Full Description
In the autumnal darkness of October 6, 1894, an unseen figure rang the doorbell at the Parkdale home of a well-to-do Toronto family and then shot Frank Westwood in his doorway, murdering him in cold blood.
Six weeks later, Clara Ford, a Black tailor and single mother, was arrested. Known for her impeccable work ethic and her resolute personality - and for her predilection for wearing men's attire - she confessed to the murder. But as the details of her arrest and her complex connection to the Westwood family emerged, Clara recanted, testifying that she was coerced by police into a false confession. Carolyn Whitzman tells the compelling story of a courageous Black woman living in nineteenth-century Toronto and paints a portrait of a city and a society that have not changed enough in 125 years.
Contents
Cast of Characters
Overture: Cakewalk
Act 1: The Parkdale Mystery
1 The Murderee
2 There's a Girl in It
3 Amateur Detectives
4 The Bad Hat
Act 2: Clara's Turn
5 From Whence She Came
6 Go West, Young Man
7 Bad Fences
8 Eight Hours
9 Monster
Act 3: A Great Trial - and Its Aftermath
10 The Forces of the Law
11 Witness for the Prosecution
12 The Performance of Her Life
13 Twelve Hungry Men
14 What Clara Did Next
Finale: Clara, Armed
Notes and Further Reading; Index
