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an independent country that existed for 74 days, and a war to remain independent of European rule... about pirates and slave-runners, and lawless robber gangs... about a scheme to return Napoleon to his throne, and how a faithful Indian ally was cheated of its birthright... about robber gangs and buried treasure... about the creation of homesteads and growth of rural communities, towns, and commerce... about the great Civil War, and the hardships and the patriotism that it engendered, and a priest, turned blockade runner... about an early resort town, and the celebrities who visited it... about timber barons and the temporary prosperity fueled by rape of the environment... and what happened when all the trees were gone... about how a railroad brought dueling and settlers to the county, and a highway connected an isolated community to the rest of the Coast... about a local "white lightning" industry and the smuggling of imported liquor by Al Capone... about the Praline Capital of the World, and the poorest county in the poorest state in the Union... about a quiet country setting where big city gangsters dumped their bodies, and where rocket engines were tested before traveling to the moon... About drilling for oil and gas, and the establishment of a gambling industry... and about other tidbits, as well, fancy and plain...
....and now that I'm done with the big buildup, ON WITH THE STORY!