Murder on the Florida Frontier: The True Story behind Sanford's Headless Miser Legend


Book Description

Archie Newton stepped off the river steamer in 1880 with a letter of introduction and a secret. Seeking refuge, the young Newton hoped for a new life on the Florida frontier. Samuel McMillan was a miserly Sanford bachelor who carried large sums of "greenbacks" and trusted no one. The ambitious Newton had his eye on purchasing McMillan's profitable orange grove. But on his way back from Newton's home one evening, McMillan disappeared, and he wasn't seen again until his headless, mutilated corpse was pulled from a nearby lake. Newton's trial was sensational and the evidence gruesome, and local legends grew of a headless ghost rising from the lake. Author Andrew Fink chronicles the twists and turns of this shocking story.




The Road Out of Hell


Book Description

From 1926 to 1928, Gordon Stewart Northcott committed at least 20 murders on a chicken ranch outside of Los Angeles. His nephew, Sanford Clark, held captive there from the age of 13 to 15, was the sole surviving victim of the killing spree. Here, crime writer Anthony Flacco-- using never-before-heard information from Sanford's son Jerry Clark --tells the real story behind the case. Forced by Northcott to take part in the murders, Sanford carried tremendous guilt all his life. Yet despite his youth and the trauma, he was the star witness at Northcott's trial, leading to his execution. Perhaps the most shocking part of all is the extraordinarily ordinary life Clark went on to live as a decorated WWII vet, a devoted husband of 55 years, a loving father, and a productive citizen. Flacco shows how Sanford was able to detoxify himself from the evil he'd encountered and emerge intact.




The Trial of Levi Weeks


Book Description

In 1799, the murder of a young woman caused a terrific stir in the city of New York. The victim was Gulielma Sands who, on December 22, left the boardinghouse where she lived, never to return. Her bruised body was found several days later in the Manhattan Well, a twenty-minute carriage ride from her home. The accused was Levi Weeks, a fellow boarder who, Miss Sands had claimed, was to marry her the night she disappeared. Two of the attorneys for the defense were Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, friends of Ezra Weeks, a prominent builder and brother of the accused. The citizens of New York raised an enormous hue and cry over the murder: the body was displayed in the streets before the trail; mobs shoved their way into the courtroom to see the famous lawyers at work and to get a glimpse of the accused; and—when the verdict was read—few felt that justice had been done. This book tells the story of the trial of Levi Weeks and includes the entire transcript of the first American murder trial ever recorded. It is at once a riveting retelling of a true crime in which the voices of early New Yorkers come to us freshly from over two centuries, and a riveting legal and social history of New York in the early years of the Republic.




Gunning for the Godman


Book Description

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE.Notorious godman Asaram Bapu, aka Asumal Sirumalani Harpalani, serves life imprisonment in the Central Jail Jodhpur. He was convicted for the rape of a minor and also has murder charges against him.Gunning for the Godman is the no-holds-barred, first-hand account of how Ajay Lamba, then DCP Jodhpur (West), landed the case and got a team of dedicated officers together. It is the story of how, foiling the Baba's many attempts to get away scot-free, they arrested him in a matter of only ten days, and how they assiduously saw the victim and her family through a four-year long trial. This, despite the countless threats to not only the girl and her family, but also to DCP Lamba's own family and team.A testimony to unrelenting courage, this story of a dynamic police officer's pursuit of justice is a lesson for these troubled times.*** DISCLAIMER: As on the date of publication of this book, the appeal of Sanchita Gupta@Shilpi against the order of conviction passed by the Special Court (POCSO) Jodhpur, is pending before the Hon'ble Rajasthan High Court. The sentence awarded to Sanchita Gupta@Shilpi has been suspended during the pendency of the appeal.




Death in the Everglades


Book Description

"Guy Bradley's colorful life and violent death have always seemed the stuff of myth. . . . Death in the Everglades is both compelling history and a heart-tugging drama."--Audubon "An eye-opening, informative account of the rise and demise of the cruel plume hunting trade and of Guy Bradley's heroic dedication to protect a beautiful and valuable natural resource: the egrets and flamingoes, roseate spoonbills and herons that still grace the Glades and our shorelines."--Miami Herald "Rescues from obscurity a key chapter in the history of American environmentalism. . . . With great finesse, McIver evokes Bradley's tumultuous world, chronicles the pitched battle to save wild birds, and resurrects a true folk hero."--Booklist "Reminds us that Glades once was so wild that armed men quaked with fear."--St. Petersburg Times Guy Bradley, born in Chicago in 1870, was killed in 1905 only three years into his tenure as game warden in a south Florida that was still very much a frontier. His murderer, never prosecuted, was a one-eyed former Civil War sharpshooter who made his living supplying exotic plumage for women's hats. At the time, an ounce of feathers was worth more than an ounce of gold. Bradley's death sent shock waves across America and helped give impetus to the burgeoning environmental movement.




On the Border with Crook


Book Description

A firsthand account of General George Crook's campaigns against the Indians, by a member of his staff.




Florida's Frontier


Book Description




The Mythical West


Book Description

This cultural journey down memory lane showcases how major Western figures, events, and places have been portrayed in folk legends, art, literature, and popular culture. Ever since the days of the 49ers and George Armstrong Custer, the Old West has been America's most potent source of legend. But it is sometimes hard to separate fact from fiction. Did you know, for example, that Annie Oakley was a talented marksman who shot an estimated 40,000 rounds per year while practicing and performing for Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show in the late l800s? Or that many interpreters believe that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is not just a fairy tale, but also a Populist allegory? These are just two of the folk legends dissected and examined in this veritable cultural geography. The volume covers everything from billionaire Howard Hughes and composer Aaron Copeland to Aztlan (the legendary first city of the Aztecs) and Area 51, the top-secret U.S. Air Force base at Groom Lake, Nevada, that has fascinated UFO and conspiracy buffs.







Legends of Texas


Book Description

V2 : Pirates' Gold and Other Tales.