More Tales Of Tennessee

Once again, Louise Littleton Davis has produced from her store of knowledge and understanding of Tennessee history a collection of engrossing stories about the people and events that went into the making of that great state. This book spans two centuries, from pre-Revolutionary days into the 1800s. The reader will now meet many more of early Tennessee's colorful characters, often in unexpected places. Pious and profane, noble and notorious, all of these historical figures emerge as real men and women who worked, fought, and prayed a young state into being. Accounts of incredible land deals dramatize the tragedy of American Indians pushed west by the white man's greed. Tribute is paid to John Ross, the most notable of all Cherokee chiefs, whose lifelong struggle for the rights of the Indians ended with the infamous "Trail of Tears," a death march for many of the 17,000 Cherokees forced by U.S. Army troops to walk from Tennessee to Oklahoma. Frontier criminal justice, shocking by today's standards, reveals a rugged society that considered horse thievery worse than murder and administered punishment accordingly. The strict, often harsh, religious structure that ruled frontier communities is reflected in accounts of church trials concerning many matters now handled by civil courts. Tennessee was not without its dissidents, however. Colonel Thomas Butler defied an Army order to trim his ponytail locks. Ironically, the hero of the Revolutionary War found that his appeals for support to Washington met the same resistance as did the Cherokees' pleas for their land.

Perhaps no one has keener insight into human nature than the small-town trial lawyer. All but lost in an era of corporate law firms and specialized practice, this charismatic figure was once at the political center of a community and was the holder of its many secrets. A small town attorney’s only specialization was the town itself. Serving as both defender and accuser, these lawyers witnessed communities and individuals at their best and worst. Men and women of the legal profession often exert influence in seemingly small realms, but they play an important role in the lives of many people and help shape the American legal system. Veteran oral historian and folklorist William Lynwood Montell has brought together a fascinating collection of tales gathered from lawyers and judges throughout the Volunteer State. Montell searched small towns and cities across Tennessee for the law’s older and middle age practitioners, and he shares the wealth of their experience in Tales from Tennessee Lawyers. These stories are recorded exactly as told by the lawyers themselves, and they reveal candid and unusual snapshots of the legal system—both past and present. With a tape recorder and an ear for detail, Montell uncovers events and lives ranging from the commonplace to the extraordinary. A man resorts to prostitution to alleviate the debt brought about by divorce proceedings. Identical twins are tried for a string of murders. A convict flees his trial by stealing the judge’s car. A prosecutor tries the nation’s first school-shooting case. Judge George Balitsaris, a former University of Tennessee football player, escorts a special prosecutor out of a notorious rape trial as a precaution after the defendant’s family issues threats. These and similar stories illustrate the strange, complex cases argued daily from Tennessee’s largest cities to its smallest towns. Far more than just a collection of lawyer jokes, these recollections shed light on the tense and often dangerous lives of those who work to see that all receive fair representation and treatment in court.

Nineteen true accounts of events in the lives of adventurous men and women in early Tennessee history.

More Tales Behind the Tombstones tells the stories behind the deaths (or supposed deaths) and burials of even more of the Old West's most nefarious outlaws, notorious women, and celebrated lawmen. Readers will learn the stories behind these legendary characters and visit the sites of tombs long forgotten while legends have lived on. Read about the lives (and deaths) of fearless, famous lawmen such as Bass Reeves, Chalk Beeson, Bill Tilghman, and Pat Garrett; learn about the dauntless women who blazed new paths for their sex in medicine, journalism, entertainment, and voting rights; and discover the intriguing facts and myths that continue to circulate about these and other infamous characters long after their grave markers have become worn down or simply lost to time.

Here we go again! More creepy-crawly tales of beasties, ghosties, haints, boogers, and things that go bump-in-the-night from the Volunteer State.

The University of Arkansas and its Razorbacks hold a special place in the hearts of Arkansans, not simply because the state has no professional sports teams, but because of the colorful players and coaches to have passed through the campus gates. Author Nate Allen chronicles the good, the bad, and the funny from Arkansas history in his second book about Razorback athletics, More Tales from Hog Heaven. Fans will be able to read more tales about the football program's adjustment in 1998 from the dour Danny Ford to the upbeat Houston Nutt, and about Lou Holtz's one-liners that seared their targets, but sometimes boomeranged. They will meet the legendary track coach who told one of his Irish athletes to row back home, and read about sportswriter Orville Henry's penchant for deflating self-important bowl officials. More Tales from Hog Heaven will prove to be a must-have addition to any Razorback fan's library.

"Another series of fascinating stories. . . . It is flavorful history, well researched." - Tennessee Historical Quarterly "A welcome addition to the folklore of our region. . . .These vignettes about Nashville's early times, chock full of fascinating lore, are written in a readable style." - Nashville Banner "This book should be in the library of anyone who is interested in the history of Nashville." - The Tennessean In Nashville Tales, her third volume of Tennessee historical tales, the author tracks those bold early adventurers who were bent on seeking personal fame and fortune. These courageous, and often flamboyant, individuals carved the modern state along their way. Nashville, the capital of the Volunteer State, has produced its share of adventurers, fortune seekers, builders, and statesmen whose influence still endures today.