ANTON WOODE The Boy Murderer

Paperback. Anton Woode was at that awkward age - too old to set free, too young to hang. The year is 1893, and a baby-faced boy of 11 is on trial for murder. So begins the true tale of Anton Woode and his controversial path through Colorado's criminal justice system. The author brings Woode's colourful story to life, weaving in a well researched look at the predicament of juvenile crime and the age-old question of punishment versus rehabilitation. As he sat behind his lawyer at the defendant's table in the courtroom, no one who looked at the sweet-faced boy could believe that he was guilty of what he was on trial for - shooting a man in the back. He was, after all, only 11yrs old, if his mother were to be believed. The blond, blue-eyed boy had the face of an angel, or would have had it not been for his outsized ears, which stuck straight out from either side of his head. Those crowded into the courtroom strained to get a look at the child the newspapers branded "The Boy Murderer." He was so tiny, about 4'11", his feet barely reached the floor as he sat in his chair. He gunned down Joseph Smith from behind in November 1892. Illus. 215pp. p/back. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. F. with no creasing to covers.