THE RULE OF JUSTICE The People of Chicago versus Zephyr Davis

Hardback. The History of Crime and Criminal Justice Series. A book which explores a sensational murder case that took place in Chicago in 1888. Zephyr Davis, a young African American man accused of murdering an Irish American girl who was his co-worker, was pursued, captured, tried, and convicted amid public demands for swift justice and the return of social order. Through a close study of the case, the author explores the tension between popular ideas about justice and the rule of law in industrial America. As she observes, mob justice, despite the presence of a professional police force, was quite common in late 19th-century Chicago, and it was the mob that ultimately captured Davis. Once Davis was apprehended, the public continued to make its will known through newspaper articles and public meetings, called by various civic organisations to discuss or protest the case. The author demonstrates that public opinion mattered and did, in fact, exert an influence on criminal law and criminal justice. She shows, in this particular instance, the public was able to limit the authority of the legal system and the state, with the result that criminal law conformed to popular will. Chapter headings include : Murder and Capture, February 27 and February 28, 1888; Public Opinion, March 1 to March 28, 1888; Trial, March 28 to April 2, 1888; Execution, May 12, 1888. Illus. With Conclusion, Notes, Bibliog. and Index. 158pp. 8vo. h/back. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. F. no dw.