#AmericanHeroesChannel - #Gunslingers - Pious #JimMiller

The Gunslingers series on the American Heroes Channel is rather enjoyable and entertaining to watch. This particular episode (Season 2, Episode 6) titled "Deacon Jim Miller - The Pious Assassin" revealed some interesting facts that I hadn't found before and will share here.

Original air date: August 23, 2015

Series Description:
The 19th century territory west of the Mississippi was a rough place, swarming with outcasts, murderers, thieves and bounty hunters. From bank-robbing outlaw Butch Cassidy and hard-nosed enforcer Seth Bullock, to infamous Dodge City sheriff Bat Masterson and lone-ranger Bass Reeves, the unforgivable Wild West kicks into high gear in this season of Gunslingers.

Episode Description:
His neighbors saw a devout family man. The last thing his victims saw was a shotgun aimed at their heads. If there's an outlaw who was born to kill it's DEACON JIM MILLER – the Bible-thumping psycho-killer.

Highlights:

• Jim Miller, also known as "Killer Jim" killed 51 men.
• He acted like a mobster - scared or paid off witnesses (or had them killed).
• Although he was a murderer, he didn't drink or use foul language and he attended regular church services. This clean appearance gave him the nickname "Pious Jim Miller".
• His first crime was murdering his grandparents at 8 years old. He was never charged with the crime.
• July 30, 1884 - he killed his sister Georgia's husband, John Coop, during church service.
• In 1891, Jim Miller became deputy of Pecos; the sheriff Bud Frazer eventually stripped him of his badge after Jim murdered a Mexican prisoner.
• Jim plots to kill Bud Frazer to get him out of the way, but Bud's friend overhears the plot and it is foiled. Eventually, Bud loses it and starts shooting Jim at close range but Jim was protected by a steel plate. Bud was fired.
• Miller was appointed to town marshal (a pretty important position similar to today's police chief).
• Eventually, Miller becomes a killer-for-hire. His payment starts at $50 and eventually grows to $2000 a job.
• Jim's downfall started when he is hired by a group of corrupt cattlemen in Oklahoma to kill a cattleman and former Deputy U.S. Marshal named Gus Bobbitt. Gus's wife spots Jim and he is eventually tracked down and thrown in jail. Now, Jim has a history of getting acquitted from his crimes based on technicalities or lack of witnesses, so this time the angry locals take matters into their own hands and hang Jim and his gang.

You might find this episode on the American Heroes Channel or check your local library or you can view it through Streaming:

#ModernMarvels - #Saws - #HistoryChannel

Modern Marvels - Saws (Season 3 Episode 4)

Original air date: June 27, 2008

Description:
They have the sharpest teeth known to man, but only bite on command. They brought down the forests and built up the pyramids. Some have used them to torture, others to cure. They're a cut above for construction, salvage, demolition - and they even make music.

Highlights:

• Prehistoric flint stone saws have been discovered
• 4900 BC - Egyptians created metal/copper saws (eventually replaced with bronze and iron)
• 700 BC - The teeth on the saw are designed in the direction of the cut
• 1730's - Amputation Saws are used (sawing back and forth). Unfortunately, they were not properly cleaned or sanitized and spread disease.
• 1930's - Crosscut saws are introduced
• Interestingly (and sadly) - Timber Cutting is one of the most lethal jobs in America with 110 deaths per 100,000 workers

Check your local library for a copy or you can buy one from here:


You can also view it via Streaming here:

#America - Facts vs Fiction - Fool's Gold - #AmericanHeroesChannel

America: Facts vs Fiction - Fool's Gold (Season 2 Episode 1)

Description:
The real facts behind America's biggest economic boom and biggest bust will shock you. On this episode of America: Facts vs. Fiction, discover a treasure of nuggets about the California gold rush and the Stock Market Crash of 1929.

Highlights:

• North Carolina experienced the first gold rush in the U.S. (in 1799)
• Georgia experienced the second gold rush in the U.S. (in 1828)
• The California Gold Rush was actually the third god rush in the U.S. (1849), but two things made it so memorable and lasting: the gold was found on Federal land (making it available to any one to mine) and the amount of gold was massive
• Interestingly, the biggest danger was Disease (thanks to poor sanitation practices and lack of clean water)
• One in Five miners died in the first six months
• One in Four miners arrived in California from outside the U.S.
• The people who actually became rich were the store or supply owners.
• A store owner named Sam Brannan was California's first millionaire
• The California Gold Rush pretty much died down around 1860

Check your local library for a copy or you can watch it via Stream here: