On August 7, 1967, Floyd "Fuzzy" Hoard, the Solicitor General in rural Jackson County Ga., got into his car, turned the ignition switch and was assassinated with 10 sticks of dynamite that had been planted under the car's hood the night before. For over two years, Hoard had been prosecuting local bootleg and car theft gangs and had gained a reputation as a crusading lawman. But there is more to the story than just Hoard's murder. The widespread lawlessness in the community had compromised its voice, leading to inaction by its citizens. The result was widespread public corruption and incompetence. As a local attorney, Hoard found himself in the middle of the Jackson County political system long before he was murdered. From that vantage point, he had warned numerous times about how the community was turning a blind eye to the corruption. He wrote newspaper articles and editorials calling on citizens to take the lawlessness seriously and to take action. But Hoard's warnings were ignored. The result was his own murder. In the end, five men were convicted of the assassination, but the community's conspiracy of silence after decades of corruption was also to blame. This is that story.