Albert PattersonAlbert Patterson (1894-1954) was a prominent Alabama attorney and politician. Patterson then joined Hugh Bentley and Hugh Britton in their effort to beat the rackets. According to police, Martins ex-husband shot and killed her and Richard Cook in their home along Highway 80 on Misty Lane in Phenix City. 12, 2023 at 7:41 PM PDT. The sheriff says the suspect's uncle is not believed to be an accessory to the crime. Fuller would even cruise the county for girls. Raw data sources: Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2004. Patterson does not see himself as a moral crusader and is reluctant to take up this cause. to declare martial law, and bring in a decorated World War II general to The next day, he certified for Patterson 23,858 and for Porter 23,660. In Columbus, cab driver James Radius Taylor picked up a fare, an Army lieutenant, who destination was Chads Rose Room in Phenix City. Thats according to reports from NBC affiliate WTVM-TVand CBS affiliate WRBL-TV. Shortly after 9:00 PM, Albert Patterson turned off his office light and went to where his car was parked in the alley behind the building. COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - An East Alabama family is mourning the loss of two of their own, and an unborn baby taken from them, before he even got to see the light of day. By 1949, traffic in illegal liquor had also become such a bustling trade that not only liquor runners, but private citizens set on saving a dollar a bottle in bonded liquor, were hauling it over the bridge from Phenix City by the carload. For most states, the repeal of prohibition meant a return to a state of legally drunken normalcy, but not so in Mississippi. Apparently, using fists and feet werent considered an arrestable moment at the time. 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. In 1947, Hoyt got his wish. PO Box 5312 All Albert had to do was make an arrest, charge them with a fine they couldnt pay, and then arrange for them to work it out at whichever whore house needed a new girl. 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. Garrett suggested voter fraud and that the Jefferson County votes were off by 2,000 votes and he needed to re-check them. Take a walk with author Faith Serafin as she travels through the darkest recesses of Phenix Citys past. All rights reserved. cases murdered their political opponents in cold blood. He then tells the floor manager, Otis Stewart, to leave as well. It was as bitter and hard-fought a campaign as Phenix City had seen in a long time. Both men had been Hoyts defense attorneys. In 1948, another case would require Albert Pattersons help. Fuller would even cruise the county for girls. Crime in Phenix City, Alabama (AL): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers, crime map All Cities Alabama, Alabama smaller cities, Alabama small towns Phenix City main page US Crime Crime rate in Phenix City, Alabama (AL) A pregnant Alabama woman and her boyfriend were shot dead last week by her ex-husband before he turned the gun on himself in a horrific murder-suicide, police said. Otis Stewart was never seen again. Deputies with the Russell County Sheriffs Department and agents with Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) set up a perimeter around the wooded area. Mississippi? This was horrifyingly devastating to the Leebern family, but unfortunately not surprising within the framework of the system that had been established at the time. Later, atrocities continued at Fort Mitchell, the killing grounds for early Georgia politicians who fought to the death over rival politics and bitter feuds. 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. Columbus, Georgia 31906. With regards to property crime, you have a 1 in 24 chance of becoming a victim. As Taylor stopped for a traffic light a block from the Russell County Courthouse, three shots rang out. Executive Director, 1440 Second Avenue Copyright 2019 by Arcadia Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Her boyfriendand father of their unborn child, 40-year-old Richard Cook, was killed trying to protect her, their relatives told WTVM. District Attorney Rick Chancey said she appeared to have little remorse. Most accurate 2021 crime rates for Phenix City, AL. Lamar saw it as a call to arms, an invitation to a heroic act. 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. 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. They needed to steal it back. 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. Copyright 2000-2023 Location Inc. Terrified, Jeannette Mercer ran to the door, but it was too late she heard two shots fired and a body hit the floor. In reality, John Patterson later ran for governor as an opponent of integration. A preliminary hearing has not been set yet. They never let up and when election day came, they appointed themselves poll watchers to see to it that the ballots were cast according to the law. That compares to a 1 in 195.8 chance statewide. Its pursuit of the circumstances would be thorough and relentless and for this grief, they held Albert Patterson personally responsible. Albert Fuller, the local chief deputy who had given Albert Patterson a ride the night he was shot, would later be indicted for the crime, along with outgoing attorney general Si Garrett and circuit solicitor Arch Ferrell. A friend of Alberts on the police force also warned Alberts son, John, that his father would need protection. 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. No longer could the gambling charges made against the Phenix City crime syndicate be dismissed as hearsay. Hoyt hands the 19-year-old hostess, Jeannette Mercer, a $20 bill to leave the high dice room. 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. She charged him with cruelty, he charged her with drunkenness. Vengeance was now being reaped on the innocent and unsuspecting. 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. Relatives say Martins 14-year-old son, who he shared with Jessica, was inside the home at the time and witnessed the horrific ordeal. Feeling pressured, Lamar left the tabulation sheets with Si Garrett. [4] 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. Site design by Tabbed Creative. According to the Russell County district attorney, there was a raid at the home a few days ago where the alleged. When I came up in the driveway, (Martins son) came up running to me saying, Uncle Bubba, Richards dead, my dad shot him in the head, he went in there and said my mom is gurgling, Jessicas uncle, Terry Moore, told the local outlet. Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Phenix City may be as high as 1 in 114 in the east neighborhoods, or as low as 1 . Fuller was top gun. Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons. I just ask anyone who wants to pray for the family, prayer is greatly needed right now.. A special grand jury in Birmingham handed down 734 indictments against law enforcement officers, elected officials and business owners connected to organized crime in the city. Family members said, Jessica and Jefferys 14-year-old son was also in the house at the time of the shooting. Officers found what his last location appears to be: Piggly Wiggly off of Stadium Drive. Arriving at his fathers house bruised and bloodied, the younger Patterson urges his father to clean up the town. 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. It was war. Before Las Vegas, there was Phenix City, Alabamathe original sin city. 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. Thank you for your understanding! 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. DVD. 50-yr-old Tywoana Jakes has been charged with capital murder for killing 12-yr-old Connor Mullens on a lot across the street from her main residence. Hoyt Shepherd wanted to make a deal with Hugh Bentley. Bullets over Hollywood: The American Gangster Picture from the Silents to the Sopranos. The family of 35-year-old Jessica Martin told News Leader 9, theyre asking for the communitys prayers and donations for funeral arrangements. PHENIX CITY, Ala. (WRBL) - On Friday morning, Phenix City community leaders made a plea for help in stopping 2021's surge of violence. In and Russell County Sheriff Ralph Matthews. A self-professed populist, John Patterson attempted major reforms, Hugh Bentley (1909-1984) was a key figure in the movement to end vice and corruption in Phenix City, Russell County, in the early 1950s and became the subject of threats and a bombing. For that, youll have to read Tracys book, which has all the juicy detailsbut as the saying goes, they werent here for a long time, they were here for a good time. Published: Apr. On June 4, 1954, Si Garrett set out to see Lamar Reid, the 28-year-old brand new chairman of the Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee in Birmingham. Grady Shepherd admitted to police the next day to killing Fate Leebern in self-defense with Hoyt Shepherd and Jimmie Matthews stating they were eyewitnesses to it. Sheriff Taylor says agents received. The film invents instances of the fictional Tanner and his cronies engaging in a campaign of terror against the Pattersons and their supporters even before Albert Patterson is assassinated. Need protection Patterson urges his father would need protection gambling charges made against the Phenix City had seen a! As well home a few days ago where the alleged Patterson ( 1894-1954 ) was prominent!, Jessica and Jefferys 14-year-old son, who he shared with Jessica, was inside the home the... Longer could the gambling charges made against the Phenix City, AL his would. 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