Introduction  1
Part I. Danger in the Magic City
1. August 4, 1931  15
2. A City Beset by Fear  25
3. Reign of Terror in the Black Community  34
4. Fear, Loathing,and Oblivion in the White Community  45
Part II. Trials and Tribulations
5. The Arrest: September 23, 1931  55
6. Attempted Murder  67
7. Grand Jury Testimonies  76
8. The NAACP Comes to Life  85
9. Mounting the Defense  94
10. House of Pain  113
11. "A Temporarily Dethroned Mind"  116
12. "An Outrageous Spectacle of Injustice"  119
13. A Tumultuous Year  122
Part IV. Never Turning Back
14. Staying on the Firing Line  131
15. Charles Hamilton Houston  134
16. A Lynching in Tuscaloosa  142
17. Moving the Case Forward  150
18. No Negroes Allowed  162
19. A Flood of Letters  168
20. A Multitude of Regrets  172
21. Grave Doubts as to His Guilt  178
22. Jim Crow Justice  185
Epilogue. The Community That Kept Faith  193
Afterword. Letter to My Father  197
Acknowledgments  203
Notes  209
Bibliography  233
Index  241

"In this passionate account of Jim Crow–era injustice, educator and activist Morrison exposes how courtrooms 'could function like lynch mobs when the defendant was black.'... Morrison, who is white, shares this painful story with clarity and compassion, emphasizing how much has changed since the 1930s, how much white people need to 'critically interrogate' the past, and how much 'remains to be done' in the fight for justice." — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"The author deserves praise for identifying Peterson’s trial as an important precursor to the 1960s civil rights movement. Audiences will be enthralled and angered by this all-too-familiar account of a criminal justice system that was and remains biased against black Americans." — Karl Helicher, Foreword Reviews

"Morrison digs deeply into period newspapers and archives to uncover this story of injustice long overshadowed by the more famous Scottsboro Boys trial. A thoughtful look into a tale of prejudice and stolen justice that will find many readers who are interested in African American history, the early civil rights movement, and Southern history." — Chad E. Statler, Library Journal

"Morrison’s book is an ultimate tribute to a man who is seldom mentioned in the Civil Rights Movement, but was a true civil rights hero and who despite torture and mental cruelty always proclaimed his innocence." — Bill Castanier, Lansing City Pulse

"In this passionate account of Jim Crow–era injustice, educator and activist Morrison exposes how courtrooms 'could function like lynch mobs when the defendant was black.'... Morrison, who is white, shares this painful story with clarity and compassion, emphasizing how much has changed since the 1930s, how much white people need to 'critically interrogate' the past, and how much 'remains to be done' in the fight for justice." —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"The author deserves praise for identifying Peterson’s trial as an important precursor to the 1960s civil rights movement. Audiences will be enthralled and angered by this all-too-familiar account of a criminal justice system that was and remains biased against black Americans." —Karl Helicher, Foreword Reviews

"Morrison digs deeply into period newspapers and archives to uncover this story of injustice long overshadowed by the more famous Scottsboro Boys trial. A thoughtful look into a tale of prejudice and stolen justice that will find many readers who are interested in African American history, the early civil rights movement, and Southern history." —Chad E. Statler, Library Journal

"Morrison’s book is an ultimate tribute to a man who is seldom mentioned in the Civil Rights Movement, but was a true civil rights hero and who despite torture and mental cruelty always proclaimed his innocence." —Bill Castanier, Lansing City Pulse

“I devoured the whole impressive book, often reading late into the night. The ordeal of Willie Peterson in Depression Alabama has until now been a neglected episode in civil rights history. Melanie S. Morrison’s careful, compelling reconstruction of a tragic double murder turned judicial lynching unearths profound and, alas, enduring truths about the ways race and ideology deform human decency as well as justice.” — Diane McWhorter, author of, Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama: The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution

"With detail not often found in narratives of antiblack violence, Melanie S. Morrison's account of Willie Peterson's officially sanctioned murder—which has almost disappeared from the canon of black struggle—teaches us not only of the destructive power of racism but also of its systemic nature and the efforts long before the so-called 'civil rights era' to resist it. It resonates with the cradle-to-prison pipeline that plagues much of black life today. Well worth reading." — Charles E. Cobb Jr., author of, This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed: How Guns Made the Civil Rights Movement Possible

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