Autry said, his name would have been Robbie, after their grandmother. The violent crime rate in Phenix City is 640.9 per 100,000 people. Welcome to your free, online resource on Alabama history, culture, geography, and natural environment. The family of 35-year-old Jessica Martin told News Leader 9, theyre asking for the communitys prayers and donations for funeral arrangements. Otis Stewart was never seen again. Gambling rings. The possibilities and profits from providing girls and protection was endless and Albert Fuller decided to explore and exploit this lucrative field. The next day, he certified for Patterson 23,858 and for Porter 23,660. When the votes were counted, Elmer Reese had won re-election to his seat by better than a two to one margin. 29-year-old Damon Daniels Jr., of Phenix City, is charged with capital murder. Feeling pressured, Lamar left the tabulation sheets with Si Garrett. They needed to steal it back. 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. Everywhere you looked, there was Hugh Bentley and Hugh Britton attacking city government and county government, Mayor Homer Cobb and the City Commission, and Elmer Reese. 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. 7,043,501 and 7,680,859. In Phenix City, your chance of becoming a victim of a property crime is one in 24, which is a rate of 41 per one thousand population. In March 1955, director Phil Karlson and his cast and crew began filming in Phenix City, popularly known in the national press as Sin City, USA, for rampant abuses by organized crime. The. While Hugh Bentley was ecstatic, the crime syndicate was stunned beyond belief that they had not bought enough votes, so they swung into action. Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 2012. With a population of 38,428, Phenix City has a combined rate of violent and property crime that is very high compared to other places of similar population size. John Patterson (1921-2021) was thrust into the Alabama political arena in 1954 by the brutal murder of his father, Albert Patterson, who had gained the Democratic nomination for Alabama attorney general with promises to end the rampant organized crime in Phenix City. He got a call from a fellow attorney asking him for help in Montgomery. A self-professed populist, John Patterson attempted major reforms as governor in Alabama's property-tax [] Located on the western bank of the Chattahoochee River marking the Georgia state line, Phenix City had long been known as the red light district for both the much larger Columbus and the nearby Army base at Fort Benning. When it was over, it was determined Albert Patterson had won his race. It occurred to Albert Fuller (pictured to the right) that what these people needed was protection - and he was the man to provide it. 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. The next morning, Albert Patterson went to his office in the Coulter Building to catch up on work left undone due to the campaign. The police were also used as defense witnesses to corroborate the self-defense claim. Cliff Entrekins Fish Camp down by the river served dinner downstairs and sex upstairs, and Frank Gullatts Blue Bonnet Caf. What Lamar then realized was that when the discovery of the discrepancy was made, the responsibility of what had been done was his. Gloria Floyd Davis, the twenty-three-year-old daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Seth Floyd, filed for divorce from William Robert (Bubber) Davis, son of gambling kingpin, Godwin Davis. They sell to Lamar Reid the idea that Patterson and his pack of crooks had stolen the election. Jessica was rushed to hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to police. The situation had become explosive and death threats against Albert Patterson increased. Hugh Bentley and the RBA were not the only ones saying that law enforcement in Phenix City had gone to hell. (The US average is 35.4) NOTE: Click on the links below to see charts for each crime category. Both McVeigh and Walden were soon arrested and confessed to the crime. For Albert, it was all so easy. Images are from her book and Phenix City by John Lyles. The film, which takes a number of liberties with the actual events and characters, opened on July 19, 1955, with simultaneous premieres in Phenix City, Columbus, Georgia, and Chicago, Illinois. Then, Fuller decides to expand his interest. Georgia didnt want anyone bringing Alabama whiskey into Georgia and cars used for transportation would be confiscated. All of this didnt sit well with Albert Patterson (pictured below). Called the Dixie Mafia, theyre the mob you never knew. Albert Patterson headed back to Phenix City to his office at the Coulter Building to finish the work he had started earlier that morning. DVD. 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. At the time of filming, the killers had not yet been identified. They carried out the task and buried him in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Gordon Persons, with only six months left in office as governor, was acutely aware of the powerful passions and potential powder keg in Phenix City - the shooting, killing, and retaliation that was likely to occur as a result of this shocking slaying of the attorney general-elect. Homer Cobb allowed gambling and gaming, but he came out strong against prostitution. Phenix City, many of those same criminals from east Alabama simply moved west across Their grave concern was the cavalier conduct of Chief Deputy Sherriff Albert Fuller. Pettway could only give officers limited information about the incident before he passed away from his injuries. When the ballots were counted the night of the run-off, Patterson won again by a very slim margin 874 out of 400,000 votes cast. The straw broke for the adult Hugh Bentley in 1944 when he and his friend Hugh Britton found a soldier, almost dead, off the side of the road at the Dillingham Street Bridge. Images are from her book and Phenix City by John Lyles. Bootleggers & the Law Kept a Dry State Soakedafter the cleanup of 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. Shadoian, Jack. 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. 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. 2023 Alabama Humanities Alliance - All Rights Reserved, Turner Classic Movies: The Phenix City Story. turned a blind eye to distilling hooch: the profits simply benefited their own and Russell County Sheriff Ralph Matthews. ***Editor's Note: There was so much happening during this . 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. They headed to the Southern Manor night club and the drinks were on Hoyt. ***Editor's Note: There was so much happening during this time and so many players. It was as bitter and hard-fought a campaign as Phenix City had seen in a long time. Thank you for your understanding! Like all of the gamblers in Phenix City, Hoyt feared neither God nor the Devil, only the IRS. Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Phenix City is 1 in 145 and property crime is 1 in 24. Your chance of being a victim of crime in Phenix City may be as high as 1 in 9 in the east neighborhoods, or as low as 1 in 42 in the northwest part of the city. Have a tip or story idea? Particularly along the Gulf Coast, in cities like Gulfport and Biloxi, gambling and drinking dens sprang up like kudzu, right next to hotels and local harbors (hotspots for raids by federal authorities). All rights reserved. Gradys trial never happened because witnesses were still missing. 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. It occurred to Albert Fuller (pictured to the right) that what these people needed was protection - and he was the man to provide it. Updated annually. With his equipment gone, he leased his buildings and gave his full attention to politics. For what he had done, Albert Patterson was removed from the reserved list to the endangered list and systematically stripped of every public office he held on the School Board, the Draft Board, and even as a deacon of his church. A pregnant woman and her unborn child were among three victims gunned down by a man in Alabama who took his own life Friday. 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. 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. Author and native Mississippian Janice Branch Tracy delivers an intimate look at the story of Mississippis moonshine empire. I also want to encourage you to follow Historic Columbus on Facebook and Instagram for more posts on our community's history. On June 18, 1954, soon after his primary victory, Patterson was brutally murdered, shocking the state government . Before Las Vegas, there was Phenix City, Alabamathe original sin city. Sign up for the Crime Capsule newsletter today. 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. PHENIX CITY, Ala. (WTVM) - Phenix City police arrested a man on two counts of capital murder. Separately, it is always interesting and important to compare a city's crime rate with those of similarly sized communities - a fair comparison as larger cities tend to have more crime. He also was the owner of several sporting goods stores and created a plastic helmet liner used. The three-man City Commission was also expanded to five. At seedy joints such as Site design by Tabbed Creative. Albert Patterson represented Gloria and Roy Smith represented Bubber. With regards to property crime, you have a 1 in 24 chance of becoming a victim. 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.. Our nationally-comparable school ratings are covered under US Patent No. The attorney general was that of the chief law enforcement officer in the state, empowered to go into any county and investigate any condition he saw fit, remove solicitors, and take over grand juries. At that hour in Phenix City on the night of June 18th, the business district was still crowded. According to the reports, Russel County Coroner Dr. Arthur Sumbry, Jr. confirmed that 35-year-old Jessica Martin, 40-year-old Richard Cook, and an infant child whose name was not released were fatally shot at a home located at the 3700 block of U.S. Highway 80 in Phenix City on Friday. 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. 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.. Methodology: 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) Mississippi? He, unfortunately, died soon after. The film, which takes a number of liberties with the actual events and characters, opened on July 19, 1955, with simultaneous premieres in New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. You have a 1 in 156.0 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in Phenix City each year. L - R: Russell County Solicitor Arch Ferrell, State Attorney General Si Garrett, 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. Columbus, Georgia 31906. Bullets over Hollywood: The American Gangster Picture from the Silents to the Sopranos. PHENIX CITY, Ala. (WRBL) - On Friday morning, Phenix City community leaders made a plea for help in stopping 2021's surge of violence. She was alive but critically wounded. [4] Significantly, based on the number of murders reported by the FBI and the number of residents living in the city, NeighborhoodScout's analysis shows that Phenix City experiences one of the higher murder rates in the nation when compared with cities and towns for all sizes of population, from the largest to the smallest. She ran out into the street and disappeared. The rate of violent crime in Phenix City is 4.91 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. As the movie starts, Albert Patterson is being urged to run for public office and battle the corrupt influence of Rhett Tanner (played by Edward Andrews), the gangster who controls Phenix Citys virtually lawless 14th Street. When Hugh wouldnt bend to the bribe of becoming Mayor, Hoyt Shepherd did the unexpected he cashed in his chips and turned in $250,000 worth of gambling equipment and announced that he and his partner, Jimmie Matthews, were finished with gambling forever. When the votes were counted, Elmer Reese had won re-election to his seat by better than a two to one margin. There was Ma Beachie, a grandmotherly woman who swore that all she provided was high-spirited good fun and a floor show. Cliff Entrekins Fish Camp down by the river served dinner downstairs and sex upstairs, and Frank Gullatts Blue Bonnet Caf. Fuller began providing racket protection to the gamblers. 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