Research Catalog

Title

I am murdered : George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, and the killing that shocked a new nation / Bruce Chadwick.

Author

Chadwick, Bruce.

Publication

Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, [2009], ©2009.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

viii, 280 pages : illustrations; 25 cm

Summary

"In I Am Murdered, celebrated historian Bruce Chadwick tells the grisly, fascinating, and often astounding tale of Wythe's murder and America's very first "trial of the century." Brimming with fascinating details of early nineteenth-century medicine, forensic science, and legal issues, this fast-moving account features compelling portraits of all major players in the case and asks penetrating questions about the many controversies that swirled around the trial." "Complete with a satisfying account of Wythe's ultimate revenge and a poignant depiction of his deep and abiding friendship with Jefferson, I Am Murdered is part American tragedy, part CSI circa 1806, and all intriguing examination of the unjust death of a Founding Father."--BOOK JACKET.

Subjects

• Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 > Friends and associates
• Wythe, George, 1726-1806 > Death and burial
• Murder > Virginia > Richmond > History > 19th century > Case studies
• Criminal investigation > Virginia > Richmond > History > 19th century > Case studies
• Richmond (Va.) > History > 19th century
• Poisoning > Virginia > Richmond > History > 19th century > Case studies

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 243-272) and index.

Contents

Pt. 1. The Murder -- 1. "I Am Murdered" -- 2. The Funeral -- 3. Homicide: The Investigation, Part I -- 4. Williamsburg: George Wythe and Thomas Jefferson -- 5. Jefferson and Wythe Remake Virginia -- 6. Richmond: Boomtown and the Decadent Nightlife of George Wythe Sweeney -- 7. The Dying George Wythe Changes His Will -- 8. Moving Day: A Second Life in Richmond and the Return of George Wythe -- Pt. 2. The Investigation -- 9. The Arrest -- 10. The Investigation, Part II -- 11. For the Defense: William Wirt -- 12. For the Defense: Edmund Randolph -- 13. Mourning at the Executive Mansion -- Pt. 3. The Trial -- 14. The Forensics Nightmare, Part I: Arsenic, the Poison of Choice -- 15. The Forensics Nightmare, Part II: The Autopsy -- 16. Lydia Broadnax: The Eyewitness -- 17. The Black and White Legal Codes -- 18. Washington, October 1806.

ISBN

• 9780470185513 (cloth)
• 0470185511 (cloth)

LCCN

• 2008015111
• 40016327888

OCLC

• ocn220859249
• 220859249
• SCSB-5452092

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries