American Biographies - History Books

In 1934, a band of desperadoes known as the Ghost Gang terrorized bankers across the state of Nebraska with a series of daring robberies. A posse of lawmen traced the gang to a Gage County ghost town, and the hideout was raided on a cold November night. One by one, all the members of the gang faced prison or death, until only Maurice Denning remained at large. Denning, the son of a respectable farm family, had drifted into bootlegging and, ultimately, bank robbery. For ten years, he was at the top of the FBI's list of Public Enemies, but incredibly, he was never found. Although rumors about his whereabouts swirled for decades, his final fate remains a mystery. In this book, writer and researcher Brian James Beerman brings the fascinating true story of the most wanted man in Nebraska back to light and recounts the circumstances surrounding his mysterious disappearance.

In old Omaha, the scent of opium wafted through saloon doors, while prostitutes openly solicited customers. When the St. Elmo theater ran short of the usual entertainment, the residents could always fall back on robbing strangers. Tenants of the Burnt District squirmed under the extorting thumb of a furniture dealer dubbed the Man-Landlady. The games of chance and confidence and outright municipal graft all played a part in a wicked city where gambler Tom Dennison ran politics and Madam Anna Wilson drove philanthropy. Join Ryan Roenfeld for a stroll along the seamier side of Omaha's past.

Popular culture glorified newspapers in the 1970s, creating a kind of mythical community newspaperman--like Keith Blackledge, longtime editor of the North Platte Telegraph. In his editorials and columns he praised, scolded, cajoled, teased and encouraged readers. He provided a civic connection while, mostly behind the scenes, he worked to make the town better. Blackledge's story resonates today because it's also about the evolution of newspapers. The editor's career spanned a time when the industry was hit by a tsunami of change, including shrinking circulations and advertising revenues, and new technologies altering forever the way news is produced and consumed. Author Carol Lomicky chronicles the life of this remarkable newspaperman.

The World Theatre in Kearney, Nebraska, opened in 1927 and was welcomed by an excited public. Much more than just a movie house, it soon proved to be a social center, where people of all professions, ages, and income levels would frequently gather, because it was modern and new and there were considered few equally attractive alternatives. Some went because it was a sanctuary or where they earned a living, while others nurtured the seeds of attachments there or sought out temporary distractions such as bits of humor, drama, mystery, or adventure. For still more, it was an important venue for staying informed or even escaping the heat of the day. Slowly over time, the entertainment and economic landscapes in the country changed, affecting The World's profitability as well as others like it.