Murder in Roanoke County: Race and Justice in the 1891 Susan Watkins Case
John Long
Jul 2020 · Arcadia Publishing
Ebook
147
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
Violence, bigamy, race, and a quest for justice—the true crime story of Charles Watkins, his wife's mysterious death, and the chaos that followed.
A drama played out in the mountains of southwestern Virginia in 1891 that attracted nationwide attention and held the citizens of the Roanoke Valley spellbound. The tale of the trial of Charles Watkins for the murder of his wife was marked by threats of lynching, a fugitive manhunt, a disappearing witness, mistaken identities, claims of insanity and finally a secret letter to break the case wide open. In its day, the story was as closely followed as a modern televised murder trial. Despite the rapt attention of the public then, it has entirely faded from the history books—until now. Historian John Long resurrects the truth of who killed Susan Watkins.
A drama played out in the mountains of southwestern Virginia in 1891 that attracted nationwide attention and held the citizens of the Roanoke Valley spellbound. The tale of the trial of Charles Watkins for the murder of his wife was marked by threats of lynching, a fugitive manhunt, a disappearing witness, mistaken identities, claims of insanity and finally a secret letter to break the case wide open. In its day, the story was as closely followed as a modern televised murder trial. Despite the rapt attention of the public then, it has entirely faded from the history books—until now. Historian John Long resurrects the truth of who killed Susan Watkins.
About the author
John D. Long is the director of education at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia. He holds degrees from Roanoke College and the University of Virginia and has taught history at Roanoke College, Radford University and Virginia Western Community College. A contributing columnist for the Roanoke Times, he has also written extensively on local history and the Second World War.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
