Masked by darkness and sometimes cloaked beneath sheets, the White Caps of Sevier County, Tennessee, claimed to be guardians of morality. What emerged instead was an oath-bound secret society whose influence reached deep into the political and judicial life of a remote Appalachian county—and whose methods descended from intimidation and whipping into bloodshed and murder.

The story began innocently enough—or so the legends claimed. In the winter of 1891–92, women operating houses of prostitution in the mountains of Sevier County were warned to leave. Bundles of hickory switches appeared at their doors. When the warnings went unheeded, vigilantes returned and brutally whipped them. The women left, the perpetrators escaped punishment, and the White Caps learned a dangerous lesson: their methods worked. The manuscript traces several competing accounts of how the movement began, while showing how that early violence became the foundation for something far more dangerous.

Soon the White Caps were no longer simply self-appointed enforcers of Victorian morality. Merchants, politicians, prominent landowners—and criminals seeking protection—were drawn into an organization whose membership was estimated at 650 to 1,500 people in a county of only about 20,000. Secret meetings, signs, ritual garb and blood oaths bound members together, while sympathetic Justices of the Peace and local officials helped create an environment in which White Caps could act with frightening impunity.

Then Sevier County began fighting back.

Dr. James A. Henderson emerged as the driving force behind the Blue Bills, an opposing vigilante organization determined to obstruct the White Caps—even by armed force. Violence answered violence. Blood was spilled. Ordinary citizens found themselves trapped between rival secret societies and a compromised justice system, unsure which neighbors, officials or lawmen could be trusted.

But the most determined enemy of the White Caps would come from inside law enforcement.

Deputy Sheriff Thomas Houston Davis refused to accept that Sevier County belonged to the vigilantes. When county officials resisted purchasing bloodhounds to pursue White Cap killers, Davis publicly challenged them. He pursued fugitives far beyond Tennessee and helped set in motion the extraordinary legal and political campaign that would finally break the organization's grip on the county.

And then came the murders that changed everything.

At the Dead Hours of Midnight follows the White Caps from their murky beginnings through the Blue Bill conflict, ambushes, manhunts, political corruption, murder-for-hire, courtroom battles and executions that finally brought their reign of terror toward its bloody conclusion.

Drawing upon contemporary newspaper accounts, court records and historical sources, Richard Way and Stanford Johnson reconstruct one of the darkest—and least remembered—chapters in Tennessee history: a time when paranoia ruled the mountains, neighbors feared neighbors, and no one could be certain who might come riding after midnight.

"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

PBShop.store US

Wood Dale, IL, U.S.A.

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since April 7, 2005

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Item	7 to 14 business days	7 to 14 business days
First item	£ 0.00	£ 0.00

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.

Payment methods

Store description

We first started out as “The Paperback Exchange,” a chain of physical bookstores where we would part exchange your beloved books for new stories to transport you to faraway places. However, as shopping started to evolve to online shops and marketplaces, we bid our stores goodbye to become “PBShop.” This transition has only allowed us to blossom as we now ship thousands of titles to book lovers across the globe. We pride ourselves in being a community of local book lovers which allows our passion and devotion to shine in everything we do. In 2020 we not only celebrated our 20th birthday but our 1st birthday as being completely employee owned after becoming an E.O.T in September 2019. We are proud to be different and embrace standing apart on a book mountain by working from a virtual inventory which allows us to provide thousands of books that may be difficult to get for your bookshelf or your studies. Working with a number of different suppliers allows us to explore other avenues such as puzzles, sheet music and even stationery so we really do have something for everyone. Life is about being versatile in all realms of existence. If this is your first visit or you are a returning customer, we would like to welcome you to the PBShop family, for there is no friend as loyal as a book. We are a company who put our customers at the centre of everything we do as we understand the importance of reading because once you learn to read, you will forever be free. There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours that we are yet to explore, which is why we will forever inspire curious minds.…

Specialty

Hardbacks, Paperbacks

Seller's business information

Pbshop.co.uk Ltd

Unit 22 Horcott Industrial Estate, Horcott Road
Fairford, United Kingdom GL7 4BX

Contact sellerView this seller's itemsView seller's storefront

Terms of sale

Returns Policy
We ask all customers to contact us for authorisation should they wish to return their order. Orders returned without authorisation may not be credited.
If you wish to return, please contact us within 14 days of receiving your order to obtain authorisation.

Returns requested beyond this time will not be authorised.

Our team will provide full instructions on how to return your order and once received our returns department will process your refund.
Please note the cost to return any unwanted order to us is borne by the buyer.

Should your order arrive damaged, not as advertised or faulty, we must be advised of this within 14 days of delivery. Please contact us so we can find the best solution for you.

Our Customer Care Team can be contacted via emailing paperback-us@paperbackshop.co.uk, or by calling our UK Office on +441285 712 917. We are available 9:00am till 5:30pm GMT weekdays and 9:00am till 1:00pm GMT on Saturdays.

Right of withdrawal

If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.

Information regarding the right of withdrawal

Statutory right to withdraw

You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.

To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.

To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

Effects of withdrawal

If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.

We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.

You shall send back the goods or hand them over to PBShop.store US, Springfield Gardens, New York, U.S.A., +44 1285 712917, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Exceptions to the right of withdrawal

The right of withdrawal does not apply to:

The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.

Shipping terms

Books are shipped from our US or UK warehouses. Delivery estimates allow for delivery from either location.

At the Dead Hours of Midnight

Item description from seller

Bibliographic details

Synopsis