History of the Swope family and descendants of Rockingham County, Virginia.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1896 Edition.

Book of the Year Award, 2009 ForeWord Magazine, True Crime category ; Jackson County Historical Society's 2009 Outstanding Achievement Award for the Historic Book of the Year The 1909 murder case surrounding the wealthy Swope family of Independence, Missouri, gripped newspaper readers throughout the nation. This book gathers the facts behind the suspicious fates of three Swope family members: the eccentric Colonel, millionaire donor of Kansas City, Missouri's Swope Park, his affable cousin, and a young nephew and heir. The mystery pits the Swope matriarch against her disfavored son-in-law, Dr. Bennett Clark Hyde. Charged with poisoning the Colonel and suspected of multiple other attempted murders, Dr. Hyde endures national media attention for this crime of the century. The series of trials and appeals that followed explores the question: Was he a diabolical villain bent on inheriting Swope's millions or the unfortunate victim of a family grudge? This account of gothic-era America follows streetcar tracks from the courtrooms of Kansas City to the typhoid-plagued Swope mansion in nearby Independence. The author delivers an engaging and accurate retelling of these 100-year-old events in the literary journalism tradition by analyzing court transcripts, newspaper coverage, and personal memoirs. Readers also get a new scenario based on modern science for what may have happened in the dark hallways of the mansion on Pleasant Street.

Just hours after the shot heard round the world marked the start of the American Revolution, the news from Lexington set alarm bells ringing in Framingham. Minutemen from the town rushed along the road to Concord to help cut off the retreat of British troops. In Salem, where dozens of women were accused of witchcraft, Framinghams founder, Thomas Danforth, helped to end the hysteria and afterward provided sanctuary in Framingham for the families of the wrongfully accused. Staring down the barrels of British guns in Boston, Framingham native Crispus Attucks was one of the first to die for American independence. Though rarely in the foreground of history, Framingham pops up again and again as a backdrop to our nations great historic episodes. With tales of pirate gold, hypnotized evangelists, blundering spies and bravery in battle, this captivating collection of historical episodes sets Framingham squarely in the spotlight.