Death in the Queen City (eBook)

Clara Ford on Trial, 1895

Patrick Brode (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2005
192 Seiten
Dundurn (Verlag)
978-1-55488-142-0 (ISBN)

Infos

In 1894, the death by gunshot of 18-year-old Frank Westwood baffled Toronto police until their arrest of a strong-willed woman of colour named Clara Ford.

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A single gunshot on Saturday night, October 6, 1894, shattered Toronto's prevailing sense of peace and security. That gunshot took the life of Frank Westwood, a respectable young man from one of the city's most prominent families. This unprecedented attack produced a feeling of hysteria throughout Toronto and baffled the municipal police forces. The mystery was even referred to Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. However, even the Great Detective could not solve the Westwood murder. Finally, a chance rumour led to the most unlikely of suspects -- a young Black woman named Clara Ford. She was a most unusual character, a tough, revolver-toting lady who often wore men's clothing and defied the norms of late Victorian Toronto. While the police increasingly focused their investigation on her, the motives for the killing remained a puzzle. Was Clara seeking revenge for a previous assault, or was she the frustrated lover of a young white man? The trial of Clara Ford captured Toronto's attention like no other case before it. The evidence revealed a bizarre story of romance and racism. In addition to the wildly unconventional Clara, the cast of characters featured dogged detectives, and wily lawyers who at times seemed to make this cause celebre more of a theatrical than a judicial display.

Autor

Patrick Brode was born in Windsor, Ontario. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1977 and has practiced law ever since. He has written four works on the history of law in Canada including Sir John Beverley Robinson: Bone and Sinew of the Compact, a finalist for the City of Toronto Book Award in 1985, and The Odyssey of John Anderson, a finalist for the Trillium Award in 1990.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 24.6.2005
• Verlagsort: Toronto
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Geschichte / Politik ► Politik / Gesellschaft
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Kulturgeschichte
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Ethnologie
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
• Themenwelt: Wirtschaft
• ISBN-10: 1-55488-142-0 / 1554881420
• ISBN-13: 978-1-55488-142-0 / 9781554881420