At the time of filming, the killers had not yet been identified. Discover your neighborhood's best match, anywhere. In addition to all of the precinct workers, Hoyt Shepherd had gathered all of his friends around that night his brother, Grady, his partner, Jimmie Matthews, and his old mentor, Clyde Yarborough. Samantha Autry, the little sister of 35-year-old Jessica Martin, told News Leader 9 her sister and her boyfriend, 40-year-old Richard Cook, were preparing to welcome a new born baby boy into the world before they were killed by Jessica Martins ex husband, 47-year-old Jeffery Martin, according to police. 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 told them about his background, his familys background, and he reminded them of his powers as attorney general that he could dissolve the Grand Jury if he so chose. Hugh Bentley and the RBA were not the only ones saying that law enforcement in Phenix City had gone to hell. That compares to a 1 in 195.8 chance statewide. 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. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York Law School and previously worked in financial securities compliance and Civil Rights employment law. The faith-based event is put on by Take the City, and this year, News Leader . For most states, the repeal of prohibition meant a return to a state of legally drunken normalcy, but not so in Mississippi. It was as bitter and hard-fought a campaign as Phenix City had seen in a long time. Have a tip or story idea? He was from a prominent and distinguished family of attorneys. 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. They were Roderick Beddow from Birmingham, E.E. In the early morning hours of January 9, 1952, Hugh Bentleys home was bombed with his wife, son, and nephew inside asleep. The Magnolia State went dry over a decade before the nation, leaving bootleggers to establish political and financial holds they were unwilling to lose. When it was over, it was determined Albert Patterson had won his race. Date(s) & Update Frequency: Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2004. Their grave concern was the cavalier conduct of Chief Deputy Sherriff Albert Fuller. He claimed Martin had been stalking the family by camping out in the wooded area opposite the home in the days prior. The film, which takes a number of liberties with the actual events and characters, opened on July 19, 1955, with simultaneous premieres in Now let us turn to take a look at how Phenix City does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. I just ask anyone who wants to pray for the family, prayer is greatly needed right now.. 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. With regards to property crime, you have a 1 in 24 chance of becoming a victim. Silas Garrett III was a man accustomed to having his own way. Family members said, Jessica and Jefferys 14-year-old son was also in the house at the time of the shooting. 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. He was assassinated outside his law office shortly after he had won the Democratic nomination for Alabama Attorney General on a platform of reforming the rife corruption and vice in Phenix City. A pregnant woman and her unborn child were among three victims gunned down by a man in Alabama who took his own life Friday. (The US average is 22.7) Phenix City property crime is 71.0. The three-man City Commission was also expanded to five. With the help of a tracking dog and helicopter aerial support, investigators were quickly able to locate Jeffrey Martin. ***Editor's Note: There was so much happening during this time and so many players. They sell to Lamar Reid the idea that Patterson and his pack of crooks had stolen the election. Hoyt then walks to Fates table and asks him to follow him to the dice room. 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. 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. Three carloads of men with $30,000 in cash were dispersed to crisscross the state and buy a better count of the ballots before the official count was turned in at the State capitol in Montgomery on June 10th. counties, towns, and (sometimes) families too much. 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. 18,000 local law enforcement agencies in the U.S. 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. The situation had become explosive and death threats against Albert Patterson increased. Thats according to reports from NBC affiliate WTVM-TVand CBS affiliate WRBL-TV. Although the film doesnt allude to the then-brewing struggle for civil rights, the Pattersonss relationship with the Wards seems to imply that the Pattersons were allies of the local African American community. 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) 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.. New York Times critic Bosley Crowther favorably compared it to Academy Award winners All the Kings Men and On the Water Front. Lamar saw it as a call to arms, an invitation to a heroic act. Feeling pressured, Lamar left the tabulation sheets with Si Garrett. The rate of violent crime in Phenix City is 4.91 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. Its pursuit of the circumstances would be thorough and relentless and for this grief, they held Albert Patterson personally responsible. Fate, his archrival from Columbus, was sitting at a table with a Columbus Beauty Queen. The victims were all identified by the Russell County Coroner. 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. He was saying I just want to see my son, then he did what he did in front of his son, Moore said. According to Terry Moore, Jessica Martins uncle, her ex-husband was camping out across the street from her house stalking her. This was cause for celebration on the part of Hoyt Shepherd and the great job the precinct workers had done to make it happen. It was double pay for Albert the soldier paid for the girl and the girl paid for protection and the money kept growing and with it, power. They were tried and convicted of both murders. Select your ideal criteria and let Scout do the rest. He put out an APB to get Crack to Phenix City before the shooting started. Law enforcement officers reported that Jeffrey Martins cause of death appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Crime risk indices are nationally comparable on a 1 100 scale, where 100 means safer than 100% of U.S. neighborhoods. The main source of this Spotlight is The Tragedy and The Triumph of Phenix City, Alabama by Margaret Ann Barnes. Hoyt Shepherd wanted to make a deal with Hugh Bentley. He was found dead at a campsite in the woods bringing the death count to four individuals including the unborn child. 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). Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 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. Within Alabama, more than 92% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Phenix City. The news of his campaign was a stunning surprise to Phenix Citys political machine, and they were quick to counter. There was Ma Beachie, a grandmotherly woman who swore that all she provided was high-spirited good fun and a floor show. 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.. So she came to my house and she went to another friends house, said Moore. Police have not released anymore details into this incident they are calling a murder-suicide, but family members of Martin told News Leader 9 her ex-husband showed up out of nowhere, after no one had heard from him for over 10 years, and began threatening her the day before he killed his ex and her boyfriend. Emergency paramedics immediately transported her to Piedmont Columbus Regional Midtown Hospital where doctors and medical personnel attempted life-saving procedures, but she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the facility. People who live in Phenix City generally consider the northwest part of the city to be the safest. Before mailing it, the letter dropped from his pocket and was found by some of the criminals in Phenix City. Site design by, The Architectural Styles of Our Town: Columbus, GA by Historic Columbus is licensed under A, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Thus, the script depicts the murder as the work of the fictional crime boss Tanner and his henchmen, rather than corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials. They formed the Russell Betterment Association (RBA). Executive Director, 1440 Second Avenue The Phenix City Story was a success for Allied Artists Pictures, thanks to the extensive national media attention about Pattersons murder, notably the coverage by the Columbus Ledger that would later win a Pulitzer Prize. Burbank, Calif.: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., 2010. Jessica was six weeks shy of having her baby. Authorities have identified the two men killed in a shooting Saturday on the Phenix City Riverwalk. 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. On May 17, the Phenix City Police Department Criminal Investigations Division obtained information about the homicide which led to the arrest of 24-year-old DAntonio Gibson. As in real life, the cinematic version of Albert Patterson is murdered by men threatened by his victory in the Democratic primary for state attorney general. was such big business, Tracy writes, local law enforcement in Mississippi often What Lamar then realized was that when the discovery of the discrepancy was made, the responsibility of what had been done was his. 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. If you aren't already a member, we hope you will join us! His ambition was to become a great deal more than attorney general. 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. The police were also used as defense witnesses to corroborate the self-defense claim. Copyright 2021 WTVM. When the ballots were counted in the state-wide election, Albert Patterson won in the three-way race by a 70,000-vote margin, forcing him into a run-off election on June 1st with Lee Porter. Deputy Sherriff J.D. As of the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 38,817.. Phenix City lies immediately west across the Chattahoochee River from Columbus, Georgia and observes Eastern Time on a de facto basis (in contrast to the rest of Alabama, which observes Central Time) due to Phenix . 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. Thank you for your understanding! For Phenix City, this was the most important element of the divorce organized gambling had been established. Suspect arrested in murder of Phenix City hospital employee, Evening fire damages building on Victory Dr. in Columbus, Muscogee County School Board announces recent leadership changes, New affordable housing coming to South Columbus, Muscogee County School District postpones vote on time change proposal, 2 Opelika men arrested on felony theft charges, Auburn police say. There was Ma Beachie, a grandmotherly woman who swore that all she provided was high-spirited good fun and a floor show. PO Box 5312 Regardless of whether Phenix City does well or poorly compared to all other cities and towns in the US of all sizes, compared to places with a similar population, it fares badly. The man, later identified as 47-year-old Jeffrey Lynn Martin, reportedly ran into a wooded area near the house where the shooting took place. Their grave concern was the cavalier conduct of Chief Deputy Sherriff Albert Fuller. The family of 35-year-old Jessica Martin told News Leader 9, theyre asking for the communitys prayers and donations for funeral arrangements. Williams is a Phenix City resident, according to officials. After shooting his ex-wife and her boyfriend, Phenix City Police said Martin then fled to a wooded area opposite the house and killed himself. 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 also was the owner of several sporting goods stores and created a plastic helmet liner used. On May 13, at approximately 7:45 p.m., Phenix City officers responded to Jack Hughston Memorial . 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. Hugh had taken his brother to the Veterans Hospital and was driving back from Augusta when it happened. 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. Terrified, Jeannette Mercer ran to the door, but it was too late she heard two shots fired and a body hit the floor. The infant appears to have been Martin's unborn child. Creative Commons License, Phenix City: The Tragedies (1946 - 1954). 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. Just like in Alabama, organized crime flourished in Mississippi, both in the era of Prohibition as well as in the boom years after the end of World War II. They got here, they wasnt here 30 minutes, and he came up and waited on them to get here, and he was saying I just want to see my son, then he did what he did in front of his son.. A 1954 report by the US Armys Criminal Investigation Division stated that the small town had more per capita incidences of venereal disease and violence than any other city in America. Read more about Scout's Crime Data. The relatives said Cook armed himself with a baseball bat as he tried to fend off Martin. Hoyt hands the 19-year-old hostess, Jeannette Mercer, a $20 bill to leave the high dice room. Importantly, we found that Phenix City has one of the highest rates of motor vehicle theft in the nation according to our analysis of FBI crime data. Property crimes that are tracked for this analysis are burglary, larceny over fifty dollars, motor vehicle theft, and arson. 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. kidnappings, and murder in order to keep control of the town. 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 county and city could be controlled, but the IRS could not. Raw data sources: Fuller laughed it all off. PHENIX CITY, Ala. (WRBL) - On Friday morning, Phenix City community leaders made a plea for help in stopping 2021's surge of violence. Dreams and Dead Ends: The American Gangster Film. He developed a reputation for being fast with a trigger thanks to a raid with two ABC agents and he began to build power of his own. When Hugh Bentley returned to the polls with his son and friend, Hugh Britton, they were badly beaten with the police watching. He then tells the floor manager, Otis Stewart, to leave as well. PHENIX CITY, Alabama -- The two suspects charged in the murder of a 19-year-old Phenix City man on Feb. 19 are the victim's uncles by blood and by marriage. 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. PHENIX CITY, Ala. (WTVM) - Three people and an unborn child are dead following a murder-suicide near Hwy. 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. 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. 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. All of this didnt sit well with Albert Patterson (pictured below). With his equipment gone, he leased his buildings and gave his full attention to politics. By Jatavia O'Neal. All rights reserved. Officers found what his last location appears to be: Piggly Wiggly off of Stadium Drive. Fortunately, everyone survived and only had minor injuries. Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons. 80 in Phenix City. A.L. Jeffery Martin was someone who should have stayed in the past, he was long gone, and thats all I have to say about that.. In Jefferson County, the results were 23,858 for Patterson and 23,060 for Porter. 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. One week later, both Hoyt and Jimmie were also arrested, charged with murder, and put in the same cell as Grady in the Russell County Jail (pictured below). Images are from her book and Phenix City by John Lyles. They had determined they only needed 600 votes instead of 700. Pettway just recently started a supervisor job at a hospital in Phenix City, the same hospital he drove himself to after being shot multiple times. Phenix City is a city in Lee and Russell counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Russell County. Apparently, using fists and feet werent considered an arrestable moment at the time. 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. Hugh Bentley and the RBA had no idea what was really going on in Phenix City. NeighborhoodScout provides exclusive crime risk analytics for every neighborhood in America with up to 98% predictive accuracy. At one time nationally known, Albert Patterson (1894-1954) was a prominent Alabama attorney and politician. 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 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. On June 18, 1954, soon after his primary victory, Patterson was, 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. 8,376,755. 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. Otis Stewart was never seen again. the state line, where they could set up shop once more. A heated and lengthy trial went on for some time. 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. Elizabeth B. Walden For Albert, it was all so easy. Albert Love Patterson (January 27, 1894 - June 18, 1954) was an American politician and attorney in Phenix City, Alabama. Patterson had been gunned down June 18, 1954, in the street outside his law office just days after winning the Democratic nomination for attorney general, for which he had campaigned on a platform of cleaning up the Souths most notorious town. Where is 2022 data? Phenix City has a mayor-commission form of government, with each member serving for four years. They needed to steal it back. Copyright 2000-2023 Location Inc. Bless their hearts. 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. As the Democratic nominee for state attorney general in 1954, Patterson promised to "clean up" Phenix City, Russell County, which was largely run by organized crime and corrupt politicians. This was cause for celebration on the part of Hoyt Shepherd and the great job the precinct workers had done to make it happen. The main source of this Spotlight is The Tragedy and The Triumph of Phenix City, Alabama by Margaret Ann Barnes. Several witnesses in the area reported hearing gunshots and then seeing a male suspect flee form the scene. 2017Historic Columbus. Violent Crimes - Murder Rape Robbery Assault. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 21. One particularly brutal scene, which Hollywood censors unsuccessfully attempted to have removed from the film, depicts the tragic fate of the young daughter of Zeke Ward (played by James Edwards), an African American friend of the Patterson family. 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. 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. He got a call from a fellow attorney asking him for help in Montgomery. Vengeance was now being reaped on the innocent and unsuspecting. Terrified, Jeannette Mercer ran to the door, but it was too late she heard two shots fired and a body hit the floor. Godwin, Revel, and Allred were arrested, but released because McVeigh and Walden deny knowing them or being hired. Otis Stewart was never seen again. turned a blind eye to distilling hooch: the profits simply benefited their own When the jury convened, they came back with a verdict within four hours. 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