KANSAS CHARLEY The Story of a 19th-Century Boy Murderer

Hardback. The author explores the phenomenon of juvenile murderers through the prism of a remarkable, century-old case. Orphaned at the age of six, Charles Miller spent his adolescence riding the rails under the self-styled moniker "Kansas Charley." On a September evening in 1890, when he was only 15yrs old, he shot and killed two young men in a boxcar headed for Wyoming. His trial lasted just 3 days, ending in a death sentence that resulted in his controversial April 22, 1892 hanging in Cheyenne. Most Americans regard "kids who kill" as a problem unique to our era, but the moving tale of Kansas Charley reminds that it is a long-standing issue. In this narrative, the author takes us into a world of poverty, tragedy, and abuse, revealing the people and places that shaped Charles Miller's behaviour, his crime, and his punishment. A thought-provoking chapter in American history and in the history of the juvenile justice system. The author tells Miller's story with clarity and compassion, suggesting that then, as now, the decision to execute is often politically motivated. Map eps, Illus., Afterword, Notes and Index. 273pp. 8vo. h/back. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. F. in f. dw.