In Melissa Fay Green's award-winning book, Praying for Sheet Rock, she tells the story of Tom Popple,

the sheriff of McIntosh County, a rural area just two counties north from Camden along the coast.

Sheriff Popple had inherited his office from

his father, who was sheriff before him, and he remained in that position from 1948 until his

death in 1979. As Green writes in her book, Sheriff Thomas Popple flourished in a system of

favoritism, nepotism, and paternalism, known as the courthouse gang or the good old

boy system. Georgia was infamous for much of this century for its highly evolved system

of influential courthouse gangs. Four or five counties down along the coast practically

controlled much of what went on in Georgia, said less dramatics. Those who ran the county

courthouses had their own empires in a lot of places.

The courthouse gangs ran the counties smoothly for years, enforcing race, class, and gender distinctions, while issuing modern industrial development with its threat of civil equality,

higher wages, and the migration of outsiders into their counties.

A handful of white men controlled each county, succeeded themselves at every election for decades,

packed other electoral and appointed positions for among their friends and family,

and filled up their own pockets with fortunes.

They were, in a sense, middlemen,

guaranteeing their county's votes to state and national politicians

in exchange for favors they were then able to pass along to constituents.

The Office of Sheriff in small rural counties is unique in U.S. politics, but what happened in McIntosh County is not. In the South, some counties evolved or didn't along with

their sheriff. Camden County was no exception to that.

Music sheriff, Camden County was no exception to that. Hi and welcome to Undisclosed. My name is Robyajadhi. I'm an attorney and author of Adnan Story,

and I'm here with my colleagues, Susan Simpson and Colin Miller.

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