The U.S Government's actual transcripts of the 1935 Franklin County Moonshine Conspiracy Trial were accidently destroyed by nature several years/months after the trail had concluded. Transcripts of the government's Grand Jury testimony were not lost. The only written records that still exist are those written by reporters from Franklin County's nearby daily newspapers. Each story appearing in "The Roanoke Times," along with the story's headlines, were retyped for this publication.

A detailed historical and legal examination, by an experienced litigator and member of both the Virginia and California Bars familiar with the history of Franklin County, VA, of the longest jury trial in Virginia's history, the 1935 trial concerning Franklin County and its neighboring counties and the making of illicit liquor,in an attempt to show all that happened (conspiracy, moonshining, murders, perjury, jury tampering, participation of elected officials) during the time of the "Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935." Historical photos and index are included.

*The inspiration for the major motion picture Lawless* Based on the true story of Matt Bondurant’s grandfather and two granduncles, The Wettest County in the World is a gripping and gritty tale of bootlegging, brotherhood, and murder. The Bondurant Boys were a notorious gang of roughnecks and moonshiners who ran liquor through Franklin County, Virginia, during Prohibition and in the years after. Howard, the eldest brother, is an ox of a man besieged by the horrors he witnessed in the Great War; Forrest, the middle brother, is fierce, mythically indestructible, and the consummate businessman; and Jack, the youngest, has a taste for luxury and a dream to get out of Franklin. Driven and haunted, these men forge a business, fall in love, and struggle to stay afloat as they watch their family die, their father's business fail, and the world they know crumble beneath the Depression and drought. White mule, white lightning, firewater, popskull, wild cat, stump whiskey, or rotgut—whatever you called it, Franklin County was awash in moonshine in the 1920s. When Sherwood Anderson, the journalist and author of Winesburg, Ohio, was covering a story there, he christened it the “wettest county in the world.” In the twilight of his career, Anderson finds himself driving along dusty red roads trying to find the Bondurant brothers, piece together the clues linking them to “The Great Franklin County Moonshine Conspiracy,” and break open the silence that shrouds Franklin County. In vivid, muscular prose, Matt Bondurant brings these men—their dark deeds, their long silences, their deep desires—to life. His understanding of the passion, violence, and desperation at the center of this world is both heartbreaking and magnificent.

"Following the end of Prohibition in 1933, demand for moonshine remained high due to taxes imposed on large liquor producers. Seeking to answer this demand were the distillers of Appalachia who, having established illegal networks of moonshine distribution under Prohibition, continued their activities and effectively skirted the federal liquor tax scheme. Spirits of Just Men chronicles the Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935, held in Franklin County, Virginia, a place that many still refer to as the "Moonshine Capital of the World." While the trial itself made national news, Thompson uses the event as a stepping-off point to explore Blue Ridge Mountain culture, economy, and political engagement in the 1930 illustrating how participation in the moonshine trade was a rational and savvy choice for farmers and community members struggling to maintain their way of life amidst the pressures of the Great Depression and pull of the timber and coal-mining industries in Virginia. Through Thompson's prose, local characters come alive as he pays particular attention to the stories of a key witness for the defense, Miss Ora Harrison, an Episcopalian missionary to the region, and Elder Goode Hash, itinerant Primitive Baptist preacher and juror in a related murder trial. Thompson explores how local religious belief both clashed with and condoned the moonshine trade and how stills and the trade enabled a distinctive cultural formation in the region that goes far beyond the hillbilly stereotype alive today. Not only is his work is based on extensive oral histories and local archival material, but Thompson himself is from the area and his grandparents were involved in not only the moonshine trade but the trial as well"--Provided by publisher.

White lightning . . . XXX . . . Firewater. Whatever you call it, moonshine is America’s original rebel spirit. This ultimate must-have for aspiring moonshine connoisseurs, boozy history buffs, and party seekers everywhere is a buzz-worthy ride through moonshine’s legendary history. From its roots in the hollows of Appalachia and keeping the good times flowing through Prohibition to its headlining status today as a pop culture icon, Moonshine tells the rip-roaring story of the moonshiners who became folk heroes for the ages and how their batches of XXX endure as the favorite thirst-quencher of millions. While stirring the rebel in each of us, Moonshine also gives you a bootleg up on hosting get-togethers and parties with a dream stash of 100 recipes for infusions and cocktails using moonshine as a main ingredient—Moonshine Monkey, Dirt Road Colada, Lemongrass & Mint Mojito, Smokey Mountain S’More, and many more. Plus, other fun-starters throughout the book include moonshine-themed playlists and a how-to for throwing an unforgettable moonshiner’s movie night. Moonshine: A Celebration of America’s Original Rebel Spirit proves once and for all that the best things in life still come in jugs and Mason jars.