Customer Reviews

The Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In The Death of Meriwether Lewis, Kira Gale offers not only a new sourcebook on the continuing controversy surrounding the 1809 gunshot death of the great western explorer, but also electrifying evidence that some of the most well-known contemporary documents in the case may have been forged. Gale's evidence gives new credence and heft to the theory that Lewis's murder may have been ordered by the traitorous General James Wilkinson, the nation's highest ranking military officer, in order to keep Lewis from blowing the whistle on his machinations to invade Spanish territory.

The groundbreaking work on the death of Meriwether Lewis was done by Vardis Fisher in his Suicide or Murder? (1962 and still in print). Gale's book is the first since Fisher's to provide really new information in the case. Over half the book, some 200 pages, is a complete transcript of the 1996 coroner's inquest into Lewis's death held in Hohenwald, Tennessee near the Natchez Trace, where Lewis was found shot to death at a lonely inn on October 11, 1809. The inquest called over a dozen expert witnesses in fields ranging from psychology, gunshot wound analysis, and firearms and ballistics to forensic anthropology, document examination, and handwriting analysis. The purpose of the hearing was to build a public case for the people of Lewis County and the State of Tennessee to demonstrate why Lewis's body should be exhumed and examined to see if a cause of death could be determined. The publication of this complete transcript is a boon to Lewis & Clark scholars who can now read the complete testimony and determine for themselves the credibility or lack thereof of the evidence that was presented. To date, the National Park Service, which controls Lewis's gravesite, has turned down petitions from Lewis descendants and experts to open the grave and permit a forensic examination, but action is still pending on a new request submitted in early 2009.

Over fifty pages of the book are then devoted to transcripts of the surviving contemporary documents that form the basis of what little is known about Lewis's death. Because Lewis died alone in such a remote area, the lack of trustworthy testimony has always shrouded his death in mystery. While all of the transcripts and Gale's accompanying commentary on each are enlightening, the book's blockbuster is contained in the analysis of the statement of Captain Gilbert Russell, the commander of Fort Pickering (present-day Memphis), where Lewis stayed several weeks before his death. Through expert handwriting analysis, Gale demonstrates that there is ample reason to believe that Russell's most well-known and explicit statement on Lewis's suicide was a forgery engineered by James Wilkinson. Although such a finding does not prove that Lewis was murdered by Wilkinson or anyone else, it does more than call into question the legitimacy of the Russell account. It raises the question of why Wilkinson, known to history as a master of misdirection and the politics of personal destruction, would forge such an account and whether other Russell letters known to have been sent to William Clark but no longer in existence, were created by Wilkinson to throw Clark and Lewis's other friends off the trail of an assassination.

In the third section of the book, Gale builds her case against Wilkinson. Again, the case must by necessity be circumstantial, at least for now. What is known of Lewis's last days is almost entirely hearsay, much of it from very unreliable witnesses. Without solid forensic evidence or the discovery of additional documents hidden away in somebody's attic, it is impossible to make any determination of whether Lewis may have been murdered, much less who did it and why. One of Gale's major points is that in the past, historians have been all too quick to jump to the conclusion that Lewis committed suicide. I believe the evidence she presents here should at least give pause to anyone with an open mind on the subject.

Lewis's death has so many unknowns and touches on so many diverse areas of inquiry that, as this reviewer can attest, a study of the subject quickly becomes a "through the looking glass" experience, full of mirrors and rabbit holes. For that reason, The Death of Meriwether Lewis, like Vardis Fisher's book, has something of a sprawling, uneven feel. However, it is a fascinating read, and contains much material that is new and valuable. It is a must-have for researchers studying the death of Meriwether Lewis, and highly recommended to anyone interested in Lewis's last days or in historical mysteries.

Reviewer: Liz Clare, co-author of the historical novel To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark.

"The Death of Meriwether Lewis" didn't turn out to be what I was expecting, and unfortunately, the format of the book detracts from the enjoyment of it by the typical curious, but not "that into it" reader. I had zero knowledge of how Meriwether Lewis died but the cover made it sound interesting.

On opening the book, I discovered that the first 218 pages of this 366 page book are a transcript of a Coronor's Inquiry held in 1996 at the instigation of one of the authors who had formed an amateur interest in the subject. Sadly, I do not have the mettle to read this section of the book. I think the authors would be MUCH better served to tell the story in narrative style, rather than count on the fortitude of the reader to wade through this transcript! Or, if the inclusion is necessary, I would have been far less discouraged if Section 3 of the book, the actual discussion of the last three years of the life of Meriwether Lewis and the political machinations he was embroiled in, and and its theories as to whether Lewis comitted suicide (the generally accepted theory) or if he was murdered is more interesting and more the speed of a non-academic reader. However, even this section doesn't just tell the story in a straight narrative style as I so very much wanted to read.

This book takes a pseudo-academic format with all the sections, transcripts, documents etc. but is all second and third hand material for the most part. It just seems very cobbled together. With its sensational title, it really would have been interesting if they had put it together in a more general reader friendly format and had written something that told the story cleanly and then told why the authors think it was an assasination and what proof they've got.

Let's call this what it is: a simple, word for word transcript of the coroners inquest into the death of Meriweather Lewis, completely unedited. I would have no problem with that, if it's what I expected. This does not read like a real-life, historical CSI.

To be honest, I couldn't finish the book. I felt a little ripped off. The beginning included such revelations as the announcement to the jury where the Coke machines are located in the building, and where breaks need to be.

I was really looking forward to getting into this, expecting some life analysis. Lewis and Clark loom larger than life in my mind. My mind goes back to the great writing in Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders which was written by one of teh prosecutors in the Manson case. It was told as a true story, instead of just publishing the transcript of the trials. I was looking forward to some historical nonfiction along those lines.

The only people I can see interested in this piece are historians and academics who want an unedited transcript. Other than that, skip it.

I was excited to see this book listed. I thought it had potential to be a great read. Alas, the structure is bone crushing, and the general book is lifeless. The book had no narrative flow and history needs narrative to come alive. This left Lewis and his contemporaries as lifeless figures on a page. I don't feel like I knew the characters when it finished and I'm not sure anyone other than a Meriweather Lewis historical junkie could care for this. Can't recommend the book

I can only second the negative reviews of the others, though 1 star is, in my mind, for dreadful trash. This is not that. This is, as stated, an unedited, uncorrected transcript (Neal Armstrong?) of surprisingly inarticulate people rambling rather unenlighteningly through one of American history's great unknowns. As to unedited, well how about this, on the title page:

"Of courage undaunted, possessing a firmness and perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from it's direction."

I searched to see if Jefferson misused that apostrophe, and it appears as if he did not. So when a team of experts gets together and makes a glaring (if common) goof, before they even get to page 1, that is unpromising.

If these speakers are history professors, I'm glad I never sat through their classes. And to the reviewer who wished for more from James E. Starrs, PhD extrasuperduper, here's a sentence from the written, not spoken, introduction:

"He [Lewis} would become my investigative passion, little realizing the hurdles that would be planted even higher in my path towards the true facts of his death."

Was Lewis supposed to realize this? Or was the author? Cuz I think Lewis's realizing days are long over. True facts? National Lampoon lambasted that when I was in high school. Are hurdles planted? Wouldn't they be set? And hurdles are a fixed size; taller hurdles could be planted, but the whole construction is just awkward and jarring. No thanks....I got enough of this guy.

The transcript is also larded with the convoluted questions of participants who cannot get to the point. Here's a sample:

"I have a question as far as jurisdiction comes about, where in conjunction to the place where Meriwether Lewis died, where -- who did have jurisdiction, what territory was that, who would have the jurisdiction there?"

This guy asked, "Where did the murder take place? Who had judicial jurisdiction there?" but he was so tripped by his bigworditis (conjunction to the place???) that he confused himself as well as his audience.

For the researcher only...I'm waiting for the movie!

I am quite a big fan of the "founding era" of American history. Moreover, I am a fan of the genre of nonfiction historical mysteries. I really thought I would like this book, which advertised to tell the story of the mysterious death of Meriwether Lewis (abruptly ruled a suicide, but that many have reason to think was a politically charged murder.) The book was, to say the least, diappointing, and to say the most, very poor.

As other reviewers have noted, 250+ pages of this book are nothing but unedited "coroners trial" transcripts from 1996 where witnesses testify about whether Meriwether Lewis's body should be exhumed and the "investigation" into cause of death continued.

I have several problems with this approach. First, those who don't know the circumstances surrounding, and the story of, Lewis's death will be highly disappointed as the authors do no stage setting. Instead, the book starts with the lengthy transcript (and we are left to very slowly piece together the circumstances.) It would have been nice if the authors had written a long intro to "set the stage" and put the court case in context, but, for whatever reason, the authors do not.

Second, it is bad enough to lay claim to authoring a book consisting mostly of a transcript and letters authored by others. But the transcript is virtually untouched. Mistakes are left in (without annotations or corrections), irrelevant parts are not taken out, and otherwise, it appears that our authors did not edit in any way (other than the occasional [sic.]). All of this makes for a very tedious read, as the following passage illustrates:

"Well, the evidence that is given for that are the letters that he wrote in which he does say, you know, I forgot his exact words, I was never good at memorizing things like that but he does in a letter express disappointment that he had not yet found a wife. You know, but, I mean, I don't see that as I said a minute ago many of us in the same room have said similar things at some time in our life."

Imagine reading statements like this for 250+ pages. Just because it is the way we talk doesn't mean that it also makes for an intriguing read.

The rest of the book consists of letters written by and to Meriwhether Lewis, and other direct evidence used in this trial. This is followed by an essay outlining several reasons to suspect murder rather than suicide (which does little more than repeat and sum up the 250+ page trial transcript.)

To be honest, I really did not like this book at all. It may have appeal to academic historians for its contents of original source material, but it will have absolutely no appeal for the general reader. (Quite frankly, I have a hard time with James E. Starr's claim to have co-authored this book, as his only authorial contribution seems to have been a 5 page preface.)

I don't know why, but for some reason I thought this would be in a narrative form. Something that presented interesting historical facts in an interesting and engaging way. As it was, Gale managed to lose my interest very quickly, and from there it got worse. Come on: true crime involving the murder of a major historical figure? How is it possible to suck all the vitality out of that story?

I'm rating this a 2-star because the subject matter is actually reasonably interesting. Maybe a future book will deliver it in a way that I actually enjoy reading.

The Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation" by James E. Starrs and Kira Gale is rather like the raw material of a good book. The book contains three sections, Part I of which is an actual modern (1996) Coroner's Inquest into the suicide or murder of the explorer Meriwether Lewis, with the verbatim testimony of 14 experts -- 200 pages of questions and answers, with no interpretation, analysis or evaluation by the "writers" of this book. Then follows Part II: The Evidence: Documents & Photos, 40 pages of transcriptions of letters, memos, newspaper accounts, even 1850 Monument Committee Reports. All of this material is uninterpreted by the "writers". Only in Part III: The Case for Murder does Kira Gale give us 70 pages of evaluation of all this raw material, primarily a recapitulation/summary of the contents of Parts I and II. I would have much more enjoyed -- and benefitted from -- a historian's approach of digesting and analyzing all this raw material into a readable narrative.

As a collateral descentdant of Meriwether Lewis, I must acknowledge up front a certain bias toward this book. That said, I was spell bound by the Corroner's Jurry testimony in the first 218 pages and couldn't put the book down. The unedited testimony captured everything that was said, just as it was said and I'd rather see it that way than wonder what was really said and what "literary liscense" the editor took in making changes. For me, reading the "raw testimony" coupled with being able to see the documentary evidence provided an opportunity to assess the evidence just as a jurror would--fascinating. I learned a lot about forensic methods and I certainly learned a lot about the veracity (or lack therof) of some of the evidence. The book is groundbreaking because through handwriting testimony it shows that one of the previously relied upon accounts of Meriwether Lewis' death may have been a forgery and a letter Lewis wrote to Presidnt Madison near the time of his death with many strike throughs and corrections may have actually been an initial draft rather than the finished product of a disturbed mind which some historians supporitng the suicide theory have claimed.

In the later part of the book the author deals with the question, if it was murder, "who done it"? The author builds a circumstantial case pointing toward General James Wilinkson and others as conspirators--this coupled with the new revelations about he evidence should lead to other new works on this subject. Overall, a must read!

As October, 2009, approaches, interest will be increasing regarding the death of one of America's, and the West's, heroes, Meriwether Lewis. Authors Kira Gale and James E. Starrs have given us a new look at the possibility that this great man was murdered.
Their new book, "The Death of Meriwether Lewis, a Historic Crime Scene Investigation," presents new insight into the politics of the early 1800's. It suggests the possibility that the political maneuvers of General James Wilkinson led to the death of Lewis, governor of the newly formed Louisiana Territory. The increased interest in lead mining may have been involved.
The book is divided into three parts. Part One contains the transcripts of a Coroner's Inquest held in Lewis County, Tennessee in 1996. Information was presented by twelve experts from a variety of disciplines.
Part Two of the book includes nineteen documents. These include some of Meriwether Lewis' last letters, as well as letters and documents following his death at Grinder's Stand, Tennessee, on October 11, 1809. As the author points out in the Introduction, 200 years have passed, and many of the documents are second and third hand accounts. "They are a mixture of truth, lies, rumors, and outright forgery." This second part also includes photographs and maps relevant to the death of this American hero.
Part Three of the book was written By Kira Gale and is entitled, "The Case for Murder." Ms. Gale believes that Lewis' death was most likely ordered by General James Wilkinson, who was the Commanding General of the United States Army at that time. He was also a traitor to his country!
Fraudulent land deals regarding lead mining south of St. Louis, as well as the Wilkinson and Burr plot to invade Mexico and gain control of their silver mines, the author contends, led to the order to eliminate Meriwether Lewis. The Inquest materials and documents illustrate the steps leading to Lewis' assasination (Too many people have jumped on the suicide theory bandwagon, ignoring Lewis' plans as Territorial Governor, as well as his personal plans for a future with his extended family in the Territory.) Ms. Gale's interest, research, and writing style make this section of the book exciting reading. (Yes, I did read it first.) It is, then, easy to refer back to the included documents and testimony. Referring to these pages makes an exciting story.
Plan to read this book and learn abot a lesser known part of our American history.