Leland had a poor start in life.
Glimpses of gangster activity and a coal miner\'s strike that ended in a Massacre keep this exciting story moving at a fast pace..
Set in Williamson County, Illinois, this novel is an historic portrayal of life in coal mining country during prohibition.
He had to struggle to keep his ship afloat.
The Herrin Massacre was the start of an unraveling of Leland\'s plans: other bad news followed.
He was a hard worker who would provide a place for her to raise the children.
Leland seemed like a good match.
Bertha was also looking for a good family in which she could reach her main goal in life: to have many children to raise.
Toiling in the mines on work days and in a tavern some evenings provided him with a good income, camaraderie and a chance to fit in with the local society.
In Herrin he saw \'normal\' families and decided he wanted one for himself.
At twenty-two his life changed when he moved to Herrin, a new center of the coal industry.
He became a coal miner at twelve and a moonshiner by eighteen.
He became an orphan at six and had mixed success in being placed with families who raised him.
Leland had a poor start in life
