Most Wanted in Brunswick County

“A roving, shiftless fellow…”

That’s how the newspapers described Jesse C. Walker, who in 1908 was served with an arrest warrant by Brunswick County sheriff Jackson Stanland, with tragic results. Little did Walker know that he was about to set off on twenty-five years of headline-grabbing exploits. Two murders, two wives, three prison escapes, and thousands of miles of travel across eight states are only the surface of the adventures of this North Carolina desperado.

Local author Mark W. Koenig relates the untold saga of a man who rocketed to notoriety in the first years of the twentieth century and found atonement decades later.

Mark W. Koenig was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, and was the director of the Wilmington Railroad Museum for twelve years. His first book with The History Press, The Wilmington Brunswick & Southern Railroad, was developed there. This second book spins out the surprising tale of a minor figure from the first book. The narrative draws from decades of news stories, family memories and records that provided details of his life and deeds. Mark and his wife live in Leland, North Carolina.