The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville MurdersFrom 1926 to 1928, Gordon Stewart Northcott committed at least 20 murders on a chicken ranch outside of Los Angeles. His nephew, Sanford Clark, was held captive there from the age of 13 to 15, and was the sole surviving victim of the killing spree. Here, acclaimed crime writer Anthony Flacco--using never-before-heard information from Sanford's son Jerry Clark--tells the real story behind the case that riveted the nation. Forced by Northcott to take part in the murders, Sanford carried tremendous guilt all his life. Yet despite his youth and the trauma, he helped gain some justice for the dead and their families by testifying at Northcott's trial-which led to his conviction and execution. It was a shocking story, but perhaps the most shocking part of all is the extraordinarily ordinary life Clark went on to live as a decorated WWII vet, a devoted husband of 55 years, a loving father, and a productive citizen.In dramatizing one of the darkest cases in American crime, Flacco constructs a riveting psychological drama about how Sanford was able to detoxify himself from the evil he'd encountered, offering the ultimately redemptive story of one man's remarkable ability to survive a nightmare and emerge intact. |
Contents
ONE | 1 |
Two | 17 |
THREE | 39 |
FOUR | 52 |
FIVE | 66 |
SIX | 80 |
SEVEN | 100 |
EIGHT | 125 |
TWELVE | 196 |
THIRTEEN | 210 |
FOURTEEN | 239 |
FIFTEEN | 264 |
EPILOGUE | 268 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | 270 |
AUTHORS NOTE | 272 |
276 | |
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Common terms and phrases
already ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY anyway arms asked began better body body odor breath brother Canada chicken ranch COLLECTION/LOS ANGELES PUBLIC coop Damn dirt door everything EXAMINER COLLECTION/LOS ANGELES eyes face feel FLACCO Gordon Stewart Northcott Grandma Louise Grandpa George Ha-ha Ha-ha-ha hands head hear heard hell HERALD EXAMINER COLLECTION/LOS inside Jeanette MacDonald JERRY CLARK Jessie Jessie's John Clark June keep Kelley kill laugh Lewis listen looked Los Angeles loved mask mean MICHAEL STONE mother moved murder never night Okay Old Scout petroleum jelly pulled Sanford Clark Sanford felt Sanford knew Sanford realized Saskatchewan Saskatoon scream smile sound stared stay stood stop story straight sure talk tell thing thought told took trying turned Uncle Stewart voice walked Walter Collins Wineville Winnie Winslow boys Yeah