Dispatch 9
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Backstory: Bailey Monk
The storyline of the shootings of Bailey Monk and Fred Paxton was inspired by the deaths of U.S. Prohibition agents Robert Knox Moncure and Franklin R. Patterson on Jan. 18, 1930, as they served a warrant on the West Palm Beach home of alleged rumrunner George W. Moore, on whom the character Mark Gregg is based.
As in Hypocrite’s Row, in the actual federal trial of Moore, his lawyers did argue the warrant was for daytime only and the lawmen arrived four minutes after official sundown. Moore testified he didn’t know the men were agents and believed they were criminals committing a home invasion. Jurors took just 24 minutes to acquit Moore. He later would be convicted on federal charges in Patterson’s death and sentenced to 10 years. He would die at 67 in 1958. A small obituary listed him as owner of a roofing and paint company.
Some of the comments of Sandra Monk are the exact wording of letters written by Moncure’s widow Liza and provided by her grandson, Robert Moncure III, to whom the author is indebted.
Palm Beach Post, Jan. 16, 2005
Talks
March 1, 4 pm: Hypocrite’s Row Launch! Books and Books, Coral Gables
March 11, 5:30 pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Fla at Historical Society of Palm Beach County
March 13, 2 pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Fla at Historical Society of Martin County, Elliott Museum
March 14, 2 p.m.: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade.
March 17, 6 pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Boca Raton Historical Society
March 18, 2pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Palm Beach County Library, Hagen Road Branch
March 18, 6:30 p.m.: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Mandel Public Library, West Palm Beach
March 26, 6 pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Boca Raton Library
April 4, 1 pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at HistoryMiami.
April 15, 2 pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Deerfield Beach Historical Society
May 12, 6 p.m: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Delray Beach Historical Society
Sept. 27, 1 p.m: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Hollywood Historical Society
Nov. 22: Look for me at the Miami Book Fair street fair!
Learn the stories behind Hypocrite’s Row: https://t.co/aiSbJNnSYA
Watch more Hypocrite’s Row Videos: https://tinyurl.com/bddd69cp
See you on the beat!