Gunmen, Lawmen and Wild Men of Early Georgia

Within the pages of this historic account are descriptions of the pioneer Georgians of yesteryear who settled and shaped the great geographic realm known today as the state of Georgia. They came from all walks of life - from roughshod gold miners to gunfighters and honest law-abiding citizens. Just as in virtually all cultures, segments of the early Georgia settlers and later residents were determined to obtain what they wanted by criminal means. And, with equal determination, law enforcement officials pursued, captured and convicted these criminals. A few examples of the topics contained within the pages of this book are described below.Virginia Hill & 'Bugsy' Siegel - Though gentle and kind to friends and family, life was less than rewarding to the attractive young lady from Cobb County, Georgia, who grew up to become the 'kept woman' of Chicago mobsters. After living a life of high - but non-violent - crime, Virginia ultimately died a lonely death far from her Georgia home, and later was immortalized upon the silver screen in her life with notorious mobster Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel.Jacob Pettyjohn & Murder in Forsyth County - Though he sought a normal, law-abiding life, Jacob Pettyjohn’s world became nightmarish in 1859, when events quite nearly conspired to end his life.  At the somewhat young age of 42, he was convicted of murder for little more than his inability to render assistance to a victim in need.  After winning a 'Stay of Execution,' Pettyjohn did not wait around hoping for a reversed judgment. He had 'seen the handwriting on the wall,' and struck out for Texas in a bid for a new life.Frontier Fighters From Yesteryear - If one rides through Polk County today, the name 'Prior' can still occasionally be seen on a street name and in property descriptions. The once-prominent family was composed of hard-working, honest, and law-abiding citizens who worked the land and became prosperous in the days prior to the U.S. Civil War. During and after this conflict, when a criminal element threatened their lives and livelihood, the perpetrators quickly discovered they had seriously misjudged their adversary in the Prior family.The Murder of Cherokee Chief James Vann II - On a cold winter night in 1809, at an isolated tavern located on the old Federal Road at what today would be the approximate county line between Forsyth and Cherokee counties, an important head-man of the Cherokee Nation was brutally murdered.  Vann’s assailant was never identified nor captured, and though Vann himself was buried and his grave clearly marked a short distance away in Blackburn Cemetery, the specific location of his interment has been strangely lost through time. Today, no one knows for certain where the last mortal remains of Chief Vann now lie, nor the reason for his murder nor the identify of his murderer.The Vanished Confederate Treasury Gold - During the dark closing days of the U.S. Civil War, casks of gold and silver coins comprising the Confederate Treasury and the assets of several Virginia banks - a glittering hoard worth untold millions of dollars today - were spirited across the Carolinas and into northeast Georgia in a last-ditch effort to avoid their confiscation by Federal authorities. Portions of these funds ultimately simply disappeared into thin air in the confusion of a mass exodus; other portions were stolen and scattered over the northeast Georgia hills by escaping thieves in the pandemonium and have become a subject of legend today.The articles described above, and some 27 additional captivating stories await the readers of this book.