The Bootlegger: A Story of Small-Town America [Paperback]

John E. Hallwas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 1999

This extraordinary account of a struggling midwestern coal town profiles small-time bootlegger Kelly Wagle, whose mysterious career - and suspected involvement with two unsolved murder cases - had a profound and lasting impact on his community. In unraveling the process by which Colchester, Illinois, lost its grip on the American promise, John Hallwas reveals this remote corner of the Midwest as a true reflection of the quintessential American experience.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The title of this book should have been Small-Town America: The Story of a Bootlegger, because the town of Colchester, Ill., is the real subject and the bootlegger merely a character in the pageant of Colchester's history. A coal-mining community in the 19th century, Colchester became so imbued by death that inhabitants began to see a mysterious "Woman in Black," an embodiment of the town's deepest anxieties. But the mines weren't the only place to die a violent death; drinking, gambling, and prostitution created a subpopulation of criminals and murderers, including Kelly Wagle, the bootlegger who was remembered by some as a philanthropist, others as a practical joker, still others as a remorseless killer, and who was gunned down by a rival hooch peddler in 1929. Significantly, the Woman in Black disappeared after all the coal was mined out and other, safer industries took over, though she came back in the 1920s to preside over the violence that accompanied the failed experiment of Prohibition. Today Colchester is "a bedroom community for the county seat, a place to retire to where nothing much happens, and a gasoline stop." Its history is a reminder that, if the past sometimes seems more colorful, that's because it was more terrible. Evidently life is so sleepy in Colchester these days that not even the Woman in Black goes there anymore. 33 photos, 5 linecuts.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Hallwas (English, Western Illinois Univ., Macomb), author of many books on Illinois history, presents a fascinating hybrid work mixing a biography of bootlegger Kelly Wagle with a history of his town of Colchester, IL. Over 1000 folks showed up for Wagle's funeral, out of a population of about 1300, a testament to his fame and the curiosity aroused by his gangland-style slaying. This deeply interrelated history reveals a rich understanding of rural, Midwestern America in the early 20th century, the impact of coal mining on a town's economy, the widespread ambivalence toward 1920s Prohibition, and the fascination with the gangster lifestyle of a small-town hood. Hallwas's splendid work thematically compares with Anthony Lukas's uneven Big Trouble (LJ 5/15/97) but is much more focused and accessible. Readers will enjoy this slice of American life and will understand the townspeople's complicated view of their most famous resident. An obvious choice for Illinois libraries and highly recommended for academic and larger public libraries.?Dale F. Farris, Groves, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (May 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252068440
• ISBN-13: 978-0252068447
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #588,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Here in western Illinois?, November 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bootlegger: A Story of Small-Town America (Hardcover)

This book is excellent. Definitely a "can't put down" book. Hard to imagine the quiet, sleepy town of Colchester was once involved with Al Capone, Shoeless Joe Jackson, bombings of homes of law enforcement agents, and murders, bootlegging and crimes of this nature!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A history of a small town of the 1920s and two murders, March 23, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Macomb, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bootlegger: A Story of Small-Town America (Hardcover)

This accurate and off the beaten path history read like a murder mystery and showed me the various stages in the growth and death of a small town It also showed "what the simple folks did" to get get their booze during the depression era

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bootlegger, August 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bootlegger: A Story of Small-Town America (Paperback)

This is definitely a page turner--rare in nonfiction. Mr. Hallwas combines the suspense of a murder mystery and the facts of a history lesson and makes it all fascinating! I was born in the area and my family's surnames are mentioned throughout the book. Most of my family members have read the book and have SO enjoyed it! In fact it may have solved a generations-old family mystery of a missing relative! A must read for anyone with family roots in small town America!