The Case That Shocked the Country: The Unquiet Deaths of Vida Robare and Alexander Mc

Dr. Samuel Lemon has once again shared a powerful story of what today remains as problematic in American society. With such egregious bias and lack of due process for Alexander McClay Williams, the rush to judgment and seemingly rapid resolution to the case was not a triumph of our legal system but a disgrace. The poorly altered death certificate for Vida Robare issued 3 days prior to what can now clearly be seen as forced confessions (and should have been obvious to any honorable person even then) makes it clear that Alexander Williams’ guilt was a foregone conclusion. The lack of physical evidence, the manipulation of the accused, the lack of means (limited access, diminutive stature) opportunity (the impossible timeline), and motive (Vida was one of the few people who treated Alexander with kindness) were summarily dismissed by the prosecution team and judges. Dr. Lemon’s exhaustive research aided by the tools previously unavailable in the 1930’s leaves the reader with no doubt that this was a miscarriage of justice. On the bright side, his indefatigable pursuit of justice did result in a partial expungement order as of the publication and may someday yield a full exoneration. A skilled writer, researcher and tireless champion for justice, it is clear that Dr. Lemon’s esteemed lineage continues in his work.

Murder is the charge. The victim is a white woman and the accused is a 16 year old black youth. Now, if you were to render justice, where would your verdict land? In the "Case that Shocked the Country", you will get the details and actual reporting of the sensational 1930 trial of Alexander Williams, and then with the fresh perspective of Dr. Lemon's 30 year quest to bring to light suppressed and new evidence, you can make the call. Was justice done? The story is enhanced with dozens of photographs of original documents, and rhe author tells both how he approached the research and gives the logic he used to reach his conclusions. Beyond being an interesting read, however, there is a practical cautionary tale here. Today, people of color are still being prosecuted and incarcerated in numbers far in excess of the population they represent. There is little doubt that the racism that underlined Alexander Williams' execution, is the same racism that haunts America today.Verne P. Dalton. & Christine Dalton

A very hard story to emotionally process given the grave injustice inflicted upon one of society's most vulnerable citizens. A tale of how race relations has always been a dominate element in the American judicial experience, especially for African Americans, who have historically served as an alibi for white crimes and misdemeanors, and are incarcerated at a rate almost ten times that of their white counterparts. This story is no different. What is new and refreshing is the outcome: eighty-seven years after a young black boy was electrocuted in Pennsylvania for a crime he could never have committed, his sister's legal team saw to it that the accused was vindicated (and his record cleared) with ample help by a descendent of the original barrister who served as legal counsel for the accused. A race to judgment is never fair when it comes to race.

I am always shocked that things like this can happen in the USS.

well-told story of a sad time in our history