In late 1920, a major crime wave sweeps the nation as Prohibition takes effect. The ban on the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages causes the criminal underworld to resort to illegal smuggling, better known as bootlegging. Law enforcement wages an immense war against these so-called bootleg gangsters and their criminal activities. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the shocking crimes of Edmund “Spud” Murphy and his notorious Howard Street Gang create havoc for area law enforcement and its local citizens, resulting in an epic battle between good and evil. Tragic events unfold as area law enforcement officers attempt to arrest the members of the gang.
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Sexual Content - /5
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Violence - 2/5
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Language - /5
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Drugs and Alcohol - /5
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Summary
This book depicts the true events involving the notorious Howard Street Gang. Prohibition brought about bootlegging and violence. It also contributed to gang activity and to the vigilante lynching of 3 members of the Howard Street Gang in Santa Rosa in 1920. These members were involved in the shooting deaths of Sonoma County Sheriff James Petray and two San Francisco police detectives who had gone to a residence to question the men about a kidnapping and rape charge. The historic facts are well documented and include photographs and several testimonies during and after the trials. The author is a cousin of the slain Sheriff James Petray.