Wicked Western Kentucky

by Richard Parker

Overview

Western Kentucky has always had a dark side, despite being the "Birthplace of Bluegrass Music." Mary James Trotter, an arrested moonshine-selling grandma, remarked to a judge that she "simply had to sell a little liquor now and then to take care of my four grandchildren." Rod Ferrell led a bloodsucking vampire cult in Murray, Kentucky, and traumatized parents of the 1990s. In the early morning of July 13, 1928, at the "Castle on the Cumberland," seven men were put to death in Kentucky's deadliest night of state-sponsored executions. Join award-winning author Richard Parker as he takes you on a journey through fifteen of Western Kentucky's most nefarious people, places and events.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467150521
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	01/17/2022
Series:	Wicked
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Richard Parker is the vice-president of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society and has authored several articles and book reviews that have been published in the Journal of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society. In 2019, the Jackson Purchase Historical Society won a Kentucky History Award for volunteer organization of the year. Parker's most recent contribution to the society's Journal won the 2019 Dr. Lonnie E. Maness Award for the most outstanding article. The 2019 Journal was awarded a Kentucky History Award in November 2020. Parker is a speaker for the Kentucky Humanities Council. He and his wife, Emily, co-own Atomic City Tours, a company focused on providing historical walking tours in downtown Paducah. He lives in Paducah, Kentucky, with his wife and their two children, Ellis and Sullivan.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

1 Micajah and Wiley Harpe 9

2 Darnell-Lane Feud 19

3 Jesse James 27

4 Shelby-Jenkins-Taylor Feud 35

5 Isaac Wolfe Bernheim 39

6 The Castle on the Cumberland 46

7 George "Devil" Winston 53

8 Buckskin Bill's Wild West Show 60

9 Prostitution in Paducah 71

10 Night Riders 78

11 Pool Road Murders 92

12 Western Kentucky Moonshine 101

13 Murder Mansion 107

14 Leslie Irvin 112

15 Rod Ferrell 117

Notes 123

Bibliography 135

Index 141

About the Author 143