(ORLEANS) – Author and former on-air personality, Bob Moody, will be on hand to discuss his book, “The Terror of Indiana: Bent Jones and the Moody-Tolliver Feud” at the Orleans Public Library from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 13.
An Arkansas native, Moody spent nearly five decades in the radio business as an on-air personality, program director, consultant, and corporate programming executive. He worked at stations in San Antonio, Denver, Detroit, Shreveport, Baltimore, and at WAKY in Louisville. As a consultant, he served dozens of radio stations across the U.S. and Canada while with Nationwide Communications, McVay Media, Regent Communications, and Townsquare Media; and he served on the board of directors of both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. In 2007, he was inducted to the Country Music Radio Hall of Fame.
While working in Louisville, Moody became interested in the Moody-Tolliver Feud, being a direct descendant of James Moody (1803-1883) who was the oldest brother of feud victim Thomas Moody. Retiring in 2016, the author has researched the feud extensively and discovered new information that is revealed for the first time in the book.
Taking place near Orleans, the Moody-Tolliver Feud took place years before the famous feud between the Hatfields and McCoys. According to the book’s jacket, “A surprise marriage followed by a fatal accident hurled two wealthy Indiana farm families into a dispute that soon escalated into murder and arson…The facts include a firebombing, cold-blooded murder, accused killers shooting at a mob from inside a jail, the daring horseback escape of a doctor charged with the crime, dramatic trials for ‘one of the most celebrated cases in the history of Western jurisprudence,’ and a villain described by the press as ‘The Terror of Indiana.’
The true story of Bent Jones and the Moody-Tolliver Feud is the result of Bob Moody’s exhaustive research, newly-discovered documents, and reports from more than one hundred newspapers from the time of the feud. Moody will share background on the book and his research, as well as perform a reading from its pages.
The book itself will be available to buy at $14 a copy, and Moody will be happy to include his autograph with purchase.
The event, sponsored by the Orange County Historical Society in partnership with the Orleans Public Library, is free and open to the public.
