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Queen of the Bootleggers: The Life and Murder of Cleo Epps
Cleo Epps was one of the biggest bootleggers in northeast Oklahoma, and she was one of the only female bootleggers around. She was arrested for bootlegging in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, and her 1966 conviction was being appealed when she disappeared. On Nov. 12, 1970, Cleo Epps went missing, but she was last seen with two business associates who just happened to be members of the Dixie Mafia. She had also testified against the two men in a grand jury hearing only a month earlier in regards to the attempted assassination and car-bombing of Tulsa County District Judge Fred Nelson.
The body of Cleo Epps was found three months later in the water cistern of an abandoned house. She was covered in rocks and submerged in water, but there were so many questions that needed to be answered. Her head was covered with a towel that had two visible bullet holes.
Cleo Epps dealt in truckloads of booze and made a lot of money doing so. She once said, "I never sold a bottle of whiskey in my life. All I did was drive it across the state line. Everybody knows that.”
Her nickname, “The Bootleg Queen" was given to her by Tulsa Tribune reporter Nolen Bulloch in the 1940s.
She hated the name.
The body of Cleo Epps was found three months later in the water cistern of an abandoned house. She was covered in rocks and submerged in water, but there were so many questions that needed to be answered. Her head was covered with a towel that had two visible bullet holes.
Cleo Epps dealt in truckloads of booze and made a lot of money doing so. She once said, "I never sold a bottle of whiskey in my life. All I did was drive it across the state line. Everybody knows that.”
Her nickname, “The Bootleg Queen" was given to her by Tulsa Tribune reporter Nolen Bulloch in the 1940s.
She hated the name.
215 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2019
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17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 24, 2023
Bootleg Queen!n of Oklahoma, one of my grandma's best friend and neighbor.
Kirk. Thank you for a story well told. I have wanted to do this my entire adult life. Great job my friend.
Kirk. Thank you for a story well told. I have wanted to do this my entire adult life. Great job my friend.
January 7, 2026
Poorly written. Story does not flow. I skipped several chapters as they were not relevant to the main character. Several misspelled words and grammatical errors.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews