Before Las Vegas, there was Phenix City, Alabamathe original sin city. The sheriff says the suspect's uncle is not believed to be an accessory to the crime. He had a wife and three mistresses that he kept in clothes, cars, and houses and almost any woman he took a fancy to of course, they werent all willing and when they werent there were ways of persuasion or penalty which was how he kept the jail filled up and the whore houses provided with an unlimited stable of girls. Copyright 2021 WTVM. Once the sprawling capital of the Muscogee Indian Empire, the region took a sinister turn when a holy war engulfed the southern territories in 1812, leading to the murder of the infamous Chief William McIntosh. 2023 Alabama Humanities Alliance - All Rights Reserved, Turner Classic Movies: The Phenix City Story. Creative Commons License, Phenix City: The Tragedies (1946 - 1954). Both men had been Hoyts defense attorneys. By the 1950s, Phenix City was home to the Dixie Mafia, and crime and corruption ruled over the little riverfront city. During the divorce proceedings, Gloria disclosed the gambling business as the source of family income and the National Lottery Company (Davis business) grossing more than one million dollars a year. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. A block away, Albert Patterson, mortally wounded, staggered out of the alley, rounded the corner and fell dead on the sidewalk with his keys still clutched in his hand. In Phenix City, AL you have a 1 in 139 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime. Where is 2022 data? In 1947, Hoyt got his wish. The discrepancy was found. L - R: Russell County Solicitor Arch Ferrell, State Attorney General Si Garrett, It was now a matter of public record, and the IRS was going to investigate. The family oriented practices of the film industry at the time prompted Mainwaring and Wilbur to create an ending in which Pattersons killers are identified and brought to justice. The girls he hired were tattooed, with an identification number like a thoroughbred horse, inside the lower lip, so that if they tried to run away, or if anyone tried to hire them away, the tattoo would prove they were one of Franks.. The gamblers were willing to pay plenty for protection so that they could continue operating in back rooms with hidden equipment, and the girls were even easier than that. Of course, once the girls started to work, they had to pay their dues for protection to insure themselves against arrest for prostitution. The Phenix City Story is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Phil Karlson [3] for Allied Artists, written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur and starring John McIntire, Richard Kiley, and Kathryn Grant. That compares to a 1 in 195.8 chance statewide. Thats rightinstead of Italian or Irish syndicates, let us introduce you to a bunch of good ol boys who got up to some very evil deeds. Then, Fuller decides to expand his interest. 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Everybody said so, including the courthouse crowd Hoyt Shepherd, Godwin Davis, Elmer Reese but theirs was for a different reason. Hoyt Shepherd wanted to make a deal with Hugh Bentley. It was not nearly so high-risk as gambling and lottery with investigations going on all the time. She called the police, they made a report, and nobody knew he was across the street. The situation had become explosive and death threats against Albert Patterson increased. Engineer Richard Hawes, his wife, and two children were brutally murdered in an event that baffled people for years. Patterson then joined Hugh Bentley and Hugh Britton in their effort to beat the rackets. PHENIX CITY, Ala. (WRBL) - A family is left heartbroken after the brutal murder that took place on Hwy 80 near Misty Lane last Friday. Everybody said so, including the courthouse crowd Hoyt Shepherd, Godwin Davis, Elmer Reese but theirs was for a different reason. Authorities have identified the two men killed in a shooting Saturday on the Phenix City Riverwalk. He then launched into another four hours of testimony concerning Lamar Reid and the discrepancy in the Jefferson County voting tally, telling the Grand Jury that he only knew of what he had read in the newspapers. NeighborhoodScout has done just that. Crime risk data are updated annually. Bootlegging and rumrunning, rigged elections and assassinations. Next week: There is triumph at the end of this journey and a brighter future for our neighbor and regional partner, Phenix City. [4] COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - The East Alabama Board of Realtors teamed up with a friend to honor a young boy who lost his life too soon. wind speeds 158-206 mph) tornado 2.8 miles away from the Phenix City city center injured 7 people and caused between $5000 and $50,000 in damages.. On 4/18/1953, a category F3 tornado 5.9 miles away from the . in cities like Gulfport and Biloxi, gambling and drinking dens sprang up like kudzu, right next to hotels and local harbors, The Black Hand and the Courage of Minnie Orsino, Meet Parker Anderson, Arizona Gangster Hunter. The Phenix City Story is a crime film based on the assassination of Alabama politician and attorney Albert Patterson in June 1954 in Phenix City, Russell County. Roused to action by public outrage, Alabama governor Gordon Persons placed Phenix City under martial law, putting the Alabama National Guard in charge of law enforcement in Russell County. Early life [ edit] Officers with the Phenix City Police Department responded to a call about a shooting at the residence Friday afternoon. Garrett suggested voter fraud and that the Jefferson County votes were off by 2,000 votes and he needed to re-check them. Medical teams also struggled to save the life of the baby Martin was carrying. Elmer Reese continued in his position, as he was not up for an election that year. With his equipment gone, he leased his buildings and gave his full attention to politics. It was war. Read more about Scout's Crime Data. She was seeking alimony and support for their two-year-old daughter. Site design by Tabbed Creative. While Hugh Bentley was ecstatic, the crime syndicate was stunned beyond belief that they had not bought enough votes, so they swung into action. Hugh Bentley said that a blind man had been led from precinct to precinct and had voted five times and Hugh Britton said the ballot boxes were being stuffed with tombstone votes, but nobody outside of the newspapers took much notice. Burbank, Calif.: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., 2010. For Albert, it was all so easy. According to NeighborhoodScout's analysis of FBI reported crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in Phenix City is one in 145. For his defense, Hoyt hired every lawyer in town: Roy Smith, the city attorney also representing Grady, Jabe Braswell, William Belcher, Julius Hicks, Arch Ferrell, Jake Walker, and Albert Patterson. Before mailing it, the letter dropped from his pocket and was found by some of the criminals in Phenix City. Updated annually. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Phenix City. By Monday, June 7th, Ben Ray, chairman of the State Democratic Executive Committee, received a telegram from RBA President Howard Pennington stating that as much as $30,000 had been offered to county election officials across the state to change their tally sheets in favor of Lee Porter before the official canvas in Montgomery on June 10th. For the first time, the gambling community realized that with Albert Patterson guiding the group, a serious assault was about to be made on their activities and it was time to stop it before any real damage was done. When we first met Hugh Bentley, he was helping his mother (Minnie) haul baskets of food in his wagon to the workers at the mills in Columbus. Only Fuller would be convicted, however. Silas Garrett III was a man accustomed to having his own way. the state line, where they could set up shop once more. It had been too close to call, too close, and he decided, as he handed out rewards to those who had helped him with the trial, that it was time to reshuffle the deck and adjust the balance of power beginning with the circuit judge and circuit solicitor. Karlson, Phil, dir. The county and city could be controlled, but the IRS could not. The next morning, Albert Patterson went to his office in the Coulter Building to catch up on work left undone due to the campaign. He got a call from a fellow attorney asking him for help in Montgomery. Until statewide prohibition was finally repealed in 1966, illegal booze fueled a corrupt political machine that intimidated journalists who dared to speak against it and fixed juries that threatened its interests. What the courthouse crowd objected to was not the prostitution, but the use of the Russell County jail cells for that purpose when Albert found a soldier willing to pay for a quick trick. Jerry Lambe is a journalist at Law&Crime. First, the gambling machine gets Russell Countys two State Representatives Jabe Brassell and Ben Cole to introduce legislation declaring the five-man commission created in 1947 as unconstitutional and request a return to the three-man commission (who would be gambler-friendly). They sell to Lamar Reid the idea that Patterson and his pack of crooks had stolen the election. He stood his ground, and when that man came in his house, Richard stood there with a baseball bat against a gun, and he died protecting his wife and unborn child, said Jessica Martins Uncle, Terry Moore. The next day, he certified for Patterson 23,858 and for Porter 23,660. Harris was elected Mayor. Since taking the job as legal counsel for the RBA and investigating the conditions to bring impeachment proceedings against Sheriff Matthews, Patterson had learned that the syndicates tentacles of power and influence reached far beyond Phenix City out into the State and beyond with its sights ultimately on Washington, but only Patterson knew the full extent of that. A.L. Like all of the gamblers in Phenix City, Hoyt feared neither God nor the Devil, only the IRS. While Garrett was doing this, Albert Patterson in Montgomery made an astonishing tactical move. This capitulation, however, was not due to Hugh Bentley or the RBA, but a federal tax increase that had been passed by Congress which included a new federal law requiring all lottery operators, nationwide, to register, buy a $50 occupational tax stamp, and pay a ten percent tax on their gross income. In addition, NeighborhoodScout found that a lot of the crime that takes place in Phenix City is property crime. A self-professed populist, John Patterson attempted major reforms as governor in Alabama's property-tax [] Family members said, Jessica and Jefferys 14-year-old son was also in the house at the time of the shooting. Thank you for your understanding! This site offers articles on Alabama's people, events, sports, art, literature, industry, government, plant and animal life, agriculture, recreation, and so much more. The second was the unsuccessful attempt to impeach Sherriff Ralph Matthews. Most accurate 2021 crime rates for Phenix City, AL. The next day, he certified for Patterson 23,858 and for Porter 23,660. Fate, his archrival from Columbus, was sitting at a table with a Columbus Beauty Queen. Even All the Kings Men, inspired by the assassination of Louisiana governor Huey Long, had been shot in California. In fact, your chance of getting your car stolen if you live in Phenix City is one in 148. He then tells the floor manager, Otis Stewart, to leave as well. cases murdered their political opponents in cold blood. PHENIX CITY, Ala. (WRBL) - On Friday morning, Phenix City community leaders made a plea for help in stopping 2021's surge of violence. When it was over, it was determined Albert Patterson had won his race. Barnes, Margaret Ann. She notes in her Foreword that information came from in-depth interviews with the principals and investigators, witness sworn testimony, and recordings from wire-taps. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. Methodology: Thanks for contacting us. Patterson does not see himself as a moral crusader and is reluctant to take up this cause. Albert Patterson headed back to Phenix City to his office at the Coulter Building to finish the work he had started earlier that morning. Take a walk with author Faith Serafin as she travels through the darkest recesses of Phenix Citys past. All of this didnt sit well with Albert Patterson (pictured below). She charged him with cruelty, he charged her with drunkenness. Fuller began providing racket protection to the gamblers. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, All 4 Alabama Sweet 16 shooting victims identified, including aspiring musician, Sweet 16 DJ said partygoers told someone had a gun ahead of deadly Alabama shooting, Alabama football star headed to college on scholarship IDd among 4 dead in shooting at sisters Sweet 16 party, 4 killed, 28 injured in shooting at teens birthday party. Tornado activity: Phenix City-area historical tornado activity is slightly below Alabama state average.It is 38% greater than the overall U.S. average.. On 3/31/1961, a category F3 (max. It is a favorite of the celebrated American director Martin Scorsese, who featured it in his 1995 documentary A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through American Movies. Phenix City is the county seat of Russell County and is located in east Alabama along the west bank of the Chattahoochee River, which separates the city from Columbus, Georgia. The possibilities and profits from providing girls and protection was endless and Albert Fuller decided to explore and exploit this lucrative field. Phenix City, Alabama. Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons. For Hoyt Shepherd, it was time to get busy and get a man to replace Homer Cobb as Mayor in order to keep his political machine running the way he wanted. There was Ma Beachie, a grandmotherly woman who swore that all she provided was high-spirited good fun and a floor show. Phenix City was angered because Georgia police were trying to arrest people and therefore depriving them of their own property. Every corner was covered, law enforcement, legislative, and judicial. Lamar Reid felt his doubts being swept away with the arguments of the two men and returned to euphoria for being included in something important. She ran out into the street and disappeared. Sign up for the Crime Capsule newsletter today. Pettway and Gibson were known to one another only through an internet transaction. Patterson was aware that the danger could no longer be dismissed and in an address to the Methodist Mens Club on June 17th, he told the group: My chances of living to take office are about 100 to one. He then tells Howard Pennington, If anything happens to me, dont let them get away with it.. Stringfellow, a soldier doing time in the federal detention barracks for violating the military code, had been released from prison to become an undercover agent for the federal authorities and a government witness in a liquor conspiracy case against Revel, Davis, and Allred. He was from a prominent and distinguished family of attorneys. A Grand Jury investigation was quickly called and thankfully they were in session. Here clubs such as the Shangri-La and Paradise Point, or the beautifully-named Chez Joeys and the Gay Paree, profited from boozehounds and gamblers arriving both by land and by water. She notes in her Foreword that information came from in-depth interviews with the principals and investigators, witness sworn testimony, and recordings from wire-taps. Cliff Entrekins Fish Camp down by the river served dinner downstairs and sex upstairs, and Frank Gullatts Blue Bonnet Caf. 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