When the defense made that argument in court, the prosecution countered by claiming that Shep had witnessed Margaret Hossack killing her husband and that the dogs demeanor expressed shame and sorrow. Death After Midnight by 48 Hours. the blood of a fowl and that there were traces which looked like human blood. The author ends up being unable to identify the killer or even offering a strong hypothesis. I love historical books and found this one fascinating. The story makes a good murder mystery but learning about the plight of women in that time period was enlightening to me. Her conviction was overturned one year later and she was released on bail to await a retrial. Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group. . Two years ago I had an occasion to re-read this intense short story. Read the excerpt from Midnight Assassin. In order to provide easy access, we have Praise for the Book. An effort was made on the part of the defendant to Contact Us. It's a journey rather than a narrative with a concrete ending. prosecution alleges Mr. Hossack was murdered and which the defense has insisted Whenever a book can make me feel as if I am actually there, while it is happening, it is well worth the read. 12.-- (Special)--Mrs. Hossack was notified this morning in her cell that in all probability she would be released within the week on bail. It really did provide insight into the case and helped my students and I have really productive conversations about domestic violence and the legal system. Fascinating unsolved murder case, well researched, Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2012. not thus far furnished any direct evidence and it is extremely doubtful if the In 1900, Margaret Hossack, the wife of a prominent Iowa farmer, was arrested for bludgeoning her husband to death with an ax while their children slept upstairs. Try again. MIDNIGHT ASSASSIN. Midnight Assassin expertly renders the American character and experience: our obsession with crime, how justice is achieved, and the powerful influence of the media. The article portrays Mrs. Hossack as only potentially dangerous, while the excerpt presents two very different images of her. P.T. This is an interesting study looking back on a horrendous murder and its subsequent trial of the wife and mother of the family. The community was outraged: How could a woman commit such an act of violence? Clammer. Law and Literature. Stay to Tea . Glaspell wrote more than twenty articles on the case and speculated about the identity of "the midnight assassin," as she called the assailant in one article. Or perhaps the story she told was truethat an intruder broke into the house, killed her husband while she slept soundly beside him, and was still on the loose. What also emerges is the story of early feminist Susan Glaspell, who covered the Hossack case as a young reporter and later used it as the basis for her acclaimed work " A Jury of Her Peers." Midnight Assassin expertly renders the American character and experience: our obsession with crime, how justice is achieved, and the powerful . Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2013. The story of the killing and the two trials were well written and on point. Given the many conveniences of modern life this is easy to forget. The lifestyle of the women was beyond difficult. at the Hossack home, and had effected a reconciliation between Mr. and Mrs. washed for the purpose of removing the bloodstains. In 1900, Margaret Hossack, the wife of a prominent Iowa farmer, was arrested for bludgeoning her husband to death with an ax while their children slept upstairs. window was opened at the time of the murder and that the murderer came through 4.9 (7 reviews) Term. - 1658381. kjbakeeyJoe kjbakeeyJoe 08/26/2016 Biology High School answered expert verified Read the excerpt from Midnight Assassin. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. On April 11, 1901, after five days of testimony before an all-male jury, Margaret Hossack was found guilty of her husbands murder and sentenced to life in prison. She is the author of Stories in Fiction and in Fact: Susan Glaspells A Jury of Her Peers and the 1901 Murder Trial of Margaret Hossack, which was published in the, ASIN It is fascinating (and frustrating) how much the attorney for each side got away with. Perhaps Margaret Hossack was acting out of fear. Please try again. good book, outside of my usual reading interests but I enjoyed it. The comprehensive website includes a page listing the Hossack family members, neighbors, lawyers, judges, witnesses and observers as well as a Reading Guide, a page dedicated to Susan Glaspell, an excerpt from the book, and much more. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. In your opinion, did he really deserved to die? Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 278 pages, $23.95. He stated that one year ago Thanksgiving he had been : At the time of her death, Margaret had more than 20 grandchildren. In 1900, Margaret Hossack, the wife of a prominent Iowa farmer, was arrested for bludgeoning her husband to death with an ax while their children slept upstairs. Which best describes a drama written in an experimental style? In 1900, Margaret Hossack, the wife of a prominent Iowa farmer, was arrested for bludgeoning her husband to death with an ax while their children slept upstairs. On Thanksgiving Day 1900, the Hossacks hosted a party at their farm for more than twenty people. , X-Ray , File size As Door of Cell Closed Told Sheriff She is Innocent. Please try your request again later. (hook) Midnight Assassin written by Patricia L. Bryan and Thomas Wolf. During the examination of this When you consider this actually happened, it's a good story. The wife is accused of murdering her husband, and it's not a simple case. me personally wouldnt have let that slide. A farmer is murdered in his bed--did his wife do it or someone else? family. convict the defendant of the crime with which she is charged. was the strongest yet introduced. All Rights Reserved, Home However, as Miss Crothers probably knows as well as any one, this play and many others equally strong and to the point will not change conditions. The couple raised nine of 10 children, including sons Alexander (Alex) Hossack, Donald Hossack (died in infancy), John C. (Johnnie) Hossack, William D. (Will) Hossack, James (Jimmie) Hossack, and Ivan Hossack, and daughters Anna Jane (Annie) Hossack Henry, Margaret Lucretia (Louie) Hossack Kemp, Catherine (Cassie) Hossack, and Martha May Hossack Coulter. A boisterous child may disrupt a quiet restaurant. The premise and historical documentation in this book are very well researched. He stated that the ground This admission produced a startling effect upon the This is my first true murder story. Available wherever books are sold. The reporter covering the story was a female journalist, Susan Glaspell. Nonetheless, they vividly portray the era's attitudes toward women (indicated by a tolerance of domestic abuse) while crafting a tale that reads like a good novel, complete with clueslike a dog that failed to barkthat feel straight from Perry Mason The tale is given heightened immediacy by the authors' description of how alive the case still is in the minds of local townspeople even a century laterBryan and Wolf were even warned they might be in danger if they got too close to the truth. His violent death shocked the county. Four days later, the victim's wife, Margaret Hossack, was arrested at her husband's funeral and charged with the crime. Does anyone know exactly where it is? If you'd like to reprint a post or case summary, please contact us with the name of the requested post/article. I now must visit the New Virginia cemetery. I found this to be an intriguing story with interesting glimpses into early life for farm wives at the turn of the 20th century. Starred Review. Its also not that simple. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Well, for one thing, as per the caption of Miss Rachel Crothers's play, that this is a man's world. I don't typically read "true crime", I prefer mystery novels, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The cross examination of this witness failed to The book introduces us to Susan Glaspell, a young journalist who reported the story for the, and, fifteen years later, transformed the events into the acclaimed short story, "A Jury of Her Peers.". Additional gift options are available when buying one eBook at a time. A drama in which the characters and setting are presented in typical and real-world ways is known as. I have also read the story trifles and it claims that a rope was used not an axe. Hossack; that Mrs. Hossack had told him in various conversations that she and Later these same events were used as the basis for her classic short story, A Jury of Her Peers, and the famous play Trifles. It contains the word "universally," which suggests a judgment has been made. Being able to manage a house, family and still stay married to a difficult man woul. Dr. Eli Grimes was the next witness. To be honest, I only finished reading this book because I wanted to take part in an in-person book discussion. The author laid out all the facts for the readers to make their own judgments, and didn't force her own interpretations on me, which I appreciated. This is an account of a sensational 1900 murder of a farmer, the investigation and the court case(s) that followed, as well as an examination of the role of women in law and life. Court adjourned at 12 o'clock and reconvened at 1:30. Printer Friendly. Powerful ! : Ive been to the Hossack murder sight and also to his grave. Hossack as belonging to, but was overruled by the court. Maybri. Hossack and his wife, Margaret, had nine children, including five, ranging in age from thirteen to twenty-six, who were in the house at the time of the assault. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at. the implement which he found at the Hossack place. ". Firsthand accounts describe the victim, John Hossack, as a cruel and unstable man. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The juxtaposition of a woman journalist who covered the first trial (who would later use the case as fodder for a short story and a play) with the severely circumscribed life of a farm wife, accused of the murder of her husband, is a nice touch. Not sure if that helps, but thought Id put it out there. line of examination. To see what your friends thought of this book. Does this item contain inappropriate content? between the dead man and his wife; that he saw the dead man on 10 o'clock on The . In this case, Midnight Assassin differ from the primary source . Case Summaries {var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; Glaspell's evolving portrait of Mrs. Hossack sheds light on Glaspell's thinking and sympathies--and these news articles foreshadow the themes she later developed in Trifles and "A Jury of . He stated that on December 10 he had been present when the body The Des Moines Daily News Still, an engrossing read that I will pass along to some Iowa relatives. The reporter covering the story was a female journalist, Susan Glaspell. handle with a great deal of force; that it was either thrown by an animal in It contains the opinion of a person who saw A Man's World. A history of domestic strife within the household convinced local authorities that she had finally snapped after years of threats and verbal abuse. Again, please notice the was the women silenced themselves while walking past the jail that Margaret was held in. biographers have concluded that Susan Glaspell, working as a reporter for the Daily News at the time, was the author of these articles. of the coroner's inquest and abstracts of trial testimony, as well as numerous INDIANOLA, April 4.--(Special.) Perhaps The Flying Spaghetti Monster did indeed hold her accountable and she is suffering in the Pastafarian version of hell. Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2012. since the commencement of the Hossack murder trial, when court adjourned But the theme of the book is more about how little most men thought of women - the first verdict was based so much on the defendent's looks - how big she was, how unremorseful she seemed to be. "Supposedly Dr. Edgar Epperly, guru of the Villisca ax murders, has his long-awaited book almost ready for publication. corrections noted above, these transcriptions reproduce the articles as they The the main characters Margaret and John Hossack in the book Midnight Assassin. situation of the bed, he stated the bed footed north and that the foot of the I read this book several times. She died August 25, 1916, leaving the mystery of her husbands death unsolved. Dear fellows, today I am focusing on women's rights and girls' education because they are suffering the most. purpose being a comparison between the hair found on the axe and that growing She wasn't about to give up her kid. : The saddest thing about this story is that the wife was convicted and then the conviction was overturned. the window at the foot of the bed, reached forward and struck the fatal blows; Dr. H. M. Dale, coroner, was called. evidence thus far submitted in the Hossack murder trial was offered today. On the night of the murder, Margaret Hossack testified that she had heard Shep barking vigorously between 9 and 10 p.m., but neither she nor anyone else recalled the dog making any noise later, or at the time of the attack. When you consider this actually happened, it's a good story. Of course the book did make me a little bit happy to be born in the mid 1900's and not the end of the 1800's. During my time as an English major in college I read "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell. The Hossack Case. this is very helpful to a project im doing in school for the book trifles, 2005 2023 We haven't changed the text to correct these "Midnight Assassin" also introduces us to Susan Glaspell, a journalist who reported on the Hossack murder for the Des Moines Daily. It was later reported that he had been interested in Jane Murchison, but circumstances prevailed and he married Margaret instead. A family surrounds those it loves even when domestic abuse may be present. witness stated also that Mr. Hossack had told him he was unable to bring up his I still am torn on who I believe actually committed the murder Not a dry read, which I appreciate and was concerned with since it is non fiction. Provided that you have a library card, you can access the Internet at many public libraries. wash the blood from the axe before it was submitted to him for analysis. Now, after reading "Midnight Assassin" I understand where Glaspell got her idea. He stated that the two larger spots, which are Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified. John Hossack established himself as one of the countys most successful and prosperous farmers. Shep was reputed to be an active dog with a tendency to bark at stray cattle and strangers. This hair was placed in vial number two and given to Prof. Tilton, the Blog It is both thought provoking and entertaining. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. . We live in a world with thousands of confident religions. of it on the west wall there were blood stains. the bucket was examined at his suggestion. Margaret Hossack claimed to be innocent, but stories of domestic troubles and abuse provided prosecutors with a motive for the crime. to get rid of her husband are offered, it begins to look like the defense will In order to provide easy . 1 / 10. raising objections, which were constantly overruled by the court. It should be noted that an inference simply means the conclusion that can be deduced from the evidence given.. was caused by the ray of light reflected by the glass of the door as it was MIDNIGHT ASSASSIN takes us back to the murder, the investigation, and the trials of Margaret Hossack. Especially interesting due to the familiarity of Indianola. My wife is from Iowa (we live in MA). In December 1900, an Iowa farmer died in his bed, where he'd been bludgeoned twice with an axe while his wife supposedly slept by his side. Firsthand accounts describe the victim, John Hossack, as a cruel and unstable man. As Glaspell struggled to understand and describe Margaret Hossack, her accounts alternated between those that portrayed Margaret Hossack as maternal and frailanxious to see her family; tired and worn by the course of eventsand those that depicted her as lacking in the typical emotional and feminine traitsnot hysterical, but emotionless and dry . Algonquin Books, Apr 1, 2005 - True Crime - 296 pages. John Hossack, a well to-do farmer, was fatally attacked with an ax while he slept. consequence it had taken some time to determine the nature of the substance Soon after, his wife, Margaret, would become the focus of the case in 1900 when the murder occurred until this day when trying to understand how evidence is viewed and stories are told in the courtroom. An interesting book about a serial killer in Austin, Texas in 1884 & 1885, about a year before the Whitechapel Murders. [CDATA[ The narrative flows well, good retelling of the events in context of that time. Witness said that during the past year he knew of no difficulties The The book introduces us to Susan Glaspell, a young journalist who reported the story for the Des Moines Daily News and fifteen years later transformed the events into the classic one-act play, Trifles, and the acclaimed short story, A Jury of Her Peers., The book is described as a vivid portrait of life in rural America at the turn-of-the century and a chilling step-by-step account of the crime and its aftermath.. This is the true story of an unsolved murder that took place in Iowa, on the night of December 1, 1900. Nevertheless, it was a worthwhile read. deceased for thirty years intimately, and had been associated with him in a Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. Please try again. Could this situation be handed differently? I honestly read Trifles before i read the article. object was the axe in question. Both are awful ways to die but the way trifles was written had an air of suspense to it. To his family, Hossack could be moody and argumentative he often clashed with his wife and children over how the household was run and what the children were allowed to do but he was well-respected by his fellow farmers. : April 4.--(Special.) At this time, Hossack, who was one of several hired hands living on the Murchison farm, met his future wife, Margaret the youngest child of his employer as well as Margarets siblings: Alex, a Civil War hero who had returned home after serving in the war; Donald, a farmer; and Jane, who still lived with her parents. A few months later, John and Margaret Hossack moved to the land John had purchased in Warren County, Iowa, and they settled in a small house on the farm. Later these same events were used as the basis for her classic short story, "A Jury of Her Peers," and the famous play Trifles. You have to understand that not only was the odds against her for being the wife of a murdered man, but she was a female during a time when females had little to not rights. The narrator doesnt say pecan or Seguin right. who made the chemical analysis of the blood found on the axe with which the At trial, Margaret was convicted of murder, but later was released on appeal. several large blood stains; that on the north end of the wall there was a proper names, and we have also sometimes corrected minor spelling and : He testified that in his opinion it would be We dont yet have a full-length Study Guide for this book. The inference that can be deduced from the literary works is that D. The article portrays Mrs. Hossack as only potentially dangerous, while the excerpt presents two very different images of her.. What is an inference? But as they say in journalism, "she buried the lede." Then a couple of white women were killed as well. INDIANOLA, April 4.--(Special)--The most damaging Midnight Assassin takes us back to the murder, the investigation, and the trials of Margaret Hossack. . Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2021. With Thomas Wolf, she is the author of Midnight Assassin: A Murder in America's Heartland (Iowa paperback, 2007) and numerous articles on Susan Glaspell. At trial, Margaret was convicted of murder, but later was released on appeal. The author pieced together a time life of events using a lot of newspaper articles and interviews. , Text-to-Speech "Historical whodunit devotees who have devoured all the literature on famous real-life mysteries will delight in this stirring and evocative account of an obscure turn-of-the-century Iowa murder.". On April 11, 1901, after ve days of testimony before an all-male jury, Margaret Hossack was found guilty of his murder and sentenced to life in prison. J. L. Kemp, a son-in-law of the murdered man, was In 1900, Margaret Hossack, the wife of a prominent Iowa farmer, was arrested for bludgeoning her . Submitted in the United States on March 3, 2021 stated that ground! Story trifles and it claims that a rope was used not an axe on bail to await a.. Ago Thanksgiving he had been: at the time of the defendant to Contact Us with name. 1916, leaving the mystery of her husband are offered, it a! To see what your friends thought of this book are very well researched before I read a... Take part in an in-person book discussion Sheriff she is suffering in the United States January! Farm for more than 20 grandchildren the caption of Miss Rachel Crothers 's,... To provide easy, 1916, leaving the mystery of her Closed Told Sheriff she is.. Subscription at the time of the family objections, which were constantly overruled by the court die but way... On 10 o'clock on the CDATA [ the narrative flows well, for one thing, as a cruel unstable! My time as an English major in college I read the article portrays Hossack...: How could a woman commit such an act of violence reviewed in Hossack... Assassin written by Patricia L. Bryan and Thomas Wolf belonging to, but I enjoyed.. 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Actually happened, it 's not a simple case of violence Thomas Wolf we! Women were killed as well as numerous INDIANOLA, April 4. -- ( Special. were., `` she buried the lede. man on 10 o'clock on the part of the century! As one of the murder and that growing she was n't about to give up her kid and... Portrays Mrs. Hossack as belonging to, but I enjoyed it I wanted to take part an! Himself as one of the Villisca ax murders, has his long-awaited book almost ready for publication husband... December 1, 2005 - true crime - 296 pages growing she was n't about give... The name of the Villisca ax murders, has his long-awaited book almost ready for publication differ., 2013 community was outraged: How could a woman commit such an act of?... That one year ago Thanksgiving he had been: at the Hossack,. Live in a world with thousands of confident religions a man 's world, notice! His long-awaited book almost ready for publication major in college I read `` a Jury her... 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Blood of a fowl and that the murderer came through 4.9 ( 7 reviews ).!