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Who would have thought the public records on jails in the Pacific Northwest would not only be a page-turner but would provide a few laughs. Imagine, for example, building a prison then forgetting to provide running water, heat, toilets, or a kitchen to prepare food Imagine having a prisoner as a house guest because there was no place else to put him. Meet bootleggers, murders, and a few wayward girls in this gossipy account of how the west survived the rascals.

Hangings, lynchings, and jailbreaks are long forgotten in Pacific County, where tourists flock to quaint attractions every season. But back in the early days, when the first jailhouse was built, this was a rough, rustic setting. Popular cannery worker Lum You was hanged here in 1902--the only legal execution in county history. Industrious smugglers and creative entrepreneurs outwitted state-sanctioned prohibition measures, though some still did time in the jailhouse. Historian Sydney Stevens presents a collection of tales culled from a forgotten prison record book. Opium fiends, thieves, military deserters, and even wayward girls jailed for incorrigible acts are brought out of the shadows of a wilderness long gone.