{"product_id":"they-both-reached-for-the-gun-beulah-annan-maurine-watkins-and-the-trial-that-became-chicago-paperback","title":"They Both Reached for the Gun: Beulah Annan, Maurine Watkins, and the Trial That Became Chicago - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eCharles H. Cosgrove\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eExamining the case that inspired a pop culture phenomenon\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In 1924 Beulah Annan was arrested and incarcerated for kill­ing her lover, Harry Kalsted. Six weeks later, a jury acquitted her of murder. Inspired by the sordid event, trial, and acquittal, Maurine Watkins, a reporter at the time, wrote the play \u003ci\u003eChicago\u003c\/i\u003e, a Broadway hit that was adapted several times. Through a fresh retelling of the story of Annan and of Watkins's play, Charles H. Cosgrove provides a critical examination of the crim­inal case and an exploration of the era's social assump­tions that made the message of the play so plausible in its own time. His careful historical research challenges the received portrait of Annan as a killer who got away with murder and of Watkins as a savvy cub reporter and precocious playwright. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eThey Both Reached for the Gun\u003c\/i\u003e, Charles H. Cosgrove expertly combines meticulous research into inquest transcripts, police records, and interviews with Annan's relatives with detailed analysis to shed new light on the participants, the trial, and the subsequent play and musical. Although no one will ever know what really happened in the south side apartment one hundred years ago, Cosgrove's interrogation shows how sensationalized Watkins's writing was. Her reporting on the Annan case perpetuated falsehoods about Annan's so-called \"confession,\" and her play gave an inaccurate portrayal of Chicago's criminal justice system. Despite Watkins's insistence that her drama revealed the truth about its subjects without any exaggeration, her play depicted police, prosecutors, and judges as the only \"good guys\" in the story, ignoring those who lied, misled, and used brutal methods to obtain forced confessions. \u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCharles H. Cosgrove\u003c\/b\u003e is emeritus professor of early Christian literature at Garrett Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He is the author of numerous books, most recently \u003ci\u003eFortune and Faith in Old Chicago: A Dual Biography of Mayor Augustus Garrett and Seminary Founder Eliza Clark Garrett\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eMusic at Social Meals in Greek and Roman Antiquity\u003c\/i\u003e. A lifelong native of the Chicago area, he is an aficionado of the city's history and makes occasional appearances in the area's music venues as a jazz trombonist.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 240\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 07, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51763626017056,"sku":"9780809339389","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/508e0fb7365b0b27c02dc4cce99567e1.webp?v=1780237339","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/they-both-reached-for-the-gun-beulah-annan-maurine-watkins-and-the-trial-that-became-chicago-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}