Faith Serafin - Wicked Phenix City

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2014 by Faith Serafin

All rights reserved

Images are courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted.

First published 2014

e-book edition 2014

ISBN 978.1.62585.076.8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Serafin, Faith.

Wicked Phenix City / Faith Serafin.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

print edition ISBN 978-1-62619-543-1

1. Phenix City (Ala.)--History. 2. Crime--Alabama--Phenix City--History. 3. Corruption--Alabama--Phenix City--History. 4. Phenix City (Ala.)--Social conditions. 5. Phenix City (Ala.)--Biography. I. Title.

F334.P45S47 2014

976.155--dc23

2014024924

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

For my partner in crime, Christie Duell,

and

my cellmate, Cassie Clark.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Let me thank you, the reader, for taking the time to look into Wicked Phenix City. The support of my audiences, friends and family has been a great source of encouragement while taking on the challenge of a new series. Switching gears from my regular haunted history genre was an easy transition and a welcomed change, and I greatly appreciate the positivity and optimism from everyone who encouraged me while writing this book.

I would like to give a great deal of thanks to some members of the Muscogee Nation (Creek tribes of Oklahoma). I was privileged to have the opportunity to interview Mr. Jim Sanders of the White Bird Clan. At eighty-two years old, his knowledge of the history of his ancestors from the Coweta towns is remarkable. His family legacies have been passed down through generations by the same verbal traditions his ancestors used for thousands of years. Certainly, one of my most memorable experiences from this writing endeavor will be of sitting in Jim Sanderss tent, listening to him tell me the story of his people. I would also like to recognize Mr. Lee Littlehawk, descendant of the Tuckabatchee towns, for allowing me to photograph him in the traditional tribal clothing of the Muscogee people for the Native Americanrelated chapters of this book. His input on the historical elements are also appreciated.

Lastly, I would like to thank Jeremy Dunman of Leader2 Photography for his help and knowledge regarding photo editing and all my colleagues and fellow writers who share an old (and new) love for the history of the American South.

Jim Sanders (age eighty-two) is descendant of the new or little Coweta Muscogee Indians. His ancestors can be traced back within the tribal town to the year 1300. His grandfather was known as the medicine man of Ochi. Jim lives in Oklahoma today and is proud of his legacies and the traditions of storytelling, still practiced by his people today.

INTRODUCTION

The Reverend Francis Lafayette Cherry wrote, The greatest and most useful men, whose history is worth preserving, sprang mostly from the humble and obscure walks of life. This statement, from one of Russell and Lee Countys earliest history books, is a testament to the people who have lived in the region that is today Phenix City, Alabama. The once turbulent and violent frontier times are hidden in the shadow of the 1950s, when it became known nationally as Sin City. This era sprang from syndicated groups of gangsters, political corruption, illegal whiskey, gambling and prostitution. However, in the earliest history of what has been called Americas Wickedest City, there exists a platform of treason, murder, frontier justice and vice that conceived a location notorious for criminal activity.

Starting in the early 1800s, the vast populations of Muscogee Indians who lived in the primitive territories were the first recorded victims of European crimes. Though these ancient people had their own laws and customs for ill behavior and rule breaking, the clash of authorities and what was considered savage was scarcely different among the people who lived there. European encroachment led to raids, retaliations and ruthless executions by both settlers and natives who shared the Alabama frontier. This brutal battle for existence essentially crumbled the Indian empire and ultimately damaged the region for more than a century.

By 1900, the settlement of Girard, located on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, was known as an outlaw hideout and place of vice. Brewing and distilling spirits came with immigrants who settled in the lawless village, nicknamed Sodom, and many of them found revenue in manufacturing and selling whiskey. Capitalizing on the manufacturing and distribution of alcohol, when the iron fist of Prohibition hit Alabama, Phenix City openly defied the laws and continued to make, sell and supply alcohol to cities all over the United States and abroad.

By the 1950s, Sin City had reached an era that was so corrupt that the city nearly destroyed itself. Generations of outlaws, illegal activity and malfeasance plummeted the city into near ruin, leading up to one of only a few cases of martial law to exist in America since the days of the Civil War.

The mythical bird for which Phenix City is named is a symbol of the citys very existence today. Legend says that the phoenix, a symbol of the sun, resurrection and rebirth, is destroyed by fire and reborn from the ashes. Phenix City, Alabama, has suffered years of hardships and crime, but it has been destroyed and risen from the ashes time and time again. From the frontier days of the American holocaust to establishing an outlaw town on the backs of criminals and vice, Phenix City is an ideal example of what doesnt kill us makes us stronger.

I

BAD BLOOD AND INDIAN WARS

Fort Mitchell Dueling Grounds

Fort Mitchell was established in 1812 by Commander John Floyd of the Georgia militia and was named for the Georgia governor David B. Mitchell. Its purpose was to protect the allied Creek towns in the Indian territories, and it was an encampment for militia soldiers. Because of its location on the old Indian trail between Augusta, Georgia, and St. Stephens, Alabama, soldiers could help settlers cross the unpredictable native territories in relative safety. In 1817, the trading post that was located at Fort Hawkins, in Macon, Georgia, moved to Fort Mitchell. Colonel John Crowell came to the fort in 1821 and helped bring order by serving as an Indian agent over the regions Creek territories.

Colonel Crowell and his brothers ran a tavern at the fort that entertained the last serving general in the Revolutionary War, the Marquis de Lafayette. He arrived at Fort Mitchell in March 1825 to tour the wild frontier of Alabama. Francis Scott Key, writer of the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner, also stayed at the fort, as did President Andrew Jackson, General Thomas Jesup and General Winfield Scott during the second Creek War. Fort Mitchell was occupied by the United States Fourth Infantry Division from 1825 until 1840, and the location was also one of the starting points for the infamous Trail of Tears during the Indian removal. However, before the Indians were relocated and the fort abandoned, this neutral location served another purposea brutal and savage one. It was the location used by many men, some of very prominent social stature, to settle differences by dueling, most often to the death.