The Fruits of Murder

Mike and Jessup Galvin were the young sons of a hardscrabble Christian Kansas farmer whose stern leadership demanded hard work from dawn to dusk. They left the rigors of toil to seek their fortune at Oklahoma's opening of the Cherokee Strip. Jessup managed to claim a marginal tract of land, on which he discovered a hidden creek-bank cave, first serving as his dwelling and later sheltering a corn whiskey still. Mike craved excitement and obtained a job as Deputy Marshal, charged with helping to control the run for land, afterward joining an outlaw gang. The famed Marshal Nix and his fellow lawmen soon made that adventure too risky, so he moved to Chicago to work for Al Capone. In Oklahoma, Jessup met and married Emily, the daughter of a local baker, who encouraged him to shorten his name to Jess. They birthed two sons, Roberto and Emmet, whom Jess looked upon as a source of cheap labor. They were abused and put to work in his fields before they were of school age. Joel Galvin, the youngest son, was treated much differently than his older boys, causing friction between them, later resulting in a family feud. Roberto married Greta and started his own family. In an entirely different style of romance, Emmet courted and married Greta's cousin, Elizabeth. Her father, Cal Ames, owned and operated the largest business in Enid, Oklahoma, a flourmill. Greed and the bitter memory of childhood abuse prompted Roberto to do the unthinkable, leading him and his brothers into a twisted, unexpected series of events that would changes their lives forever. The Fruits of Murder, as the Galvin brothers learned, are sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet. The story of the Galvin family is one of physical abuse, illicit activities, greed, sibling strife, and an unsolved murder. Riches are gained and misfortunes are encountered. Although strictly fiction, this plot was spawned by court records involving a nationally known family.