Killing on Ring Jaw Bluff

by William Rawlings

Recounts the rise and fall of Georgia's rural population as told through the story of Charles Graves Rawlings, who grew from modest beginnings to become one of the state's wealthier men, and in 1925 faced a life sentence for his role in the murder of his first cousin.

Genres: History

276 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2013

Reviews

[Jeff Jellets]

I present this account as an interesting tale, nothing more or less.

Author William Rawlings’ A Killing on Ring Jaw Bluff is a superb little book of Georgia history, recounting (as the book jacket succinctly states) the rise and fall of Georgia’s rural population through the story of Sandersville cotton farmer, financier, businessmen and later convicted killer, Charles Graves Rawlings. Much like the farm barons of the bygone 1900s and 1920s, Rawlings tills new ground in this book, closely examining how the South’s reliance (bordering on blind devotion) to King Cotton ultimately lead to an unsustainable economy that not only bankrupt both individuals and communities, but ultimately lead to the dissolution of many small Georgia towns and a diaspora of many southern residents northward.

One might expect any book addressing post-Civil War southern economics and population migration to be inherently dry and dusty, but Rawlings deftly avoids pedantry, focusing his attention instead on the life and times of those who lived during these troubled times – in particular the life of the author’s ancestor, Charles Graves Rawlings, a rags to riches millionaire who lived his twilight years impoverished and imprisoned for purportedly engineering the killing of his cousin, Gus Tarbutton. Replete with stories, folklore and anecdotes, Rawlings paints a vivid picture of the life, times, people and places. Every page of A Killing on Ring Jaw Bluff is interesting and the broad canvas of Rawlings’ book is a bit like peering through the window of time machine into the faces, issues and politics of the past.

It is the seamless fusion between intensely interesting tales of individuals alongside the broader background of historical trends and changes that makes A Killing on Ring Jaw Bluff so immensely satisfying. Rawlings is able to sift through (and explain) complex economic and historical data with ease – never have I been more interested in the growing, cultivation and economy of cotton – but more importantly he is also able to show how these broader issues are relevant -- specifically to the lives of the individuals he chronicles. For example, Rawlings bluntly portrays the terrible impacts of Southern racism, but wisely avoids the trap of blaming all the South’s ills on that single evil. Likewise, he addresses the rise and impact of the Ku Klux Klan – not just in the context of its abhorrent racism – but as a political movement whose terrorism targeted not just African-Americans, Jews and Catholics, but anyone (whites included) whose moral purity was questioned by Klansmen. Author Rawlings doesn’t shy away from bluntly painting the picture of the Klan’s brutality – so unflinchingly that it becomes very easy to understand, even modern times, the fear and intimidation the hooded men must have instilled even among some of the bravest and most independent local citizens.

A Killing on Ring Jaw Bluff is indeed a book about history – but it’s clear that Rawlings’ is no stodgy historian; instead his writing is that of a fan of history whose enthusiasm, crisp narration, and penchant for wonderful stories captures both the reader’s interest and the essence of the age. In the preface, Rawlings calls this book “an interesting tale, nothing more or less” – and like the best classic tales, this is a story that resonates with ageless meaning.

[SallyStenger]

A Killing on Ring Jaw Bluff: The Great REcession and the Death of Small Town Georgia (Hardcover). by William Rawlings. Macon, Georgia: Mercer Univ. Press, 2013. 276 pp.

I decided to read this book because it was recommended by my mother. I enjoyed it very much.

The author, William Rawlings, has written several fiction works and this is his first non-fiction work. He recounts his research into a true story of a relative of his who was accused of a killing in 1925. He fleshes out the story by putting it into the context and history of its small town Georgia setting.

Rawlings is evidently very knowledgeable about his topic. He is a native of Sandersville, Georgia, and has spent his life there except for his education as a doctor.

A bonus for me is that he briefly accounts an interesting story out of my own history, an account of the killing of Letcher Tyre in 1906, my great-grandmother's brother.

The book was well told and an interesting read. I recommend it to anyone interested in Georgia history and especially the Sandersville area.

[Elisabeth]

I met William Rawlings at a literary festival held recently in Dahlonega, Georgia. I was attracted to the festival by the appearance of Terry Kay as well as Cassandra King (Pat Conroy’s wife) and Joshilyn Jackson. (Was it too much to hope that Pat might accompany his wife on this trip?) Before arriving, I looked up the other writers who would be included, and Rawlings was one who interested me.

I attended a panel discussion on writing non-fiction that Rawlings was a part of which further piqued my interest in his latest work. It is a non-fiction account of the rise and decline of an uncle (several generations removed) Charlie Rawlings – once one of the wealthiest men in Georgia and only a few years later, serving time in prison for the murder of Gus Tarbutton. In order to accurately give the circumstances of Tarbutton’s death and the likelihood or unlikelihood that it would or could have been orchestrated by a close friend, indeed cousin, requires Rawlings to also tell the story of economics in small town, rural Georgia in the early 1900′s. This story cannot be told without the addition of race, politics, and social mores to further complicate matters.

I probably know more about the rise and fall of King Cotton than I ever thought I would or would want to, but even for an English major like myself who generally shies away from things numbers related, I was fascinated by the picture Rawlings painted of life in these small towns. Since I have people from nearby Burke County who also relied and probably foolishly trusted in the soft, white god, I was that much more intrigued by the narrative.

This book is for anyone with roots in small town South, enjoys economics personified in history or looks to true-life crime for entertainment.

More reviews at Lit&Leisure.

[Ethan Holliman]

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing more about the socioeconomic plights of small-town Georgia during the 1920's, during the rise and fall of "King Cotton" and its agricultural industry. Dr. Rawlings is an exemplary writer with extraordinary style and diction, and I don't think anyone could shed light on Georgia's Sandersville and its early political dynamics more competently than he. The literature contains a plethora of scholarship, which is presented in tandem with a personal family drama that captivated me to read more. It's an excellent book!

[BETSY MOREHOUSE]

Fascinating, informative, and engaging

Recommend for anyone interested in Georgia history - historical perspective through a true and engaging story of a community and its residents

[Tom]

More than a murder story, this is an economist's view of the decline of small Southern towns in the early 20th century.