This is the final installment in a five-part series on The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case: Race, Law and Justice in the Reconstruction Era, by Michael A. Ross.
As I approached the last chapters of this book many questions emerged, particularly during the courtroom drama which unfolds in Chapter 9, "Unveiling The Mystery."
- What message would be sent if the defendant is found guilty or not guilty?
- Who would claim victory?
- How would politics and the media, during this era of Reconstruction, use the verdict to influence public opinion?
- How would the verdict reverberate throughout New Orleans or for that matter, the rest of the nation?
- What would happen should this case fall apart altogether?
- And finally, how would the verdict be attributed to race?