What Are You Reading?

[Janet Harrington]

Hank, the Cowdog.  Daddy loved those little books. They were casette tapes, Mother, not CDs. I don't think they came out on CD back then.They are so funny and I suggest that if you need something to make you laugh, chose "Hank, The Cowdog." These are written by John Erickson. There are 56 books. I just looked at the website and to buy the entire series on CDs the price is $773.99.

[Diane Amberg]

I've been reading catalogs. I got the Christmas order for the firehouse kids' Christmas party on it's way this morning. I'm glad that is finished.

[Rudy Taylor]

I just finished reading "Obama's Wars" by Bob Woodward. It is a deep but fascinating account of the Afghan war and the political wars within the White House regarding the war. It's not a political book --- probably appealing mostly to nerds like me, and to anyone with a military background. I now am reading a wonderful book, "Aspire," by Kevin Hall, on the importance of words and their usage in one's daily life.

[larryJ]

When I retired five years ago, I began reading like never before.  The local book store stayed in business solely because of me.  The local library knew me by my first name.  Lately I have slacked off, being more interested in the computer.  However, a few days ago, we were in a Target store and my wife wanted to go look at something and we agreed to meet in the book section where I found a Lee Childs book entitled "61 Hours".  In those early days, I had read all of his books.  Having bought this one I am now halfway through the book. 

Larryj

[W. Gray]

When I was attending junior high school in Independence, Missouri, each day my school bus would turn the corner onto Pleasant Street and then head on to school. On that corner was a huge old shuttered and spooky looking manor called the Swope mansion. It was an imposing structure and I always had to take a look and wonder why no one lived there.

One day a bus seatmate mentioned that some people had been murdered in that mansion. I recall thinking something similar to "yeah right."

By high school, the word was that there really had been some people murdered in that house. No one I was acquainted with knew who or how many, though.

I never knew either, until just recently after finishing reading "Deaths on Pleasant Street."

As it turned out the first victim in 1909 was an eighty-two year old very rich man named Thomas Swope. Although he did not own the mansion, he was living in one of the thirty one rooms. His likewise rich, but deceased brother Logan Swope built the house sometime before 1900. And although Thomas Swope had plenty of money to afford his own mansion, he was a lifelong bachelor and preferred living with his fifty year old sister-in-law, Maggie, and her seven sons, daughters, nephews, nieces and attending servants. Swope was not in good health and eventually needed 24/7 attendance by a team of four nurses.

Although living in Independence, Thomas Swope, a Yale graduate, had donated 1,300 acres to the people of Kansas City and the land became Swope Park. Swope was a philanthropist and made his money in real estate. He had no heirs other than those who lived in the house.

One of Maggie's daughters married a prosperous doctor from Kansas City. They visited the house often. The murders began shortly after the marriage and eventually the doctor was charged with medically killing the people who died in the house. Several of the intended victims managed to survive.

A jury found him guilty of murder with a motive of trying to eliminate everyone in the family so that his wife would inherit everything from Thomas and Logan Swopes' fortunes.

Because of the fame of Thomas Swope and the Swope Park connection, the sensational case made national news. Although convicted, the doctor won an appeal and went free.

[W. Gray]

The Fires of Jubilee, Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion.

A few weeks ago I stumbled across this fellows name and realized I knew nothing about him. Even in college, I do not recall ever hearing his name in the classroom.

The book, written almost forty years ago, is supposed to be the best work about him even though it is very short, but for good reason. Very little is known about the man who led a major slave rebellion in 1831. All that is known comes mostly from court documents and from an interview conducted by a lawyer (named Gray) while Nat was awaiting trial. The book actually spends more time exploring slavery leading up to 1831.

At any rate Nat Turner was highly intelligent, could read and write, and was a preacher. On Sundays he traveled to various plantations in Southhampton County, Virginia, preaching to the slaves. During the week, he was a lowly field hand. He considered himself a Prophet and believed the time was near to rise up against the white man. He recruited his supporters during his Sunday visits.

The uprising in August lasted little more than a day and was confined within Southhampton County. He and his supporters began killing every white man, woman, and child they came across. They managed to get a couple of old muskets but axes were their main weapon. They killed sixty until the rebellion started falling apart. Nat Turner went into hiding and was not caught until late October.

On November 1, Nat Turner's trial began. On November 11, he was hanged. In accordance with the law at the time, the state of Virginia valued his worth at $375 and reimbursed his owner for that amount. Almost fifty blacks went on trial, and twenty-one were hanged. The governor commuted ten other death sentences and the guilty parties were banished from Virginia. The author says they were presumably ordered out of the United States.

[Diane Amberg]

Interesting.He didn't kill his owner?

[W. Gray]

His owner was a nine year old. The boy inherited his parents' slaves after both had died.

The boy was living with his guardian at another place in Virginia at the time.

The hired overseer of the plantation, however, met his doom.

[Diane Amberg]

Even more interesting.Thanks.

[Janet Harrington]

I read "61 Hours". Love to read Lee Childs. "61 Hours" was a good book.