From an innocent man sent to the gallows in 1808 to the execution of a ruthless and random killer in 2004, this book covers moonshine, murder, and mayhem in the Blue Ridge region of the Appalachian Highlands. Discover the story of Nancy Franklin, a Civil War heroine who, despite multiple tragedies, including the Shelton Laurel massacre, remained defiant. Explore the stories of moonshine outlaws who would rather shoot it out than surrender, including the legendary Lewis Redmond, Moonshine King of the Carolinas. Learn about manhunts filled with racial tensions, murders, and shootouts as we examine the hunt for and killing of Will Harris and Broadus Miller.
Ride along with an interstate band of train robbers whose resourcefulness and daring rivaled or surpassed the outlaws of the old west. Delve into the audacious theft of rare books from the Biltmore Estate, a mystery uncovered while filming a comedic mystery film. All this and a murderous hermit, a murder trial that went off the rails, a fugitive who returned for trial 30 years after the crime, a life in liquor and blood, the last hanging in Madison County, a tale of clandestine railroad travel and brutal murder, a robbery where the money itself gave the bandits away, and the dangerous lure of freighthopping.
