"Wild Boys" Plagued Louisiana

 The decades after the Civil War spawned more than its share of outlaws in Louisiana. None became so reviled by the public as the killer Lincoln Waggonner of Webster Parish. Among his victims were relatives, former friends, witnesses against him, and anyone who impugned his family's honor. Recognized as a handsome but bloodthirsty character, he became the most sought-after outlaw in northwest Louisiana. His archenemy, Tom Kinder, a former Claiborne Parish deputy, was believed responsible for many of the deaths in the infamous Ramsey-Tuggle feud that rivaled the better known Hatfield-McCoy feud in the number of bodies it produced. Suspected, arrested, and charged in numerous serious crimes in northwest Louisiana, Link Waggonner and Tom Kinder repeatedly escaped punishment. For years, the region tolerated their violence but eventually both men would meet violent deaths. Their demise began a rejection of the policy of violence prevalent after the Civil War.

For the first time, the story of these two outlaws told in book form:  https://www.amazon.com/WILD-BOYS-Waggonner-Violence-Louisiana/dp/B0D5WRNXWC/

 

A Inspiration Story for Kids

 

Please support this Christian ministry by purchasing books for kids you know. All proceeds go into printing books to give away to kids. I'm a co-author but KB Briley, teacher and coach, is the primary author. Etsy.com link below. 

 

Faith, fire, softball in new children’s book

 

A heartwarming and faith-filled new children’s book, “All I Need is a Glove...and God,” has been released, telling the powerful true story of KB Briley, a former softball player from Sterlington and Louisiana Tech whose perseverance and unwavering trust in God are inspiring young readers.

 

Briley’s book blends sports, faith, and grit in a story aimed at young athletes—especially girls—facing challenges of their own. Told in an accessible and encouraging voice, the book invites readers ages 6–11 to walk with KB through real-life setbacks, including a cracked back, multiple shoulder injuries and surgeries, hitting slumps, and a season stolen by COVID, all while chasing a dream she refused to quit.

 

“This book is really my heart on the page,” Briley said. “It’s for every kid who’s ever been hurt, overlooked, sidelined, or told they weren’t enough. I want them to know God can still do big things through their story.”

 

Briley was a star for the Sterlington High Panthers before playing collegiate softball for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. After earning academic honors at Tech, she returned home to Sterlington, where she now serves as head softball coach at Sterlington Middle School and teaches sixth grade social studies.

 

“God brought me home to Sterlington and to the Panthers and I’m blessed to be here,” she said, noting she has coworkers who taught her just a few years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 “It’s been a tough few years, trying to stay healthy and overcome so many roadblocks to my softball career,” Briley said. “I’ve been the girl crying in a dugout. I’ve been the one going through physical therapy instead of practice. But I’ve also been the girl who got back up—with God’s help. I hope this book reminds kids that setbacks aren’t the end. They’re just part of the journey.”

 

“My glove—my passion, my calling—coupled with God’s direction led me through all those barriers,” Briley said. “Sometimes I wondered where God was leading me with all the obstacles, but I trusted him.”

 

“Sometimes chasing your dream will break your heart before it blesses your life,” she said.

 

Briley’s 32-page book is both encouraging and relatable to kids but can inspire any age. With its mix of playful illustrations, reassuring quotes, and honest reflections, “All I Need is a Glove and God” is already resonating with families, coaches, and athletes.

 

Describing the book, Briley said, “It’s a little book with a powerful story. It’s all about giving the credit to God and explaining how kids can have a relationship with God.”

 

“Softball taught me a lot—but my faith taught me more,” Briley added. “That’s what I want kids to take from this book: toughness isn’t about never falling. It’s about getting back up—and knowing you’re never alone when God is by your side.”

 

“All I Need is a Glove and God” is now available through etsy.com, with plans for school visits, church events, and team devotionals where Briley hopes to speak directly to young readers. Briley considers the book a ministry and all sales go back into purchasing more books to distribute to kids. Etsy link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4366437146/

Fire Spurred Growth at Louisiana Tech

 

 

 

An orangish glow cast strange shadows over the town of Ruston during the early morning hours of Monday, January 6, 1936. The eerie sky seemed to reflect that fiery haven ruled by the devil.

When the morning revealed the glow had risen from the complete destruction of the main building at Louisiana Tech, some predicted the end of the small north Louisiana college. But others soon saw it as a “fortunate calamity.”

The day students were scheduled to return to classes after their Christmas holidays, a fire struck “Old Main,” the primary administrative and classroom building and the symbol of the school’s early growth since its founding in 1894.

However, the opportunity for the erection of expanded and up-to-date facilities following the fire led some members of the education community to conclude the burning of Old Main was, in the long run, fortuitous.

Fire broke out sometime before 3:25 a.m. in a biology laboratory under the auditorium at the rear of the building. Ruston, Monroe and Arcadia fire trucks responded but the fire in the massive building could not be stopped until it ran out of fuel. 

Although the external walls were brick, the floors, internal walls, attic and roof, and anything constructed of wood nearly 40 years old burned quickly.

The death of Louisiana Tech, then called Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, was a given, according to the pessimists. No small school like Tech could survive the loss of a huge building like the Old Main, the largest structure on campus, containing administrative offices, classrooms, laboratories, and an auditorium.  

Why Bonnie & Clyde Still Fascinate

So sorry I have not kept this blog up. It's not that I haven't been writing. I've written plenty and most of it can be found at the news site lincolnparishjournal.com.  But I will begin posting many of those articles here.

 

 

At lunch last week, three men I know well sat nearby discussing a new book about the death of outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker—a book I had just read. Although about a dozen previous books address the ambush that relieved mid-America of these killers, “The Trap” aims to tell the true story of their demise.

Two of the three men had personal connections to the story, being related to Prentiss Oakley, a Bienville Parish deputy sheriff who was part of the ambush party. While their interest in the new book comes in part from the familial connection, there’s thousands of other Americans who research and study the Barrow gang and even worship them.

Imagine, adoring two people linked to the murders of 13 men, 12 of them law enforcement officers.

My own interest comes from the couple’s connection to Ruston history and my law enforcement background. About a year before the ambush, Barrow and Parker and Clyde’s brother Buck and Buck’s wife Blanche kidnapped two Ruston residents.

In American crime lore, few duos evoke the same blend of romanticism, rebellion, and tragedy as Barrow and Parker. Ambushed and killed on a rural Bienville Parish road in 1934, they were just 25 and 23 years old. Nearly a century later, their names remain etched in American memory—not merely as criminals, but as cultural icons. What is it about these Great Depression Era outlaws that continues to captivate the public imagination?