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Around noon, November 22, 1915, everyone in Stoutland, Missouri, who
could walk or ride rushed to view the mortal remains of one of the
area's most prosperous farmers and leading citizens. Hidden in a brush
pile on nearby Rouse Hill, the victim’s body displayed the marks of a
determined and vicious killer.
Six years later, a dozen lawyers, four doctors, one hundred witnesses,
four jury trials, a Missouri Supreme Court decision, and the only
eyewitness—a Missouri fox-trotter horse named "Sam"—had not resolved the
brutal murder of Jasper Jacob "Jap" Francis.
Alan Terry Wright's suspenseful tale of greed, fraud, political
influence, and cold-blooded murder will keep you riveted. His
descriptions of the predawn killing, carried out in pitch darkness on a
public road, and the agony of "Sam," Francis’s prized horse, tied by the
killer and left to starve, are both frightening and moving.
The accused killer, Charlie Blackburn, nearly lynched by townsfolk, died
in his bed in a California nursing home in 1964 at the advanced age of
91. The victim, Jasper Francis, had been dead for 49 years.
Wright’s account of a young girl's unwitting visit to the murder scene
in 1928 is chilling. Her return there as a feisty 84-year-old
accompanies events so bizarre and puzzling they verge on the paranormal.
Recent interviews with the accused killer’s family, the opinion of a
renowned medical examiner, and the report of a handwriting expert shed
important new light on this nearly forgotten case.
Wright's skillful weaving of the story line with gently humorous
vignettes of backwoods living sets this book apart from typical "true
crime" stories. His love for the history and lore of Missouri helps
craft a tale that rings with authenticity.
Includes 16-page photo insert
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