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Murder of a Journalist: The True Story of the Death of Donald Ring Mellett by Thomas Crowl This book features private detectives, crooked cops, gangsters, and bootleggers. The July 1926 murder of the editor of the Canton, Ohio, "Daily News", Don R. Mellett, was one of the most publicized crimes in the 1920s. For less than a year, Mellett was the editor of the "Daily News", owned by former Ohio governor and Democrat presidential candidate James Cox. Having promised Cox he would turn the unprofitable News into a success, Mellett combined personal conviction with marketing savvy and in 1925 embarked on an antivice, anticorruption editorial campaign. The following year, the "Daily News" and Mellett, posthumously, received the Pulitzer Prize for his columns. His editorials were often aimed at the Canton police chief, S. A. Lengel, making the News law and order crusade personal. An unholy alliance of bootleggers and corrupt police, angered at Mellett's interference with business as usual, hired an ex-con from Pennsylvania, Patrick McDermott, to attack and scare the editor. When the intended assault spiraled out of control and Mellett was murdered, the national press became outraged and saw this situation as an attack on the First Amendment, demanding justice in editorials appearing on the front pages of newspapers throughout the country. Author Thomas Crowl, using newspaper and magazine accounts, interviews, and other primary source material (some previously unavailable), follows the investigation into the Mellett murder by a private detective who was hired by the Stark County prosecutor. The arrest of the prime suspect and the sensational trial of the cocky hitman received nationwide media coverage. The murder investigation also netted the two local hoodlums who hired McDermott. Additionally, a former police detective was arrested and convicted as the originator of the plot, and he in turn implicated police chief Lengel in the murder conspiracy. Nearly a year and a half later, however, Lengel was ultimately acquitted of the charges. This compelling and intriguing story is the first in-depth study of the Mellett murder. Historians and true crime buffs will welcome this as a valuable addition to the field of true crime history.
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Lebron James: Making of an MVP by Terry Pluto and Brian Windhorst Lebron James, Akron native and basketball wonder has inspired and thrilled basketball fans worldwide. This book takes a close look at his rise to fame. How did he do it? What inspired him to continue despite the struggles and challenges he faced growing up? Read all about it!
Mrs. Adams in Winter: A Journey in the Last Days of Napoleon by Michael O'Brien Early in 1815, Louisa Catherine Adams, with her young son, left Saint Petersburg in a heavy Russian carriage and set out on a long, difficult journey to meet her husband, John Quincy Adams in Paris. The journey took her through embattled countries and over rough terrain. Napoleon was expected back from exile on Elba. Her life was threatened and her friends ravaged by years of war. Read about this extraordinary woman and her journey to reach Paris.
The First Star: Red Grange and the Barnstorming Tour That Launched the NFL by Lars Anderson Lars Anderson recounts the thrililng story of Harold "Red" Grange, The Galloping Ghost of the gridiron, and the wild barnstorming tour that earned professional football a place in American sporting firmament. Read all about Grange's football exploits and the rise of professional football.
The Crusades: The Authoritative History of The War for the Holy Land by Thomas Asbridge Nine hundred years ago, a vast Christian army, summoned to holy war by the Pope, rampaged through the Muslim world of th eastern Mediterranean, seizing possession of Jerusalem, a city revered by both faiths. Over the two hundred years that followed, Isam and Christianity- both firm in the belief that they were at God's work- fought for dominion of the Holy Land, clashing in a succession of chillingly brutal wars: the Crusades. This book tells the story of the epic struggle which has influenced history, diplomacy and wars to this day. Medieval and military history buffs will find the research fascinating and the color photographs a wonderful addition to medieval history.
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