Debra S. Johnson, stopped by the WCHS museum on May 5th, 2023, to drop off a copy of her newly published book, “The Marshall Crain Story.” One year ago, Debra was at the WCHS museum/library gathering up facts to include in her new book.
For those who may not remember, in the early 1870’s in this county, there was a Hatfield/McCoy type event called the “Bloody Vendetta.” Blocks of families from the Carterville/Cambria area chose sides in inflicting revenge against each other over a number of years. The feud culminated int 1875 with the murder of William Spence, a Carterville shop keeper and ex Williamson County sheriff, George W. Sisney who was then living in Carbondale to avoid becoming a victim. Both men were found to have been murdered by Marshall Crain and in the spring of 1876, Crain became the first man in Williamson County to be publicly hung.
Debra has spun a historical fiction around Marshall Crain based on historical facts, family stories and supposition to create an intriguing story. The book is available on Amazon.com for $17.95.