Down the Wild Cape Fear: A River Journey through the Heart of North Carolina

When black citizens win elected offices in 1898 Wilmington, NC, white citizens stage a coup. Based on real events. Twenty-fifth anniversary edition.

How do you prosecute a serial killer whose last victim was never found? Can a fleeing felon be charged with murdering a police officer he never met and was killed two miles away? Why was District Attorney Benjamin David called to the White House to address ending mass incarceration in America while lowering the crime rate at the same time? Crime and Community in the Cape Fear: A Prosecutor's Guide to a Healthier Hometown answers these questions and guides readers through two decades of famous and influential legal cases. This is a first-person account of the elected district attorney and presents key decisions that have shaped legal precedent. The book also demonstrates how citizens in any part of the country can apply legal principles to build community and foster healthier, happier, and safer hometowns. Conversational, highly accessible, and an enjoyable read, Crime and Community in the Cape Fear is an exceptional resource for courses and programs in criminal justice, as well as any course that focuses on community solutions to prevent crime.

Nestled on the banks of the Cape Fear River, Wilmington, North Carolina, remains famous as a blockade-running port during the Civil War. Not as renowned is the city's equally vital role during the Revolution. Through the port came news, essential supplies, and critical materials for the Continental Army. Both sides contended for the city and both sides occupied it at different times. Its merchant-based economy created a hotbed of dissension over issues of trade and taxes before the Revolution, and the presence of numerous Loyalists among Whigs vying for independence generated considerable tension among civilians. Based on more than 100 eyewitness accounts and other primary sources, this volume chronicles the fascinating story of Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear during the Revolution.

Murder Along the Cape Fear is the story of Fayetteville and Fort Bragg, North Carolina, during the twentieth century. Seen through the eyes of a native son, this is the tale of one - a distinguished historian - who lived through some of it and heard about much of it from friends and relatives. In this hundred-year journey the town was profoundly impacted by the establishment of Fort Bragg 10 miles to its west. Throughout this hundred-year history, murder seems to be the scarlet thread that stitched the town into infamy. The book demonstrates that Fayetteville was by no means innocent prior to the coming of Fort Bragg. Nor did all of the crime and evil emanate from Fort Bragg after 1918. As for murder, there was an abundance of killing that had no connection with Fort Bragg, but the most sensational murder case of the century involved Jeffrey MacDonald, a Green Beret Army captain and physician who received three life terms in federal prison for killing his pregnant wife and two daughters. While many other Fort Bragg soldiers were involved with murders along the Cape Fear, murders were also committed by transient civilians and local citizens like the famous inventor of the M-1 carbine, Marshall "Carbine" Williams, and Velma Barfield, who poisoned her mother and three other people. In all, about two dozen murder cases-some highly publicized and some not-are woven into this story about a North Carolina town in the twentieth century. Engagingly told, this book is a wonderful blend of history, lore, and murder.