Signings and a reading from the book, “Crooked Snake, the Life and Times of Albert Lepard,” by Lovejoy Boteler was the focal event Friday for National Library Week observance at the Attala County Library.
Many of those who turned out remember the story of Lepard, who was sentenced to life in Parchman for the murder of 74-year-old Mary Young in 1959 in the Seneasha Community of Attala County.
During the course of his sentence, Lepard escaped from prison six times in 14 years. During one of the escapes, Boteler was kidnapped on the family farm in Grenada County.
He said the book is the result of his wife Jill’s encouragement of him to tell the story of his kidnapping.
As he related details of his kidnapping, he also told of his visits to the Seneasha Community to conduct personal interviews, research records and visit with family members.
Boteler, a resident of Jackson, spent his early years on Riverdale Farms in Grenada County. He has worked for the Mississippi Legislature, as a deck hand on the Mississippi River, and in a rodeo in Colorado. He has also taught construction technology and instrumental music in public schools.
