The Machine vs
Hometown Heroes
The Machine vs Hometown Heroes
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The District Attorney of Russell County, Ferrell hadn’t prosecuted a single killing during his tenure. His office overlooked the red-light district spilling out onto 14th Street. A mean and violent drunk, he claimed he could do nothing about local crime. |
Longtime Phenix City defense attorney who decided he’d had enough with vice and crime in his hometown. After becoming the Democratic party’s nominate for attorney general in 1954, he was assassinated in an alley next to his law office. |
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The former kingpin of Phenix City’s vice district, Shepherd was in semi-retirement in ’54. But with decades of experience running every corner of lawlessness and corrupt politics, he knew where the secrets were buried. |
The son of Albert Patterson who worked with Murphy outside the official investigation into the death of his father. A war hero who had more interest in fishing than politics, he soon took over his slain father’s nomination as the state’s top crime fighter. |
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Assistant sheriff of Russell County, Fuller was known for his Western duds and crack shooting with his .38 pistol. He’s rumored to have been able to shoot a high heel off a whore at fifty feet. |
Local Texaco station owner, Murphy had been a prizefighter making his way with his fists before settling down in Phenix City to raise a family. Murphy was the only man in the town who would take the job as sheriff during the cleanup. |
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The state of Alabama’s attorney general accused of running a vote fraud scheme in .54. Few knew he’d been institutionalized with mental problems while in office when all hell broke loose in ’54. |
Martial Law/Busted!
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