In 1934 all the national publications sent their star reporters
to remote Virginia to cover the trial of Erma Morton: a beautiful
21-year-old year old mountain girl with a teaching degree, accused of
murdering her father--a drunken tyrant of a man. Eager for a new cause
celebre to capture the public's imagination, they were counting on
reports of horse-drawn buggies, run-down shacks, children in thread-bare
clothes--all of the stereotypes of mountain life. But among them is
Carl Jennings, an 18-year-old mountain boy on his first job. An eager,
honest journalist, he reports accurately--describing telephones,
electricity, gas stations, and coal company executives. So when
their reports conflict, Carl is condemned, while the seasoned
journalists perpetuate the myths of country life--and Erma Morton's
guilt or innocence is literally sold to the highest bidder--a wronged
woman on trial sells papers. Soon, it is not the murder that is of
interest: but the vultures attracted by the deaths. In the midst
of all this, Carl continues to search for the truth, relying on his
younger cousin, Nora--gifted with the "sight"--for help.
A
stunning return to the lands, ballads and characters upon which she made
her name, DEVIL AMONGST THE LAWYERS is a testament to Sharyn McCrumb's
lyrical and poetic writing.
Sharyn McCrumb presents THE DEVIL AMONGST THE LAWYERS. This is a return to her ballad series, inspired by the real-life 1935 murder trial of a young woman in Wise County, Virginia.
