Shotgun Justice: One Prosecutor's Crusade against Crime and Corruption in Alexandria and Arlington

by Michael Lee Pope

Overview

When Crandal Mackey was elected commonwealth's attorney in 1903, he set his sights on the illegal bars, bordellos and casinos of Alexandria County. The Virginia county—now Arlington County and parts of Alexandria—was plagued by crime in the streets and corruption at City Hall. Armed with a shotgun and accompanied by an axe-wielding posse, Mackey embarked on a crusade, busting up saloons and conducting raids throughout the county. When the dust settled, Mackey had shut down an infamous racetrack in Del Ray and politicians on the take in Alexandria County's political machine. Yet, in 1915 he mysteriously withdrew his bid for another term. Author Michael Lee Pope uncovers the little-known story of one man's battle to rid Alexandria and Arlington of sinister vice and violent crime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609497477
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	11/13/2012
Series:	True Crime
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	460,757
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

Michael Lee Pope is an award-winning journalist who lives in Alexandria. He has reported for the Alexandria Gazette Packet, WAMU 88.5 News, the New York Daily News and the Tallahassee Democrat. Pope is the author of two other books with The History Press, Ghosts of Alexandria" (2010) and "Hidden History of Alexandria, D.C." (2011)."

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 7

Introduction: Arlington Confidential 9

The Rise of Crandal Mackey 15

Welcome to the Machine 26

Forgotten Jackson City 40

The Hidden History of Rosslyn 49

Gentleman's Driving Club 57

Raid! 66

Fighting St. Asaph 74

Muckraking Prosecutor 85

The Final Campaign 101

Epilogue: The Rest of the Story 113

Bibliography 119

Index 123

About the Author 127

Editorial Reviews

…an entertaining and useful introduction to the wild-and-woolly world of early 20th-century Arlington.
—Robert B. Mitchell

The Washington Post