STELLA

by Thomas Fahey

SHERIFF LANGE SUCCUMBS TO WOUNDS INFLICTED BY THUG shouts the headline of the January 2,1930 Lawrenceburg Register. The article paints a somber portrait of what happened to my Grandfather. "Sheriff Herman Lange was shot and fatally wounded by a desperado on the Harrison and Brookville road near Braysville about 5:30 Monday morning. The shooting followed trouble at camps along the Whitewater River." To complete Grandfather's term of office, Grandmother Mayme Lange was appointed Sheriff of Dearborn County. She was the first woman in the State of Indiana to hold this office. Posses, special bailiffs, grand jury indictments, multi-state manhunt, capture of the accused, interrogations by nationally famous detective, alleged forced confession, change of venue, trial, jury deliberation, guilty verdict, death sentence, appeals, Indiana Supreme Court rulings follow. This heavy burden weighs upon a mourning daughter. The grieving, fifteen-year-old Stella buries the painful memories of her dead Father.

252 pages, Paperback

Published March 27, 2020

Reviews

[Lynda]

Very interesting book of local history. I love reading a book where i have actually been to the places discribed and can picture them as i read them.

[Megan]

The prose here is very simple and straightforward, but the story is quite touching. Fahey does his best to channel his mother’s teenaged feelings and present the history of his grandparents’ careers and deaths faithfully, and seems to do a pretty good job. It’s a very interesting story.