Bøger af CL Gammon

This book is not about witch stories. It is a recounting of a few witch trials. Judges presided over some of these trials in courts of law; church officials conducted others. Some of those accused of witchery faced brutality and torture and some remained outcasts after their trials. On the other hand, many of the southern witches won their cases and some of them received damages from their abusers. In those cases where the accused stood before church leaders and their respective congregations, the penalty for witchcraft was excommunication. One can argue that a church proceeding is not a trial, but most major sects (the Presbyterian for instance) refer to excommunication proceedings as trials. One must also remember that in centuries past, many considered separation from the church a very severe punishment indeed. The author is not very interested in the specific activities of individuals accused of being witches. Of course, he had no choice but to relate the "evidence" witnesses gave against these men and women accused of bewitching their neighbors. This includes allegations of supernatural activities. However, if the reader expects fanciful stories of witches practicing their demented, demonic black arts, he will be disappointed. The author is interested in the reactions of those who suspected witches in their midst. Thus, he looks closely at how persons behaved when confronted with the specter of witches in their communities. These reactions reveal a great deal about persons of that time - and of this time too. The author had scores of cases from which to choose, but he made a point of concentrating on cases with which most readers are not well acquainted. Of course, in the communities in which these trials occurred, these cases are famous. There was no need to present many similar cases of witch trials. The nine cases related here are enough to give a good picture of witch trials in the American Southland. Beyond the nine trials related here, the author has added several chapters amplifying upon the subject. These chapters will provide the reader with a feel for how our ancestors viewed witchery and how they attempted to combat it. The author has placed these cases in chronological order. They span a period of more than two centuries. Where possible, the author depended upon official court and church documents in recounting these cases. He also relied upon letters, newspaper accounts and other materials produced at the time the cases took place. The author tried to remain detached, even-handed, and serious in the presentation of these cases. However, some of the witch trials contained humorous elements that he could not resist including. Finally, the author reminds the reader that in the times these trials took place (between 1626 and 1859); a large number of people believed witchcraft was real and evil - the work of the Devil. To these people, a witch acting at the behest of the Devil was as real - and as dangerous - as any wild beast. Sometimes the motivations of those accusing their neighbors of being witches had nothing to do witchcraft. Instead, many men and women faced accusations of witchcraft because someone wanted to do them harm and believed that a charge of witchery was the best means of achieving that purpose. One could debate whether fear and ignorance was more justifiable than a mere attempt to gain revenge, but that is a discussion for another time.

Hanging the Macon County Witch is a true story. The hanging outlined in this book really took place in Lafayette, Tennessee in the late spring of 1845. This bizarre story follows a slave woman named Lize - who claims to be a witch by the way - from the time Wilson Meador purchased her, until the Macon County Sheriff hanged her. This story has several weird twists and turns, including Lize trading her own head to a local doctor for ginger cakes and hard cider. Truth is stranger than fiction and this true story is as strange as they come!

Over the years, there have been many legal proceedings dubbed "The Trial of the Century." Few of those trials have deserved that hyperbolic title. The Scopes trial (better known as the "Monkey Trial") certainly lived up to its hype. For nearly two weeks in the sweltering summer heat of 1925, some of the best legal minds in America squared off against each other in an overcrowded, courtroom that lacked the benefit of air conditioning. It was high drama and it was broad comedy. It was serious and it was farcical. The whole world followed it on the still new medium of radio and in sensationalized newspaper accounts. A state legislator from a small town, who had no desire to be in the spotlight, nor any ambition to do more than to serve his friends and neighbors, became famous with incredible speed. Some viewed him as a hero, while others viewed him as a villain. He did not think he was either one. This book covers the events from the time that John Butler decided to take it upon himself to drive Darwinism out of Tennessee's public schools until the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled on the law's validity - and somewhat beyond that. Of course, a brief accounting of John Butler's early life was necessary to give insight into who he was and why he decided to pen the law that bears his name. Along the way, some of the most colorful, and interesting persons in American history entered the story including William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow.

This book looks at the peace talks between the Union and Confederates commonly known as the Hampton Roads Conference. These talks took place on February 3, 1865 aboard the steamboat River Queen. The author looks at more than just the conference, itself, however. He delves into the motivations of the participants; he answers the question of why the parties agreed to hold a conference at all; and he outlines why the conference failed. He also reviews some of the conspiracy theories that surrounded the conference.

This cookbook is a faithful rendering of old Southern recipes. These 131 recipes span the spectrum from lobster to possum, from shrimp to groundhog, from catfish to fried chicken. Although some of these recipes have been modernized, they all reflect the food of the Old South and give an insight into the people that lived there in times past.

Satire is "the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues." American's Zombie Counteraction Command is a Zombie book, but it is not a "traditional" Zombie book. There are too many of them now. It is a purely satirical work, but it does not employ the over-the-top, slapstick satire that is so common today. On the contrary, the satire found in this book is often subtle and sometimes obscure. In addition, the satire is sometimes humorous, but it is more often biting. With this book, I look from the shadows and see nations marching off into war in ignorance. I see unknown persons with no mandate directing equally unknown operations that are vital to all of us. In this book, I encourage readers to discern some of the destructive absurdities infecting our present political and social experience. I also hint that often we do not realize those absurdities exist until we awaken one morning to find we have fewer liberties than we went to bed with. Of course, since this is satire, I never mention any of these things directly, I never climb on my soapbox, and I never preach. I just tell a story. By the way, even if you ignore the satire, it is still a good read.

This book follows the Sedley Alley case from the night he murdered Suzanne Collins until his execution by lethal injection at Nashville, Tennessee's Riverbend Prison more than twenty years later. This book presents highlights of Alley's mammoth court file of more than 50 volumes. It also references many media reports and almost 400 court opinions. The books takes a realistic look at the many defenses Alley adopted - from insanity to innocence - in the twenty-plus years he battled to avoid execution. It also deals bluntly with Tennessee's current judicial system. However, this book is about more than just a criminal case and the execution of a murderer. It delves into the human factors involved in the Alley affair. It provides a brief account of the short live lived by Suzanne Collins and it relates how her senseless murder deprived her - and humanity - of the many gifts she had to offer. The book also looks at the toll the Alley case took on the family of Suzanne Collins. It details the efforts her family made to obtain justice for their daughter. It also considers the effect Alley's stubborn refusal to accept responsibility for his crimes had on his own family. Another topic considered in this book is the continuing bitter struggle death penalty advocates and opponents are waging in the Volunteer State. This battle is important, because not only does it shape the public debate over capital punishment, it also bleeds over into courtrooms and affects court decisions. What the book does not do - or attempt to do - is to tell the reader what to think about capital punishment. This book is fair, balanced, and impartial when it comes to the debate over whether or not a state is justified in putting its citizens to death. It allows the reader to form opinions independently without prodding from a biased source.

In Salem Village, Andover and other towns of Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, the citizens allowed their fear, ignorance and misguided passions to overpower their good sense. This led to accusations of witchcraft being lodged against between 150 and 200 individuals. More importantly, the authorities killed a score of persons accused of witchcraft. The abuse of the accused persons without evidence, or any real attempt to find reliable proof, stands out even today as one of the darkest periods of North American history.In this book, the author briefly details the background of the witch mania in and around Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In addition, he looks at thirty-six cases in which accused witches confessed to afflicting their friends and neighbors. The author includes a short biographical sketch of each of the confessors and the highlights of each confession.Additionally, the author explains why so many innocent persons confessed to the impossible crimes that others accused them of committing.

Most of the 67 love potions, spells, and charms presented in this book are variants of much older potions, etc. Most of the items needed for these love spells, etc. are readily available and easy to find. You won't have to be scouring the countryside in search of any newt eyes. However, don't worry if you can't find every ingredient mentioned here. You can usually find a substitution. I have tried to list possible substitutions within the ingredients lists of the spells.

Within a span of seventeen days in September 1975, two women, acting independently of each other, attempted to assassinate President Gerald R. Ford. This book deals with those ludicrous, but potentially deadly attempts and explores the reasons behind them.

In this brief book, bestselling author CL Gammon ranks the 50 worst College Football teams of all time in order from #50 to #1. Inside this book, the reader will find a snapshot look at each team, its Head Coach(s) and its best players. In addition, the author has provided each of these team's schedules and has identified each team's best and worst games.

I am a sucker for a good story and I was born into a family of great storytellers. Though I am a professional author, I am by no means the best storyteller in my family. I am not even close to the best. I also married into a family of storytellers. This makes me doubly blessed. In addition, Macon County, Tennessee is a place blessed with great stories to tell and great people willing to tell them. I lean on some of these people and their stories to provide me with entertainment and inspiration.The stories in this book, all of them bizarre in their own way, come to me from family members and other citizens of Macon County. In addition, I draw some of these stories from my own recollections. Though I remember most of the "family" stories, my sister, Wanda Clark, filled in important details of a good many of them. I could never have written this book without her help. I have made no effort to separate fact from embellishment and I have made no effort to prove or disprove any of these stories. In addition, I am sure that there are several versions of some of these stories floating around. That's okay by me. Great stories should have many versions. After all, each of the thousands of retellings of a great story is a version in itself.These tales come from memories and memories are unreliable. That's okay too. Again, I have made no effort to prove that any of these stories are in any way accurate. It's all about the stories - nothing else.Some of these stories are very old. Others are from the Twenty-first Century. Some have endured the test of time. Others will be around for many, many years. Some of the stories have a disturbing element. Others are just fun.Not all of these stories are set in Macon County, but all of them came to me from individuals with Macon County roots. I have written what I hope are entertaining narratives and I present these stories for entertainment purposes only. Readers should accept them for what they are intended to be -fun little stories - and nothing more. Beyond the stories, at the end of the book I have included some local history resources I use and a list of my other local history titles. I hope you find those sections useful.

This book is a brief, simple little volume that provides basic biographical information about America's Presidents from George Washington to Donald Trump. In addition, it provides some interesting and fun facts about each of the Presidents. Each chapter heading lists the President covered by his full name, which may not be the name by which Americans know him best. This book also contains a brief rundown of each presidential election from 1789 through 2016. However, numbers do not bog it down. The last section of the book consists of comparative data concerning the Presidents. This book is not was not written specifically for children. However, it is an easy read and children should be able to enjoy it without difficulty. Adults can perhaps learn a little about America's Chief Executives as well. It is the hope of the author that this book will spark the interest in readers to learn more about American history in general and in the history of the Presidents of the United States specifically.

The first person to hang for witchcraft in Salem was Bridget Bishop. This is her story. It is also the larger story of the fear that caused otherwise intelligent persons to take leave of their senses and commit horrible acts in the name of preventing horrible acts. This book looks at Bridget Bishop the real person, not the idealized personification of her that so many have presented. It also looks at the attributes that made Bishop the ideal person to be the first to go to the gallows at Salem. In addition, this book considers why the execution of Bishop caused the floodgates of execution to open in Salem, whereas, an acquittal may well have caused an end to the witch fever in the town.

This is a true story originating atop Tennessee's scenic Highland Rim in the year 1911. This is a story of an old white man ripped to pieces by ravenous swine. This is a story of a young black man with a bloody shirt. This is a story of a conflicted county Sheriff. This is a story of an unnecessary tragedy. This is the story of the Macon County race war. This brief volume encompasses the story of the horrible events that occurred in this one small county in Tennessee more than a century ago. It also delves into the lasting effects of those events on Macon County; including, how it adversely affects the county to this day. However, the book looks at more than simply the maltreatment of a small group of people in one small, rural community in Middle Tennessee. The story of the Macon County race war is a unique piece of local history. However, it was not merely an isolated or even a very rare occurrence. One can find many similar stories of abuse, caused for almost identical reasons, across America at that time. These all too common eruptions dotted the United States like potholes on lonely country roads. Not just one section of the country, or one race, has suffered from the virus that is racial hatred. It has infected persons of every race in every region of the United States. In many ways, the Macon County race war is a study in the violent reactions to America's racial situation in microcosm.

In this book, bestselling author CL Gammon relates the high altitude experiments conducted at Dachau Concentration Camp in 1942. The details of experiments read like scenes from some fantastic and cheesy horror movie from the 1950's. However, they are actual hideous, sadistic "scientific" experiments performed by school-trained medical professionals in Nazi Germany. They are true examples of NAZI MAD SCIENCE!

According to the American Academy of Poets, "An epic is a long, often book-length, narrative in verse form that retells the heroic journey of a single person, or group of persons. Elements that typically distinguish epics include superhuman deeds, fabulous adventures, highly stylized language, and a blending of lyrical and dramatic traditions."The Road from Bohemia to Westphalia does not meet all the criteria of an epic based upon the definition listed above. It is a long, book-length poem and it does tell the story of a journey. However, the reader will strain to find much heroism in it. There is also nothing particularly "superhuman" or "fabulous" in it at first blush. The "hero" of the tale is a quite average young man on a journey to fulfill his dreams. At least that is how he appears. However, a deeper look into this epic will reveal that this simple everyman is indeed a hero and that his feats are indeed superhuman in their own way.The story of the young man's adventure, related in fifty parts, is (hopefully) entertaining and it points out some obvious (and not so obvious) facets of the human condition. His story is both unique and universal. In it fifty parts, The Road from Bohemia to Westphalia employs several different forms of verse including traditional rhyming verse, blank verse, free verse, a few haikus, and even a limerick. These varying styles of verse tell a single, multi-layered story of one man's adventure.I recommend the reader to take The Road from Bohemia to Westphalia for what it is - the story on one man's adventure in a world he does not quite understand.I recommend the reader not rush through The Road from Bohemia to Westphalia. I meant it for slow reading. Pretend it is a sweet decadent dessert. Enjoy it deliberately.

The rape and murder of eight-year-old Cary Ann Medlin on September 1, 1979 shook Tennessee to the core. The particular cruelty and viciousness associated with the murder shocked and disgusted the citizens of the Volunteer State. The citizens of the state demanded justice. To the vast majority of Tennesseans, justice meant executing the murderer - and the quicker the better. Ultimate Penalty: Executing Robert Glen Coe is the true story of the events from the murder of Cary Ann Medlin on September 1, 1979 until the execution of Robert Glen Coe more than twenty years after he confessed to the brutal crime. It also deals with the many issues raised from the murder until Coe's final minutes of life on April 19, 2000. Ultimate Penalty: Executing Robert Glen Coe details Coe's long legal battle to stay alive and the frustration felt by Cary Ann Medlin's family and others that wanted Coe put to death for his crimes. Along the way, this book explores in some detail the lives of those involved, paying special attention to Robert Glen Coe's life before he turned murderer. In the interest of truth and justice, there is no unnecessary editorializing in Ultimate Penalty: Executing Robert Glen Coe. There was little need to add any comments outside of the facts. The story speaks for itself. However, in the interest of fairness, some misstatements made in the course of the two decades Coe attempted to avoid the Tennessee death house are exposed. The author briefly sketches the ire that federal judge John Nixon engendered in his efforts to set aside Coe's conviction. The author also discusses Nixon's continuing efforts to delay the Coe execution even after a higher court had overruled him. Ultimate Penalty: Executing Robert Glen Coe looks at some of the political issues wrapped around the Coe execution battle and touches upon the ongoing capital punishment debate and those that favor and oppose it. While the author does not offer an opinion on the subject, he does encourage readers to investigate the issues surrounding the death penalty and to draw their own conclusions. One thing the author does not do is sensationalize. The events are what they are. There is no need for hyperbole or extreme comments. Relating the facts in a simple, straightforward way is the best way to tell this story. Ultimate Penalty: Executing Robert Glen Coe is the first in a series of six books (dubbed the Ultimate Penalty Series) that will tell the true stories of those executed in Tennessee since the year 2000. The facts surrounding the six executions are different, but some of the same issues arose in all of them. While each of the cases meandered through the court system for years, and authorities took pains to ensure that they received due process, there are those who still contend that Tennessee treated the murderers unfairly. Those opposing capital punishment hold that none of the six men put to death deserved execution. Each of the six cases had its own unique set of controversies and those controversies lingered. In some cases, the controversies are not resolved to this day. While each book in the Ultimate Penalty Series relates a story of an execution on its own, the series in total will detail Tennessee's continuing struggle with capital punishment in the 21st Century.

This brief book profiles the lives of the two American women who worked for the Axis cause during World War II under the name of Axis Sally. Both of these women, one in Germany, and the other in Italy, unabashedly employed their beautiful voices in the service of Fascism. These women boldly attempted to damage Allied (especially American) morale in the European Theater.

In February 1692, two little girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts began to act strangely. A local doctor examined them and could not find any natural cause for their behavior. This led Salem Village and other nearby towns down a dark road of fear and insanity. Over the next seven months, legal authorities did 20 people to death and jailed more than 100 others for practicing witchcraft.During the year of 1692, a small band of accusers identified between 150 and 200 persons as witches, but they did more than that. They told the judges that there was a hierarchy of witches operating within the Devil's cult. The accusers named those at the top of the witch ranking system. Those top leaders, the accusers called the Queen and King of Hell.This book relates the true story of the lives, convictions, and executions of the alleged Queen and King of Hell, Martha Carrier and George Burroughs. The injustice done to the two people, who most likely met for the first time aboard a little wagon as they rode to the gallows, serves as a reminder to us never to assume that the government has our best interests at heart when it dispenses "justice."

This book explores thirteen bizarre "murder" stories that have taken place in Tennessee over the past two centuries. The first story related here takes place around 1798 and the last takes place in 1998. These stories span the breadth of Tennessee from the Smoky Mountains, to the Mississippi River and most points between. Some of these stories are about famous persons and others are about powerful persons. Some are about persons that are unknown to all but a few. One story is about an abused animal.

Jefferson Davis Rallies the Rebels (1863) deals with the efforts of Jefferson Davis to buck up the Confederates and to carry the Civil War to a successful conclusion for the Rebels. He offered several solutions to the grave situation the Rebels found themselves. He also placed blame for the Confederate failures (mostly Lincoln and England). Throughout, he never relented in his message that the Rebels would prevail. The author employs the December 7, 1863 Annual Message to the Confederate Congress as a starting point. However, the author utilizes various other sources to expand upon - and sometimes refute - the opinions Davis expressed. Throughout his message Davis expressed the following beliefs: (1) The situation of the Confederacy in December 1863 was bad, even desperate. However, it was not hopeless. (2) Congress could repair the internal problems facing the Confederacy, if it followed his plan and instituted those remedies he demanded immediately. (3) The Union led by Lincoln was ruthless, brutal, immoral, and ungodly. Lincoln had allowed, even encouraged, the commission of war crimes by his underlings. (4) The Union refused to accept a just peace. The Yankees were willing to destroy their own prosperity and rip their Constitution to shreds in order to coerce the Southerners to remain under their control. (5) The Union had poisoned foreign nations against the Confederacy. It had even managed to join with those foreign nations, especially England, in an unlawful alliance against the Rebels. (6) The citizens of the Confederacy were loyal and were willing to accept any sacrifice, even death, to support the Rebel cause. (7) Davis bore no responsibility for the terrible situation that the Confederate found itself. He never once admitted any single error on his point. Every Confederate mistake was, according to Davis, the blame of the Congress or of military commanders

This book deals with the 14 Senators expelled, 6 Senators whose seats the body declared vacant and another Senator whom the Senate refused to expel during the Civil War. The Senate charged all 21 of these with one form or another of disloyalty to the Federal Union. The author looks at the proceedings taken against these twenty-one men, most of whom who had departed Washington and taken up arms against the United States before the Senate acted. However, the author delves deeper than just reviewing the individual cases. He also looks at the other motives involved in the Senate expelling the Senators.

Lucille Ball was a big television star. In 1952, at the height of the Red Scare, a congressional committee revealed that she had registered to vote as a Communist in 1936. A flurry of accusations and denials followed. Lucy survived the storm and she always contended that she was never a Communist. However, some evidence implies she might not have been completely honest in her statements about her Communist activity. CL Gammon looks at all the facts and answers the question, "Was Lucille Ball a Communist?"

On July 13, 1972, Democratic Party nominee for President George McGovern made the single worst choice of a running mate in the history of the United States. On that day, he selected Missouri Senator Thomas A. Eagleton to share the national ticket with him. This disastrous decision destroyed any slight chance McGovern may have had of running a competitive race against incumbent President Richard Nixon. This is the story of that selection and its aftermath.

America's Fourteen Unknown Presidents explores the lives and careers of the fourteen men who served as President before the adoption of the United States Constitution. These largely unknown men served collectively from September 5, 1774 to April 30, 1789. They were sometimes referred to as "President of the Confederacy," "President of Congress," or "President of the United States in Congress Assembled." We can better call them the "Unknown Presidents." History has largely forgotten the acts preformed by these men while they were President. However, their accomplishments were (sometimes) spectacular. During the time these men served, America built a military force from scratch, declared its independence, and successfully conducted a war against the greatest military power on earth. In addition, during this time, America formed an unsuccessful "Perpetual Union" and replaced it with "a more perfect Union" that has withstood the test of time. Readers may recognize the names of a few of the Presidents included here for their accomplishments before or after they became President. Other of the unknown Presidents may be mysteries to readers in any regard. Regardless, these early Presidents do not receive the credit due them for their contributions to the formation of the United States. This book provides brief biographical data of each of the fourteen Presidents before George Washington. It is the hope of the author that readers will become interested and seek out more information about these men. In addition to the biographical data about the unknown Presidents individually, the author has included a small chapter of comparative data relating to the unknown Presidents. This will give the reader a better understanding of these men. The author also includes several indexes containing founding documents that the reader should find useful and illuminating.

George "Big House" Baker is working a gruesome murder. At first, he is stymied because even though he knows who committed the murder, and hundreds of people saw it happen, no one will agree to testify. Then, a witness falls into his lap. However, the witness, fourteen year-old Lisa Moore, might not be able to hold up against the best criminal defense attorney in the state. The brilliant and ruthless attorney, Crafty Jack Newman, promised to get his client acquitted. However, Prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Marie Key attempts to match Newman, move for move. The BIG FIRE is a crime/courtroom drama from the pen of CL Gammon. Gammon relied on his experiences as a school trained legal professional in writing THE BIG FIRE.

War is a deadly chess match. Military tacticians and strategists plan assaults and defenses while they maneuver their troops around battlefields just as chess masters move porcelain pieces on a chessboard. The best military planners take on and defeat their opponents with flare and verve.On the frigid and snowy morning of Dec 7, 1862, a small group of Confederates attacked and defeated a much larger force of Union soldiers just outside the tiny hamlet of Hartsville, Tennessee. There is much debate as to the importance of the battle, but there is no debate that the victory of the force led by Colonel John Hunt Morgan was remarkable and magnificent. In fact, it was one of the boldest and most successfully executed operations of entire the Civil War. This book is about that battle.

This book explodes the myth that winning the New Hampshire Primary guarantees a candidate his/her party's nomination. This book takes a critical look at those ten New Hampshire primaries in which the winner did not eventually receive his or her party's nomination for President. It explores why those winners did not become automatic "frontrunners" and drive all other candidates from the field in short order. It explains why the American press sometimes declares the second place finisher the "winner" and why expectations and perceptions are more important than actual vote totals. This book also points out the factors that are likely lead to a New Hampshire winner not to receive the nomination for President. In addition, he shows the reader how to predict the possibility of such a New Hampshire upset in the future.

In Simon the Accuser: A Christian Novel, CL Gammon tells the story of Simon Magus, his conflict with, and his accusations against Apostles Peter and Paul before Emperor Nero in Rome. Gammon wrote this short novel from a Christian point of view and should appeal to the faithful everywhere.