Deaths on Pleasant Street

Book excerpt: The 1909 murder case surrounding the wealthy Swope family of Independence, Missouri, led to the "trial of the century" in the gothic-era Midwest. This book gathers the facts behind the suspicious fates of the eccentric Colonel, who was the millionaire donor of Kansas City's Swope Park as well as his affable cousin, and a young nephew and heir. National media relished the drama as the Swope matriarch accused her disfavoured son-in-law, Dr Bennett Clark Hyde, of triple homicide, plus the spreading of deadly disease germs throughout the household. The author delivers an engaging and accurate retelling of these century-old mysteries by analysing court transcripts, newspaper accounts, and personal memoirs. Readers also get a new scenario based on modern science for what may have happened in the dark hallways of the mansion on Pleasant Street.