Goat Castle

A True Story of Murder, Race, and the Gothic South

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Crimes & Criminals, Murder, True Crime, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Goat Castle by Karen L. Cox, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Karen L. Cox ISBN: 9781469635040
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: August 9, 2017
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Karen L. Cox
ISBN: 9781469635040
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: August 9, 2017
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

In 1932, the city of Natchez, Mississippi, reckoned with an unexpected influx of journalists and tourists as the lurid story of a local murder was splashed across headlines nationwide. Two eccentrics, Richard Dana and Octavia Dockery—known in the press as the "Wild Man" and the "Goat Woman"—enlisted an African American man named George Pearls to rob their reclusive neighbor, Jennie Merrill, at her estate. During the attempted robbery, Merrill was shot and killed. The crime drew national coverage when it came to light that Dana and Dockery, the alleged murderers, shared their huge, decaying antebellum mansion with their goats and other livestock, which prompted journalists to call the estate "Goat Castle." Pearls was killed by an Arkansas policeman in an unrelated incident before he could face trial. However, as was all too typical in the Jim Crow South, the white community demanded "justice," and an innocent black woman named Emily Burns was ultimately sent to prison for the murder of Merrill. Dana and Dockery not only avoided punishment but also lived to profit from the notoriety of the murder by opening their derelict home to tourists.

Strange, fascinating, and sobering, Goat Castle tells the story of this local feud, killing, investigation, and trial, showing how a true crime tale of fallen southern grandeur and murder obscured an all too familiar story of racial injustice.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1932, the city of Natchez, Mississippi, reckoned with an unexpected influx of journalists and tourists as the lurid story of a local murder was splashed across headlines nationwide. Two eccentrics, Richard Dana and Octavia Dockery—known in the press as the "Wild Man" and the "Goat Woman"—enlisted an African American man named George Pearls to rob their reclusive neighbor, Jennie Merrill, at her estate. During the attempted robbery, Merrill was shot and killed. The crime drew national coverage when it came to light that Dana and Dockery, the alleged murderers, shared their huge, decaying antebellum mansion with their goats and other livestock, which prompted journalists to call the estate "Goat Castle." Pearls was killed by an Arkansas policeman in an unrelated incident before he could face trial. However, as was all too typical in the Jim Crow South, the white community demanded "justice," and an innocent black woman named Emily Burns was ultimately sent to prison for the murder of Merrill. Dana and Dockery not only avoided punishment but also lived to profit from the notoriety of the murder by opening their derelict home to tourists.

Strange, fascinating, and sobering, Goat Castle tells the story of this local feud, killing, investigation, and trial, showing how a true crime tale of fallen southern grandeur and murder obscured an all too familiar story of racial injustice.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book The Land Was Ours by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book Helms and Hunt by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book A Movement Without Marches by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book The Wild and the Toxic by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book Making Black Los Angeles by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book Gendered Spaces by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book Rereading Doris Lessing by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book The Cursillo Movement in America by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book Dreaming of Dixie by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book Old Pines and Other Stories by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book Anetso, the Cherokee Ball Game by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book The Mystery of Samba by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book If That Ever Happens to Me by Karen L. Cox
Cover of the book Exchanging Our Country Marks by Karen L. Cox
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy