminating in a shocking finale. In 1927, bandits stole the payroll of the Erie County Electric Company in a harrowing robbery, and the manhunt and investigation that followed captivated the city. Extortion and blackmail were the purported tactics of local Black Hand gangsters in threatening letters sent to one of Erie’s wealthiest turn-of-the-century citizens. The tragic murder of twenty-two-year-old Mary Sobucki enraged local law enforcement and shined a light on the underworld operations of baby harvesting farms. Author Justin Dombrowski presents narratives of Erie’s wicked past.

Wicked Hartford

9781467137348

$21.99

One of the oldest cities in America, Hartford holds plenty of sinful stories. Famed inventor and industrialist Samuel Colt sold arms to both the North and South in the buildup to the Civil War. The notorious Seyms Street jail was the subject of national criticism and scandal for its deplorable conditions. Local journalist Daniel Birdsall fought to expose corruption in the powerful insurance industry and local government at the expense of his own printing presses. Tension between unions and "robber barons" such as Jay Gould spilled into the streets during the Gilded Age. Author Steve Thornton takes readers on an exciting journey through the seedy underbelly of Hartford's past.

Alexandria Police Department

9780738543406

$24.99

After constables and night watchmen had protected Alexandria, Virginia, for nearly 100 years, the Alexandria Police Department was officially organized on July 15, 1870. When the city authorized a formal police department, the board of police elected a captain, a lieutenant, and 19 patrolmen. All officers were issued star-shaped tin badges, but they had to supply their own uniforms and guns. This first published history of the Alexandria Police Department follows the growth of the force from the days of foot patrols, when drunks and thieves menaced the seaport town, to 20th-century law enforcement pioneers who once used watches to catch speeders and trained a canine to respond to radio commands. Images recall Alexandria's downtown before it became Old Town and capture the city's expansion to Del Ray and the West End. The officers themselves are highlighted as they caught criminals, investigated traffic accidents, reached out to children in the community, and, in some cases, sacrificed their own lives while protecting the people of Alexandria.

Lawrence Police Department

9780738501536

$24.99

Lawrence Police Department: Heroes Wear Blue pictorially chronicles the history of the department from its inception through its first century to the present day. A compelling visual tour, not only for police and local historians, this collection offers a glimpse of society and how it has changed. Featuring the first known police officer in Lawrence,

Massachusetts, as well as the Lawrence police officers who served in the Civil War in uniform, this volume also provides a rare glimpse of vintage police equipment that is now unlawful to use.

Nevada State Prison

9780738585451

$24.99

A bloody palm print, footprints of monster men, the nation's first legal lethal gas chamber--all of this and more are at the heart of the Nevada State Prison story. Founded in 1862, before Nevada was "battle born," the prison is the oldest continuously operated penal facility in the state. Over its 150-year history, the prison has been home to some of Nevada's most notorious criminals as well as some of the state's stranger events. Fossilized footprints of a "giant race of man" were found buried deep within the prison quarry. The prints gave rise to the infamous Homo Nevadensis, a supposed lost branch of the human evolutionary tree. On the more macabre side, the prison hosted the nation's first state-sanctioned execution by lethal gas. While dutifully and vigilantly serving its penal function, the Nevada State Prison has periodically garnered international attention and amassed a history worthy of study.

The Los Angeles Sugar Ring: Inside the World of Old Money, Bootleggers & Gambling Barons

9781625859976

$21.99

Early movers and shakers of Los Angeles didn't always operate within the confines of the law, including opportunist and family man Big George Niotta, who supplied sugar to make illegal liquor. Niotta rose to prominence thanks to his magnetic charm and collaborations with infamous bootlegger Frank Borgia and influential gambling baron Jack Dragna. But the fall is hard for those soaring high. Bled dry by the IRS, Niotta fought to restore his wealth through ringer horses, a multimillion-dollar lottery and a notorious gambling parlor. Through the moves of a pawn dead set on wearing a crown, author J. Michael Niotta explores three decades of L.A. crime, including a rare insider's look at the history of the Eagle Brewing Company and other survivors of Prohibition.

The Los Angeles Sugar Ring: Inside the World of Old Money, Bootleggers & Gambling Barons

Connecticut State Police

9781467120210

$24.99

he Connecticut State Police Department was created in 1903 to preserve the peace, arrest convicting offenders, and stay alert to liquor and gambling violations, especially those on Sundays. The birth of the department came at time when temperance leagues began forming across the country. Connecticut State Police is an account of a department and its rise to battle, among other things, "demon rum." Today, troopers cover approximately half of the towns in the state of Connecticut and all of its highways. The CSP became successful and developed a reputation among the law enforcement community as one of the best in the nation. Connecticut state police grew in their responsibilities and expectations, taking on the duties of fire marshal, motor vehicle testing, and dozens of other important and influential agency tasks. This collection of photographs covers the many people, events, and tragedies that have shaped this respected department.

Wicked Vermont

9781467138741

$21.99

Author Thea Lewis takes a revealing ride through the unique and colorful history of the Green Mountain State.

Vermont is a picturesque landscape, but the idyllic setting hides a sometimes dark and desperate past. H.H. Holmes, America's first serial killer, may have been the University of Vermont's deadliest student. A Burlington resident made an empire partly by carrying contraband goods to and from Canada. The first United States president subject to a birther movement wasn't 44, but a much lower number. A Burlington schoolboy ran away with the circus and became an international sensation under the big top.

The Original Battle Creek Crime King: Adam “Pump” Arnold’s Vile Reign

9781467119290

$21.99

Adam "Pump" Arnold was both feared and regaled in Victorian- era Battle Creek. He was a bootlegger and a pimp, a robber and a con artist, an arsonist and a loan shark and even an assassin. Arnold faced off with the city over illegal liquor sales and flaunted his victory with a life-size statue of the mayor dressed as a hobo. Called the "greatest criminal in the history of Battle Creek," Arnold was convicted in a captivating public trial for the murder of his own son. Join authors Blaine Pardoe and Victoria Hester as they explore the life and misdeeds of the unabashed criminal mastermind who rocked Battle Creek to its core.

The Original Battle Creek Crime King: Adam “Pump” Arnold’s Vile Reign

Joliet Prison Blues

9781467147354

$21.99

Named warden of the Illinois State Penitentiary in 1913, Edmund Allen arrived with a glamorous new wife and ambitious plans of reform that did away with years of striped uniforms and humiliating practices. Two years later, his wife was found murdered in her bed, shocking the country and throwing the prison into chaos. Over the past century, life behind bars at Joliet has often been a national spectacle. Infamous inmates like Leopold and Loeb, John Wayne Gacy, Baby Face Nelson and James Earl Ray drew headlines, and iconic scenes in movies like The Blues Brothers ensured that the prison walls themselves were instantly recognizable. From overlooked prisoner profiles to the kind of dramatic incidents that incited riots or inspired Hollywood, Amy Steidinger's stories cover the modern era of Old Joliet Prison.

Howard County Law Enforcement

9781467112659

$24.99

Since the 1880s, when a Howard County sheriff's deputy shot the mayor of Kokomo during the commission of a burglary, Howard County law enforcement officers have played an important role in the community's history. Police officers, deputies, and troopers cleared rowdies out of the junction neighborhood, walked downtown beats, rescued tornado survivors, quelled civil disturbances, cleaned up tragic accidents, and solved grisly murders. By the mid-1940s, a new generation of war veterans came home with a spirit of progress and experience in leadership. The foundation of compassion, perseverance, and integrity they established in Howard County law enforcement has defined their unswerving commitment to the safety of the community and to one another. Images of America: Howard County Law Enforcement tells their story.

San Diego Harbor Police

9781467132428

$24.99

The San Diego Harbor Police Department has proudly provided more than 50 years of law enforcement. From its humble beginnings as a small security force formed after World War II to protect San Diego imports to the modern and sophisticated police force it is today, the San Diego Harbor Police Department serves as a shining example of the exciting and important role law enforcement plays in the development of a busy 21st-century city. Through a stunning collection of never-before-seen photographs, this book tells the story of the officers who have served and protected one of America's most historic and vital harbors. History lovers, police aficionados, and San Diego locals and visitors will be fascinated by the photographs within, which document the department's history from 1934 through its 1962 transition into the San Diego Unified Port District of today.

Oregon State Penitentiary

9781467132213

$24.99

As the only maximum-security prison in the state, the Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) has housed some of the most violent criminals on the West Coast, including brutal serial killers Charley Panzram in 1915 and Jerry Brudos in 1969. Sixty men have been executed inside OSP. The prison was originally built in Portland in 1851 but moved to Salem 15 years later, after Oregon became a state. From that time forward, the Oregon State Penitentiary grew from 23 prisoners in 1866 to 1,912 by 1992. The penitentiary suffered several serious fires and riots. On March 9, 1968, the most expensive riot ever experienced in the United States flared inside the walls, causing over $2.5 million in damages. Numerous escapes plagued the prison until 1970, when security measures were tightened. The most famous escape involved Harry Tracy and David Merrill in 1902.

Oakland Police Department

9780738547268

$24.99

The California legislature granted a charter to the new community of Oakland in 1862, and a year later, the town council appointed three peace officers. When it was a dusty Western town, Oakland's major business was raising cattle to feed San Franciscans and the gold miners north of Sacramento. Year by year, as Oakland grew in size and population, the police department grew with it. The Oakland Police Department pioneered the use of call boxes, police cars, and other technical innovations. It has served the city well through good times and bad, wars, fires, and earthquakes. A large, diverse organization serving a complex multicultural city, the Oakland Police Department today accepts the challenges of policing in the 21st century.

New York State Police Troop K

9780738549828

$24.99

New York State Police Troop K recounts the story of the celebrated troop that served the people of New York from 1917 to 1950. With superb photographs, the book highlights events in the historic Hudson Valley area. Troop K, in its role as a cavalry unit, had direct connections to Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders and served special duty at West Point, during World War II, and after the death of Pres. Franklin Roosevelt. Originally the troop patrolled the state's southeastern corner from Albany out to the east end of Long Island. Today Troop K has 400 members and a territory covering Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester Counties.

Missouri State Penitentiary

9780738590806

$24.99

The Missouri State Penitentiary was established in 1833 via a bill passed by the state legislature, and the first prisoner was incarcerated in 1835. Inmates constructed the main prison building from rock quarried at the site in 1836. The penitentiary closed on September 15, 2004, and plans are in place to redevelop the site into offices for state agencies and private enterprises. The Missouri State Penitentiary was once considered one of the largest maximum-security penal institutions in the United States. After 550 serious assaults occurred inside the prison in the early 1960s, Time magazine called it "the bloodiest 47 acres in America" (although the walls of the penitentiary only contained 37 acres). The penitentiary had the distinction of housing some very famous individuals: boxing champion Sonny Liston learned to box there under the direction of the prison
chaplain, infamous gangster Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd spent time there, and James Earl Ray was an escapee when he shot and killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Cover image for Missouri State Penitentiary, isbn: 9780738590806

New Castle County Police Department

9780738599281

$24.99

The New Castle County Police Department has provided over a century of service to a county that continues to grow. In February 1913, two men were duly appointed and became the driving force of the New Castle County Rural Police. By the early 1930s, this small team evolved into an efficient police force. Today, the department has grown to be one of the top law enforcement agencies in the country and is comprised of approximately 350 law enforcement officers. Members of the New Castle County Police Department have displayed tremendous courage and sacrifice in the line of duty. The dedicated men and women of the force continue to provide a positive and invaluable service to the diverse communities of New Castle County.

The Ruthless Northlake Bank Robbers: A 1967 Shooting Spree that Stunned the Region

9781467119382

$21.99

Automatic gunfire hammered police arriving at Northlake Bank in response to a silent alarm on the morning of October 27, 1967. The shootout killed two officers and injured two others. One of the robbers lay wounded as the other two fled in a getaway car. The ensuing manhunt tore across state lines and thrust the quiet Illinois community into a national debate over rehabilitated prisoners--two of the men were fresh out of jail for bank robbery. Local author Edgar Gamboa Navar traces this violent midwestern crime saga from the initial grocery store holdup in Ohio before the bank job to the capture of the murderous gang in Indiana, as well as the conviction and imprisonment.

The Ruthless Northlake Bank Robbers: A 1967 Shooting Spree that Stunned the Region

North Mississippi Murder & Mayhem

9781467139366

$21.99

North Mississippi's idyllic rolling hills and deep forests hide a history steeped in blood. America's first serial killers, the Harpe brothers, brutally murdered as many as fifty people at the end of the 1700s before finally meeting their end on the Natchez Trace. During Reconstruction, politician William Clark Falkner, great-grandfather of the author William Faulkner, was shot in the streets of Ripley by a former business partner after being elected to the state legislature. In the 1960s, Samuel Bowers and the Mississippi Klan tried to start a national race war by orchestrating the Freedom Summer murders and the Ole Miss Riot. Kristina Stancil details the shadowy side of North Mississippi.

Seattle Prohibition

9781467140201

$21.99

Prohibition consumed Seattle, igniting a war that lasted nearly twenty years and played out in the streets, waterways and even town hall. Roy Olmstead, formerly a Seattle police officer, became the King of the Seattle Bootleggers, and Johnny Schnarr, running liquor down from Canada, revolutionized the speedboat industry. Frank Gatt, a south Seattle restaurateur, started the state’s biggest moonshining operation. Skirting around the law, the Coast Guard and the zealous assistant director of the Seattle Prohibition Bureau, William Whitney, was no simple feat, but many rose to the challenge. Author Brad Holden tells the spectacular story of Seattle in the time of Prohibition.

Oceanside Police Department

9780738531120

$24.99

The Oceanside Police Department has provided a century of service to a community that has grown from a small seaside resort--doubling as a bedroom community for the U.S. Marine Corps's nearby Camp Pendleton--into a city of more than 170,000 people. City marshals patrolled Oceanside from 1888 to 1906, and it is indicative of the city's formative years that the first lawman, former Texas Ranger Charlie Wilson, was also the first to be killed in the line of duty. The photographs in this remarkable collection inventory the department's past, covering the administrations of city marshal J. Keno Wilson (Charlie Wilson's brother), Chiefs Charles Goss, Ward Ratcliff, and others. Showcased are images from the archives of the Oceanside Police Department and the collection of Delores Davis Sloan, the daughter of former captain Harold B. Davis, Oceanside's top cop of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Police

9780738566719

$24.99

For nearly a century and a half, police in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have displayed tremendous courage and sacrifice in the execution of their duty, adapted to social and cultural changes within the American South, and increasingly embraced sophisticated methods and revolutionary advances in technology to meet the challenges posed by criminals and a violent culture. Images of America: Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Police highlights the rich history of two departments that consolidated in 1993 as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

Historic Tales of Colorado’s Grand Valley

9781467136297

$21.99

Colorado's Grand Valley has an extensive geological and human history going back millennia. Franciscan priests worked in tandem with the native Ute people to plot passage through the territory, opening the valley to unprecedented settlement. The region became the playground of enterprising visionaries, murderous outlaws, hooligans and harlots alike. From the gruesome Meeker massacre and its tragic consequences for the Ute nation to the mysterious murder of Sam McMullin and a showdown with the Ku Klux Klan in 1925, uncover the engrossing stories of an unyielding land. Author Kate Ruland-Thorne recounts many of the defining and damning moments throughout Grand Valley history.

Historic Tales of Colorado’s Grand Valley

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department

9780738575452

$24.99

Since 1850, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department has proudly served the community as the chief law enforcement agency. The office of sheriff was originally created by the California Constitution to meet the public safety needs of each county. From horseback to gigabit, the sheriff and his deputies have responded to the needs of the citizens by providing the highest quality of protection. While the manner in which service is delivered has changed significantly since 1850, the quality of protection has remained high throughout history and is chronicled in this unique portrayal.

Prisons of Cañon City

9780738548456

$24.99

Cañon City sits in a geological bowl surrounded by the Rocky Mountains and the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. Historically, it has been known as the prison capital of the world, with eight-- soon to be nine--state prisons in the area and four federal facilities located 11 miles away in Florence. The first prison in Cañon City was built in 1868, before Colorado became a state, and was opened in 1871. Originally known as the Colorado Territorial Penitentiary, it is currently called the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility and holds approximately 800 male inmates. Cañon City has grown up around the prisons, and the area's colorful history is defined by daring prison breaks, infamous inmates, such as the Colorado cannibal Alferd Packard, and by the stories of the inmates and employees who have been part of the prison system.

Louisville's Alma Kellner Mystery

9781467138161

$21.99

A kidnapping, a brutal murder, an international manhunt, and a diabolical priest… This is the true story of the murder of eight-year-old Alma Kellner.

On a bitterly cold day in December of 1909, young Alma Kellner simply disappeared from the altar of St. John's Church in Louisville. Her body was found four months later near the site of the church, and news of the murder rocked the city. The manhunt for the suspect Louisville police Captain John Carney eleven thousand miles across the country, and even to South America, to return the killer to justice. While a man was tried and convicted to life in prison for the crime, suspicion lingers that the true culprit was the murderous and maniacal Catholic priest Hans Schmidt, the only priest to have ever been executed in the United States. Author Shawn M. Herron details the fascinating story of a tragedy that still remains a source of mystery to this day.

Frontier Kansas Jails

9781467137768

$21.99

Gunslingers, gamblers and outlaws vastly outnumbered sheriffs and marshals in the cattle towns of the Kansas frontier. Famous lawmen, such as Charlie Bassett, Wild Bill Hickok and Tom Smith, kept the peace by sheer force of personality and the integrity of the local lockup. The story of the state's settlement can be tracked in the fascinating development of these bastions of prairie justice. Makeshift jails of earlier times were replaced by limestone, brick and concrete structures with iron cells and elaborate locking systems. From the squirrel cage of Wichita to the iron jail of Lawrence City, tour these early Kansas prisons with author Gerald Bayens.

Tennessee State Penitentiary

9781467112789

$24.99

As Tennessee grew into a modern state, it found itself increasingly beset by crime. In 1831, the legislature approved the construction of the first penitentiary. The pen world was violent and dark, with several major riots, fires, and escape attempts throughout the years. However, the prison also gave birth to a culture of creativity born from despair, with entertainment shows often featuring the biggest names in country music sharing the stage with inmate bands. The best-known pen, "the Castle," has become a familiar icon to filmgoers, being used in productions like The Last Castle and The Green Mile. Today, the building sits abandoned, facing an uncertain future.

Jacktown

9781467135238

$21.99

Competing with the likes of Detroit and Ann Arbor, Jackson won the battle to build Michigan's first state prison in 1838. During the era of the "Big House" and industrial growth, the penitentiary's on-site factories and cheap inmate labor helped Jackson become a thriving manufacturing city. In contrast to Jacktown's beautiful Greco-Roman exterior, medieval punishments, a strict code of silence, no heat, no electricity and a lack of plumbing defined life on the inside. Author Judy Gail Krasnow shares the incredible stories of life at Jacktown, replete with sadistic wardens, crafty escapees, Prohibition's Purple Gang, a chaplain who ran a brothel and influential reformers.

Lansing Correctional Facility

9781467112468

$24.99

Since 1868, the Lansing Correctional Facility (formerly the Kansas State Penitentiary) has stood watch over what would become the city of Lansing. Designed by Erasmus Carr, architect of the Kansas State Capitol, the prison is the oldest in Kansas. In the beginning, it housed male and female inmates from Kansas and Oklahoma, as well as inmates serving federal sentences. Today, the facility's population of minimum, medium, maximum, and special management custody offenders is approximately 2,400. Leavenworth County has also seen the addition of the United States Disciplinary Barracks, United States Penitentiary-Leavenworth, and Corrections Corporation of America-Leavenworth, making it the only county in the country to host a state, military, federal, and private prison. Images of America: Lansing Correctional Facility features photographs of the early days, when inmates were on the "silent system" and could not speak to one another, to more modern times when rehabilitation has become an important component of prison life.

Wicked Columbus, Ohio

9781626199224

$21.99

Ohio's capital city once teemed with crime bosses, rampant corruption and unpunished perversion. The Bad Lands of Columbus was a nationally recognized slum controlled by Smoky Hobbs. Columbus native Dr. Samuel B. Hartman, the world's most successful snake oil salesman, was almost single-handedly responsible for the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act. Local gambler Pat Murnan had an unlikely love affair with Grace Backenstoe, the madam of the most popular brothel in town. The two were a symbol of the area's salaciousness. Authors David Meyers and Elise Meyers Walker explore the heyday of Columbus's most notorious fiends, corrupt politicians and con men.

Cover image for Wicked Columbus, Ohio, isbn: 9781626199224

Jailhouse Stories from Early Pacific County

9781467135290

$24.99

Hangings, lynchings and jail breaks are long forgotten in Pacific County, where tourists flock to quaint attractions every season. But back in the early days, when the first jailhouse was built, this was a rough, rustic setting. Popular cannery worker Lum You was hanged here in 1902--the only legal execution in county history. Industrious smugglers and creative entrepreneurs outwitted state-sanctioned prohibition measures, though some still did time in the jailhouse. Historian Sydney Stevens presents a collection of tales culled from a forgotten prison record book. Opium fiends, thieves, military deserters and even wayward girls jailed for incorrigible acts are brought out of the shadows of a wilderness long gone.

Jailhouse Stories from Early Pacific County

New Mexico's Rangers

9780738579252

$24.99

The New Mexico Mounted Police were forged from a frontier civil crisis and hammered to life upon the anvil of necessity. The Sunshine Territory of New Mexico had become the last outlaw haven in the Southwest. In the tradition of their red-coated namesake, the Northwest Mounted Police of Canada, this small band of range riders used their fists, guns, and brains to restore law and order during the closing years of New Mexico's territorial era. They carried their mission forward into the early days of statehood.