Deaths on Pleasant Street [Paperback]

Giles Fowler (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1931112916 | ISBN-13: 978-1931112918 | Publication Date: September 15, 2009

The 1909 murder case surrounding the wealthy Swope family of Independence, Missouri, gripped newspaper readers throughout the nation. This book gathers the facts behind the suspicious fates of three Swope family members: the eccentric Colonel, millionaire donor of Kansas City, Missouri s Swope Park, his affable cousin, and a young nephew and heir. The mystery pits the Swope matriarch against her disfavored son-in-law, Dr. Bennett Clark Hyde. Charged with poisoning the Colonel and suspected of multiple other attempted murders, Dr. Hyde endures national media attention for this crime of the century. The series of trials and appeals that followed explores the question: Was he a diabolical villain bent on inheriting Swope s millions or the unfortunate victim of a family grudge? This account of gothic-era America follows streetcar tracks from the courtrooms of Kansas City to the typhoid-plagued Swope mansion in nearby Independence. The author delivers an engaging and accurate retelling of these 100-year-old events in the literary journalism tradition by analyzing court transcripts, newspaper coverage, 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. It has been 100 years since multiple tragedies befell members of the prominent Swope family in Independence, Missouri. But Deaths on Pleasant Street gives those shadowy events and the ensuing scandal the immediacy of today's headlines. I began the book in early afternoon, and was unable to sleep until I'd turned the last page. Rarely does historical nonfiction deliver so effective a combination of exhaustive research and inspired storytelling. -Charles Gusewelle The trail of western Missouri's crime of the twentieth century may be stone cold, but Giles Fowler's master sleuthing and briskly paced narrative restore this still-unsolved country-house mystery to vivid life. Deaths on Pleasant Street will captivate history buffs and whodunnit fans alike. -Harry Haskell With a creeping sense of dread reminiscent of Gaslight and the immersive reporting that recalls In Cold Blood, Deaths on Pleasant Street elevates a sensational case of Victorian intrigue, skullduggery, ruinous accusations and black horror to the exalted realm of literature. Poring through a trove of historic manuscripts, legal records and the delicious yellow journalism of the era, Fowler has done graceful service to the dead by telling the tale with a consistent and unfailing writerly flair more fully and fairly than it was ever told, or could possibly have been told, at the time. -Patrick Beach

Editorial Reviews

Review

Anyone who craves a good murder story will find Fowler's book hard to put down. Beautifully written and thoroughly researched, Deaths on Pleasant Street is true-crime that reads like a cross between Agatha Christie and Stephen King. --The Ames Tribune

Giles Fowler s Deaths on Pleasant Street, which retells and examines this real-life crime, has elements of great Gothic fiction. The author revels in the sordid details of death and autopsy, sparing little gained from his research.... Fowler breathes life into events that captivated Kansas Citians 100 years ago. --The Kansas City Star

Fowler used the investigative skills he learned as a long-time Kansas City journalist, bringing together newspaper accounts, court testimony, and memoirs to reconstruct the crimes and guess at their motivations. Did an in-law to the wealthy and influential Swope family murder those who stood in the way of his wife's full inheritance, poisoning some and infecting others with typhoid? The stories of exactly what happened . . . don't just diverge they turn on each other and collide (p. 35), and they make for engaging reading. --Kansas History

About the Author

Born in Kansas City in 1934, Giles Fowler joined the city s prominent newspaper, the Kansas City Star, following his graduation from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. During his 24 years at the Star, Fowler worked as a reporter, film and theater critic, and editor of the paper s Sunday magazine. He transferred this considerable background in journalism to teaching in 1980 and held positions at Kansas State University and Iowa State University s Greenlee School of Journalism, from which he retired in 2002. Fowler currently resides in Ames, Iowa, and has contributed academic articles to Journalism Educator and Journalism Quarterly as well as short fiction to the Sewanee Review.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Truman State University Press (September 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931112916
• ISBN-13: 978-1931112918
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put this book down., August 24, 2009

By 

M. Nichols "paddington" (Olathe, KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deaths on Pleasant Street (Paperback)

Hard to imagine that a report of deaths that happened a hundred years ago can result in a page-turner, but that exactly describes "Deaths on Pleasant Street," a compelling report of the suspicious death of one of Kansas City's most famous benefactors, the multi-millionaire Colonel Swope, whose generosity gave Kansas City its landmark Swope Park. Did Col. Swope die at the hands of his niece's husband, Bennett Clark Hyde, a well-regarded doctor who was scheduled to become the president of the county's medical society? Was Dr. Hyde responsible for the deaths of other relatives of Col. Swope? I stayed up far later than I should have, unable to put this book down until the end.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A eally murder mystery. You be the judge., May 29, 2010

By 

Kathleen F. Hayes "Kathy" (Lee's Summit, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deaths on Pleasant Street (Paperback)

In the late 1800's, Colonlel Thomas Swope made his money in mining and moved to the Kansas City area in Missouri. His brother and sister-in-law, Maggie Swope, lived in Independence, MO., which at that time, was the large city and County seat. He bought a large parcel of farm land, sold it off into smaller parcels and made his fortune. This area became downtown Kansas City. He donated a large parcel to the city to become a park, Swope Park.

After the death of Maggie's husband, Col. Swope lived in the Swope mansion along with his cousin Hunton Moss, 62, and Maggie's children. Her oldest daughter, Francis, married Dr. Bennett Clark Hyde, against the family's wishes. Hyde had had questionable relationships previously with two divorced women whom he had borrowed money and not paid back. Maggie eventually welcomed him into the family after Hyde cared for her son, Thomas, after an accident.

On September 18, Hyde purchases cyanide capsules from the drug store. On October 1, 1909, Colonel Hunton Moss, age 62, dies of a brain hemorrhage. He was one of the executor's of Col. Swope's estate, and Hyde wants to be the new executor. He hears of Swope wanting to change his will so that more of his money would go to the poor of Kansas City and not his nieces and nephews. Swope planned on changing his will the following week. October 3, Col. Swope feels ill and Hyde gives him a capsule, saying it will help his stomach, having had gastric problems in the past. Within minutes, Swope has convulsions and is dead by the end of the day. By end November, another Swope family member is dead and many ill. Is this all circumstance or did Dr. Hyde murder and attempt murder on other family members for a larger piece of the inheritance?

The author, a previous KC Star reporter, does an amazing job recounting the saga of the Swope family. His extensive research and accurate depiction of facts puts you in the jury box.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally fascinating, December 24, 2009

By 

Gayle - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Deaths on Pleasant Street (Paperback)

I found this book absolutely fascinating--hard to put down even during the busy Christmas season! Full of interesting facts about Kansas City, Independence, and the celebrities of the day, Deaths on Pleasant Street is a true page-turner. Fowler brings characters and events to life and makes this 100 year old mystery as intriguing as any current event. A really good read!