I bought a copy of "The Wrath of Judge Lynch: Race Wars" from it's author, John Arnold Hargis recently at the Rockport Indiana Lincoln Pioneer Village. He was selling them for the bargain price of $10!
For anyone who is interested in the history of this area, which is packed with interesting history, this is a great book. Hargis is writing about crime mostly in Rockport in the year 1900. His bio on the back notes that he practiced law, mostly in Rockport, for 46 years. He does discuss laws and informal justice from this time period with authority, though he knows he isn't writing a technical journal. He wants to make sure that people like me can understand the situation, in 1900, from a legal perspective.
Not to give too much away, but a white barber in Rockport is murdered. A black man is accused of the crime, and he ends up giving the names of two accomplices, and tries to downplay his own involvement. Eventually, three black men are murdered by a mob, and no justice is ever given to the three men.
Hargis openly discusses the character of the participants. He also shows that one of the African American men had a solid alibi.... AND, even though pretty much everyone knew who was involved in the murders (see cover photo), no one was brought to justice.
John Hargis writes in a factual way- I did not feel like he was trying to tell the reader what to think. He was sticking to the facts, and I appreciated that.
Oh, and he includes a map showing where events relating to the crimes happened. I appreciated that as I am always trying to visualize an area as I read a book.
This is just a fascinating book about a time that is hard to imagine in a lot of ways. I give this one my highest recommendation.
