MURDER IN THE COURTHOUSE : Reconstruction and Redemption in the NC Piedmont

 John Walter, aka “Chicken,” Stephens really should have known better.  Radical Republican, known spy for the scalawag governor, suspected of barn burning and murder, widely considered to have stolen his seat in the North Carolina Senate from a dully elected local hero – he brazenly walked into the Democrat’s convention at the Caswell County Courthouse, brashly sat down in the front row and blithely went about taking notes.  Stephens had told his wife he’d be home at five o’clock for supper.  He didn’t make it. - MURDER IN THE COURTHOUSE

Join the Raleigh City Museum and newspaper reporter and historical columnist Jim Wise for an afternoon of post Civil War political scandal, murder, and mayhem on Saturday, May 15 at 2:00pm.  Jim Wise will read excerpts from his recently published work, Murder in the Courthouse: Reconstruction & Redemption in the North Carolina Piedmont.  Murder in the Courthouse is a case study in bad luck meeting bad conduct as it chronicles the murder of John W. “Chicken” Stephens.  Stephens’ murder set the stage for the showdown between the Ku Klux Klan and Governor William Woods Holden, the first US governor to be impeached.  Wise will share these stories and explore how this episode would lay the foundations of the Jim Crow century to come.

Jim Wise will read excerpts from Murder in the Courthouse, discuss writing the book, sign and sell copies, and take questions from the audience.  Wise is an alumnus of Duke University (BA, English) and the University of North Carolina (MA, folklore).  He has been a reporter, editor, and/or columnist in North Carolina for 28 years and has taught history classes for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke.  Admission to this program is free.  Call (919)832-3775 for more details.

The Raleigh City Museum is located in the Historic Briggs Building at 220 Fayetteville Street.  The museum is open Tuesday-Friday, 10:00a.m.-4:00p.m. and Saturday, 1:00p.m.-4:00p.m.  Admission to the museum and programs is free. Call (919) 832-3775 ext. 23 or visit our website at http://www.raleighcitymuseum.org for more information.