On May 3, 1946, a seventeen-year-old boy was scheduled to die by the electric chair inside of a tiny red brick jail in picturesque St. Martinsville, Louisiana. Young Willie Francis had been charged with the murder of a local pharmacist. The electric chair-three hundred pounds of oak and metal- had been dubbed Gruesome Gertie and was moved from one jailhouse to another throughout the state of Louisiana. The switch would be thrown at 12:08 P. M. , but Willie Francis did not die. Miraculously, having survived this less ...
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On May 3, 1946, a seventeen-year-old boy was scheduled to die by the electric chair inside of a tiny red brick jail in picturesque St. Martinsville, Louisiana. Young Willie Francis had been charged with the murder of a local pharmacist. The electric chair-three hundred pounds of oak and metal- had been dubbed Gruesome Gertie and was moved from one jailhouse to another throughout the state of Louisiana. The switch would be thrown at 12:08 P. M. , but Willie Francis did not die. Miraculously, having survived this less than cordial encounter with death, Willie was soon informed that the state would try to kill him again in six days. Letters began pouring into St. Martinsville from across the country-Americans of all colors and classes were transfixed by the fate of this young man. A Cajun lawyer just returned from WWII, Bertrand DeBlanc would take on Willies case-in the face of overwhelming local resistance. DeBlanc would argue the case all the way from the Bayou to the U. S. Supreme Court. In deciding Willies fate the courts and the country would be forced to ask questions about capital punishment that remain unresolved today.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Fine jacket. Book Octavo, hardcover, near fine ex library copy in fine beige pictorial dj in mylar sleeve. Just two small library stamps on endpaper and title page. 362 pp. including index. On May 3, 1946, a seventeen-year-old boy was scheduled to die by the electric chair inside of a tiny red brick jail in picturesque St. Martinsville, Louisiana. Young Willie Francis had been charged with the murder of a local pharmacist. The electric chair-three hundred pounds of oak and metal-had been dubbed "Gruesome Gertie" and was moved from one jailhouse to another throughout the state of Louisiana. The switch would be thrown at 12: 08 P.M., but Willie Francis did not die. Miraculously, having survived this less than cordial encounter with death, Willie was soon informed that the state would try to kill him again in six days. The case went to the Supreme Court.
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Book in good condition. Size: 9x1x6; Clean pages with no markings. Minor wear on edges and corners. Ask for Photos! Ships same day in most cases! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc.