| Kentucky Justice, Southern Honor, and American Manhood: Understanding the Life and Death of Richard Reid Contributor(s): Klotter, James C. (Author) |
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ISBN: 080713158X ISBN-13: 9780807131589 Publisher: LSU Press OUR PRICE: $17.96 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2006 Annotation: On April 16, 1884, Kentucky Superior Court Judge Richard Reid visited attorney John Jay Cornelisons office to discuss a legal matter. When he arrived, Cornelison accused the unsuspecting Reid of having injured his honor and then struck him repeatedly with a large hickory cane. He pursued Reid onto the street, where he began to lash him with a cowhide whip. That seemingly minor event in the small town of Mount Sterling became front-page news. The press, both local and national, raised questions regarding Reid's response. Would he react as a Christian gentleman, a man of the law, and let the legal system take its course, or would he follow the manly dictates of the code of honor and kill his assailant? James C. Klotter crafts a detective story, using historical, medical, legal, and psychological clues to piece together answers to the tragedy that followed. This unfolding drama of an individual versus his surrounding culture reveals much about state, regional, and national temperaments in the late nineteenth century and shows the tensions between traditional southern mores and new secular and commercial forces. It also explores the conventions, values, and confusions of the archaic code of honor that ruled the South and Reid's community in particular. With commanding prose, Klotter draws the reader into the social and judicial world of post -- Civil War Kentucky and into the ageless question of choosing between forgiveness and for-bearance or revenge and retribution. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Lawyers & Judges - History | United States - State & Local - South (al,ar,fl,ga,ky,la,ms,nc,sc,tn,va,wv) |
| Dewey: B |
| Series: Southern Biography |
| Physical Information: 0.64" H x 6.04" W x 8.74" (0.69 lbs) 197 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 - Cultural Region - Southeast U.S. - Geographic Orientation - Kentucky |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: When attorney John Jay Cornelison severely beat Kentucky Superior Court add to the book's appeal. . . . He] has written a fascinating book that will be of interest to a wide audience." --American Historical Review "A moving story well told, it does force the reader to reflect on our own era and consider whether we value leaders who respect the rule of law or those who believe that honor demands swift and bloody vengeance no matter the costs." --Ohio Valley History "A rich and compelling work that offers fresh insights into the tense interplay among religion, law, and honor in the American South." --Register of the Kentucky Historical Society |