In 1970, one of Mississippi s
more colorful weekly newspapers, The Ford County Times, went bankrupt.
To the surprise and dismay of many, ownership was assumed by a 23 year-old
college dropout, named Willie Traynor. The future of the paper looked grim
until a young mother was brutally raped and murdered by a member of the
notorious Padgitt family. Willie Traynor reported all the gruesome details, and
his newspaper began to prosper.
The murderer, Danny Padgitt, was tried before a packed courthouse in Clanton, Mississippi.
The trial came to a startling and dramatic end when the defendant threatened
revenge against the jurors if they convicted him. Nevertheless, they found him
guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison.
But in Mississippi
in 1970, "life" didn t necessarily mean "life," and nine years later Danny Padgitt
managed to get himself paroled. He returned to FordCounty,
and the retribution began.
