MAN MURDERS WIFE, KILLS SELF. Headlines don't change much over the centuries. Whether you are in a one-horse town or a metropolis, people don't surprise us much anymore. From Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden to Broadway in Santa Maria, crime happens. In the small town, we all become suspect, interested bystander and investigator. The common thread that weaves through it all is the desire to know for certain "what happened?" We've come to believe all crimes can be solved; that's what DNA is for!Truth be told, many crimes, large or small, go unsolved, unresolved or ignored. When we find this to be the case, we cry out for justice. But justice is in the eye of the beholder. What serves for justice in the moment will be judged by history. Do people deserve a second chance? or a third? even a fourth? What's fair? In the absence of cold hard rules, or even with them, we all enjoy an opinion. Right and wrong do not balance on the scales of crime and punishment. Right and wrong are subjective of the judge and jury. From the first acknowledged crimes in our valley to the ongoing violence that we denounce today, judgement is a tricky business. High Crimes and Misdemeanors shares the foibles of our Santa Maria Valley ancestors with today's readers. All families have a colorful pirate or perhaps a desperately unhappy grand-pappy. Their stories remind us of the fragility of life and that we're all just human.