Murder & Mayhem in Ulster County

In 1870, the"e; New York Herald"e; proclaimed that Ulster County was New York's "e;Ulcer County"e; due to its lawlessness and crime. The columnist supported his claim by citing that in only six months, "e;it has been the scene of no less than four cold blooded and brutal murders, six suicides and four elopements."e; Hannah Markle--the bane of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union--ran a Kingston saloon where murder and violence were served alongside the whiskey. John Babbitt confessed on his deathbed to murdering Emma Brooks, and Willie Brown--reputed member of the Eastman Gang--accidentally shot his best friend. The infamous Big Bad Bill, the "e;Gardiner Desperado,"e; lashed out more than once and killed in a drunken rage. Discover the mayhem and murder that these and others wreaked on one of New York State's original counties.