Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 16 January 2004 Vol 3 Issue: Special Edition #01 Addendum ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Yesterday I mentioned Milo Erwin's "The History of Williamson County, Illinois, From the Earliest Times, Down to the Present", Marion, Illinois, 1876. The response to that article was much more than I expected. A couple of cousins were aware of my meaning and wrote to tell me so. So did some whom I can't yet claim as cousins [except in spirit]. Two things impressed me about the various comments besides the expressions of sympathy. First, the comments taught me some things about my Father's natal land. This pleases me, for I DO learn many things by opening my "mail". And, that brings me to the second thing: others of you out there have that great curiosity that compels one to seek new knowledge. One of the comments wanted to know about the term "Bloody Williamson", as they had never heard that before. Many books about Williamson County mention that name, but it was so dubbed due to a series of events, the main being the Herrin Massacre of the 1920s. An additional reference is Paul M Angle's, "Bloody Williamson, A Chapter in American Lawlessness", Alfred A Knopf, New York, 1952. It is back in print in a soft cover. My cover has a picture of the Birger Gang. Mr Angle goes into much detail about the horrible event known as the Herrin Massacre, however, I would like to quote from his forward: "I do contend that in friendliness and hospitality the people of this region are unsurpassed. Walk along the street in any town in Egypt — the proud name of the southernmost quarter of Illinois — and most of the pedestrians you pass will smile and wish you good morning. Walk a block or two further, and a car will pull to the curb and stop. The driver, who has never seen you before, will ask whether he can't take you where you are going. ....." "This contrast between the people of Williamson County as I know them and their record of violence and lawlessness is one of the reasons why I decided to write this book. ...." [page xxiv] I love reading those words again and again, for it is the way my Dad expressed his memories of Little Egypt. By the Way, the pages of my copy of this book have long since come loose from their binding. <smile> e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html