The Killing of John Sharpless: The Pursuit of Justice in Delaware County
Apr 2013 · Arcadia Publishing
Ebook
131
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About this ebook
The Pennsylvania historian “deftly investigates turn-of-the-century law (such as it was) to find fresh answers” in a controversial 19th century murder (Main Line Today).
On a stormy November evening in 1885, John Sharpless answered a knock on his door. Less than an hour later, he was found dead in his barn from a blow to the back of the head; his bloodstained hat lay next to him on the ground. A three thousand dollar reward for the killer sparked an overzealous bounty hunt across southeastern Pennsylvania, and numerous innocent men were arrested. Samuel Johnson—a local African American man with a criminal record—was charged. Despite the Widow Sharpless’s insistence that Johnson was not the man who had come to their door, he was tried and sentenced to hang. Author Stephanie Hoover offers an in-depth investigation of the crime. From the events of that night and the mishandling of the investigation by a corrupt police force to the trial and conviction of Johnson and the efforts of the Quaker community to appeal the sentence, Hoover profiles a miscarriage of justice in Delaware County.
Includes photos
On a stormy November evening in 1885, John Sharpless answered a knock on his door. Less than an hour later, he was found dead in his barn from a blow to the back of the head; his bloodstained hat lay next to him on the ground. A three thousand dollar reward for the killer sparked an overzealous bounty hunt across southeastern Pennsylvania, and numerous innocent men were arrested. Samuel Johnson—a local African American man with a criminal record—was charged. Despite the Widow Sharpless’s insistence that Johnson was not the man who had come to their door, he was tried and sentenced to hang. Author Stephanie Hoover offers an in-depth investigation of the crime. From the events of that night and the mishandling of the investigation by a corrupt police force to the trial and conviction of Johnson and the efforts of the Quaker community to appeal the sentence, Hoover profiles a miscarriage of justice in Delaware County.
Includes photos
About the author
If you include her third-grade poem published by the Hummelstown Sun, Stephanie has been working as a published writer since 1967. Traditionalists, however, would likely say that Stephanie's professional writing career began in 1984 when she was hired as a stringer by the long defunct Pennsylvania Beacon. Since that time she has amassed more than 200 bylines in local, regional and national publications and has been retrained by several network television shows to conduct historical and genealogical research. A lifelong Pennsylvania resident born within smelling distance of the Hershey Chocolate Factory, Stephanie specializes in topics relating to the Keystone State. The Killing of John Sharpless is her first book and encompasses all three of Stephanie's passions: Pennsylvania, history, and true crime. Stephanie lives in the Capital Region of the state with her husband, two dogs, two cats (the brains of the operation) and an adult son who "moved out" but returns regularly for dinners and to do a quick load of whites. When not writing or researching for editors or paying clients, she writes and researches Hauntingly PENNSYLVANIATM, her own history site, for free. Contact Stephane via her web site, StephanieHoover.com.
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