The Trial of "Indian Joe": Race and Justice in the Nineteenth-Century West (Law in the American West Series)

Rating:
Summary: Frontier Justice
Review: Here's a gem of a book. McKanna skillfully examines a nineteenth century murder case that resulted in the conviction of a poorly defended Native American in San Diego County. From a messy crime scene that would make a modern "CSI" team cringe to an almost comical court case, McKanna shows that the conviction of "Indian Joe" was perhaps inevitable given the racist nature of the local citizenry and judicial system. In 1893, José Gabriel would become the first man executed at San Quentin. Expertly researched by using court records and newspaper accounts, this book is also a highly readable and sobering comment on American justice.

Rating:
Summary: Frontier Justice
Review: Here's a gem of a book. McKanna skillfully examines a nineteenth century murder case that resulted in the conviction of a poorly defended Native American in San Diego County. From a messy crime scene that would make a modern "CSI" team cringe to an almost comical court case, McKanna shows that the conviction of "Indian Joe" was perhaps inevitable given the racist nature of the local citizenry and judicial system. In 1893, José Gabriel would become the first man executed at San Quentin. Expertly researched by using court records and newspaper accounts, this book is also a highly readable and sobering comment on American justice.