I THINK it's a beautiful world," smiled the movie-star handsome gangster minutes before he was hooded and the gallows trap sprang, ending his life.

No, it's not some Hollywood scriptwriter's overactive imagination at work. A bloody rampage across southern Illinois led Charlie Birger to that noose. The reason you've never heard of him and his gang's killing sprees is because bigger city names like Capone and Dillinger crowded him out of headlines.

Frankly, we'd never heard of him ourselves until a travel brochure promoting Franklin County arrived in the mail along with our invitation to Illinois' Outdoor Writers' Conference at Rend Lake, sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources.

In that brochure was a collection of such eye-opening attractions that we turned down opportunities to fish and golf in order to rush off and explore them in the limited time available.

We did know about the Shelton gang in neighbouring "Bloody Williamson County", but didn't realise these two outrageously wild gangs went after each other with a blood-lust not unlike the Hatfield and McCoys. They burned each other's buildings, preferably with gang members in them when possible . . . even went so far as to use biplanes to bomb each other.

Remember, that was in the roaring Twenties when lawless excesses of the prohibition era were totally out of control.

BOTH gangs had armoured vehicles, an abundance of machine guns and were heavily involved in bootlegging, illegal gambling and a depressing list of murders. Birger's Shady Rest headquarters was fortified and had enough guns and ammunition to hold back an attacking army . . . which it sometimes did!

So, learning of our interest, Rend Lake Resort's master chef Jim Halpin drove us into the nearby town of Benton, with our first stop the jail where Birger spent a year before his execution. Talk about a time capsule.

The vintage red-brick building dating to 1905 was a combination sheriff's residence and jail, as was the custom in those days when the lawman slept in two-storey family quarters in front of the cell blocks. It was a fascinating time capsule. The sturdily built original gallows is still there beside the building with a vintage car parked beside it.

"If everyone who says they have a piece of the hangman's rope actually did, it would be a mile long," speculated our knowledgeable guide. It's actually in the entranceway ensconced in a glass case.

First introduction to the Birger Gang's wild misadventures is a 13-minute film recently produced for public television by a local university. And it definitely proved truth is indeed livelier than fiction. Birger was a showman, loved the limelight, even shook hands with the hangman and sheriff flashing a film star smile.

There are photos showing some of the 5,000 residents who attended the hanging. Some considered him a kind of Robin Hood. Incredibly, a few days after returning home a young vice-president of my bank asked where I'd been. When I told him, his eyes lit up. "My family is from down there and they went to the hanging."

Amazing . . . it's a small world!

Touring the sparse and sterile eight-cell downstairs jail, Birger's larger upstairs "accommodations" and the sheriff's quarters are like a page from a Wild West diary.

Visitors learn Birger had been in the 13th US Cavalry and was obsessed with equestrian life. He fancied himself a Tom Mix lookalike and often wore riding clothes, carrying a riding crop.

Some records indicate he was married four times, others three. There's no question he cut a dashing picture . . . nearly six feet tall and described as "one of the nicest, friendliest guys you ever met". Born in Russia to Jewish parents, he spoke English without accent and faced death with a rabbi at his execution. There's some speculation he'd been given morphine the morning of the hanging which might account for his high spirits.

WE came away from this very intriguing museum experience convinced the whole thing had the makings of a spell-binding movie. As is our custom, we bought a stack of books shedding light on that wild and woolly era. So does the museum, covering everything from the area's role in the Civil War to prison life 75 years ago.

But learning about one of America's most outrageous but little known gangsters isn't the only thing one encounters here. A mock-up of the studio at nearby West Frankfort, Illinois where Beatle George Harrison gave his first American interview and equipment on which his first record was played in the US is also here in one of the museum rooms. Incidentally, it was From Me To You.

George Harrison in Benton, Illinois! What on earth was he doing here? I'd first read about his visit in the same Franklin County brochure and found it worth pursuing. To say that he left a strong trail is a major understatement and devoted fans continue to beat a path here to follow in his footsteps.

The Beatles were already top of the charts and famous in England, so much so they wanted a quiet getaway. George's sister, Louise Harrison Caldwell, had recently moved to Benton with her husband, and two young children George had never met.

A Scots-born engineer, her husband's work had taken them down to Peru and up along James Bay, Quebec. When they saw an ad for similar work at coal mines surrounding Benton, they became Illinoisans.

Ringo Starr originally intended to come along with George. But when he learned Louise was trying to get a Beatles record played on a local radio station and set up interviews, he opted for a more anonymous destination. Instead, George and Louise's brother Peter came along.

A few days earlier, the Beatles had performed at London's Albert Hall with the Rolling Stones. When George found out about Louise's promotion idea, he said: "I'm coming for a vacation. I just want to see the ordinary side of America . . . the shops, the airports, the trains, the garages, the way people live in general."

Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney opted to vacation in Greece, while John and Cynthia Lennon travelled to Paris. George was the only one to see America without hype or fame.

The sister's immaculately maintained bungalow where George stayed is now Hard Day's Nite Bed and Breakfast and therein lies the story. George spent three weeks visiting there in September 1963. The family went camping down in Shawnee National Forest, George bought a Rickenbacker guitar locally which was later used in his performances and he made a lot of friends who still remember him with great affection and talk about it like it happened yesterday.

"Ask my husband about his experience," one woman mischievously confided to us at a reception. Turns out he had a popular local music group called The Egyptian Combo that played at local functions and once-weekly at Benton. Leader Rick Linton had just had a bad experience when asked if a guest could sing along with the band and it was "a caterwauling disaster".

So when older sister Louise Harrison showed up one evening and asked if George could sit in with them for a few numbers, he was turned down, rather abruptly it appears. Linton has yet to live it down.

Cornelius Schultz, who manages the house, was an unexpected delight with an effervescent personality.

"Call me Connie . . . I was named after Cornelius Vanderbilt. My mother thought it was appropriate since we came from the same town."

Connie led us through the house at 113 McCann Street and proved to have a contagious enthusiasm and personality lively as the music group he so obviously enjoyed.

The house made headlines when purchased by the Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals to be demolished for a parking lot in 1994. Fans successfully rallied to save it and their struggle attracted newsmen from the BBC, Reuters, Argentina, Germany and Australia among others. Today it's definitely a Beatles shrine returned to its original appearance with Louise's help. You can rent one of four very comfortable bedrooms for $72 or the whole house at a ten per cent discount and find yourself totally surrounded by Beatlemania memorabilia. It's everywhere, along with books, videos and music tapes for those who want total immersion.

Although my household was more into light semi-classical music, it would be hard not to be fascinated by this property. Rooms have imaginative decor, very spacious bathrooms and guests have total run of the place . . . living room, dining room, kitchen, den and the broad veranda where George liked to relax. They can cook a meal, unwind surrounded by Beatle memories. The owners live off-site. For more information call (618) 438-2328 or www.harddaysnitebnb.com

George's visit was in September 1963. In February 1964 the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan's show and the rest is history. The whole group wanted to return here after achieving US fame but Benton police asked them not to come because they felt they couldn't handle the crowds.

WHO comes to stay? A Brazilian family travelled all the way up here to spend three days . . . an airline pilot flew in from Texas . . . fans arrive from Korea, Australia . . . people are married here (in fact, Louise graciously acted as maid of honour for one and John Malkovich's sister, who works on the local paper, came over for the ceremony) . . . Bill Haley's Comets settled in. It's a very fun place, yet also sadly nostalgic, showing a handsome, healthy young Harrison so obviously enjoying himself.

George later said of the people of Benton (population 8,000) and Southern Illinois: "They're great people. They're really glad to see me. Not because I'm a Beatle, but because I'm me. That's wonderful."

And as sister Lou said: "This was really the only place in the US where a Beatle was able to move around as a normal person, to meet and interact with folks on an equal footing."

People in this region are definitely very friendly and welcoming, so it's easy to see why he was impressed. We found they go out of their way offering hospitality to visitors. I've come away with a very treasured memento, thanks to Connie Schultz's generosity. One of the earliest trees to blossom in spring is redbud, flowerful before any leaves appear. We bought one a few years earlier but it didn't survive.

One of the biggest, showiest redbuds I've ever seen was planted by Louise and thrives beside the porch of Hard Day's Nite B and B. When I covetously admired it, Connie offered to transplant some "offspring" and had them potted up for me next morning. Seven of them now thrive in my yard. Perhaps he should make a side business of "Harrison souvenir redbuds"!

At a recent estate sale, I was telling a savvy, much-travelled friend about Benton and beautiful Rend Lake as a place her family would enjoy. When an associate of hers arrived, she asked: "You're a Beatle fan. Have you ever heard about this place?" His answer was: "Absolutely, it's famous." Famous and also lots of fun.

Illinois' legislation moves slowly and a couple of weeks ago issued a proclamation regarding the site's importance! It was intended for the 40th anniversary of George's visit last September!

There's still more to see in town, this time the Antique Auto Museum in the old Franklin County Garage. It was built in 1910 as a Ford Garage, and we were told it contained Charlie's Berger's armoured car and other vintage treasures. But it was closed both times we attempted to visit. So were tempting-looking antique shops at nearby Sesser, only open on weekends. But we did manage to get over there just after dawn for the weekly Tuesday farmers' market starting at 5.30 a.m.

Not morning people, we dragged ourselves out of our cosy Rend Lake Resort suite to go in search for farm antiques. We not only found some treasures, but for the first time ever saw a flaming orange full moon as it set, as though plunging into the lake as observed from our balcony . . . a memorable sight.

But we're not through yet. Surprise of surprises, southern Illinois has several wineries and we're off for taste sampling at one of them. With Jim Halpin, our own personal wine expert, along to offer suggestions, it's a pleasant taste surprise. Pleasant Hollow Winery is close by the resort.

We'd spent four nights at Rend Lake Resort and hadn't yet found time to visit the gift and snack shop. Temptations were waiting. A superbly talented local artist named Gene Flowers does ink sketches of old barns, vintage houses, country stores and other disappearing country sites and prints copied form his work were on display there.

At $6 each, they were impossible to resist and we now have $154 worth of such scenes to decorate a wall. Now aged 73 and suffering from advanced muscular degeneration, he continues to work with great difficulty and you can admire his work on www.geneflowers.com

There's so much yet to see and visit in this area, but in the few days left we have to drive up to new Salem where we want to show readers the place where Abraham Lincoln began his trail to greatness. As is so often the case, we all tend to rush off around the world to far places with exciting names. Often neglecting what's close by. Yet, meanwhile, those who live in more crowded overdeveloped countries travel here to see vast open spaces of landscapes like these . . . the sight of open prairieland, often stretching to a horizon interspersed with forestlands.

When Charles Dickens came to this region visiting the US during one of his tours, he rode out of St. Louis in a carriage to look at the countryside and marvelled at the sight of such open land. It's still here, a bit more populated with farms, small friendly towns and enhanced with wilderness recreation areas preserved by the US Forest Service.

We're the first to admit that it certainly deserves more of our attention.

Travel factfile: To learn more about Franklin County's many attractions, call 1-880-661-9998. For outdoor enthusiasts, the tempting wilderness areas of Shawnee National Forest where George Harrison enjoyed camping are just south of here.

4 Next week: Abraham Lincoln arrives in New Salem Village