Books: The Donnellys: Powder keg and The Donnellys: Massacre, Trial and Aftermath
Author: John Little
Release: Nov 2, 2021
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
I have no idea where I first heard of the Black Donnellys. It must have been some book about Canada, but I have no idea which. I had heard of the attempted rescue of one of the Donnellys’ lady loves from her father somewhere. Yet, my knowledge is more of a general sense than specific. I knew that several members of the family had been killed in an attack on their farmstead.
The Donnellys: Powder Keg, first volume in Little’s two book series about the Donnellys and their murder, ends before the murder occurs He takes the time to look at the charge – both by legal authorities and by rumor -that were laid at the Donnellys’ door. He looks at the times that the Donnellys had to appear in court, the times family members were imprisoned as well as the stagecoach wars. His analysis of the Donnellys’ guilt in terms of some rumor charges (the harming of horses for instance) is packed up with evidence from a variety of sources. He dispels some rumors, such as how the matriarch of the clan was seen (she was actually charged with having foul mouth when a man shoved gun in her face) as well as breaking what appears to be some new ground in the lives of some of the sons.
Part of this is because Little takes the time to present not a historic overview of Biddulph Township in Ontario (then Upper Canada). This includes the area’s initial development but also the tensions between the Catholics and Protestants, tensions that Little suggests contributed to the attack on the Donnellys. He makes sure the reader understands the time and place that the Donnellys were in, noting the very hardships that the family would suffer though. In America, we would say that Biddulph was a bit like the stereotypical Wild, Wild West, and Little makes sure that there is understanding about how tough and hard the people could be in Biddulp at the time. This includes not only the Donnelly neighbors but their priest as well.
Little’s second volume of his two volume on Donnellys covers the murder of members of the family by fellow residents and what followed. Little’s description of the evening of the massacre relies on survivor testimony which he interweaves with an engrossing third person narrative. He does this while also examining why such events happened (and most American readers at least will see a connection to “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson).
It is a close run whether the massacre itself or the trial that follows is the more horrifying event. Little give enough background to the various forces that impact the trial. From the politicians at the top of the ladder to the various community stresses, such as religious differences, to the family of one of the surviving witnesses who were attacked as well. To say that the trial itself was a circus would be to put in mildly.
This book focuses a little more on the National and international reaction to the events than on the family lives of the surviving Donnellys themselves. This allows the reader to see the events in more historic level and how, in part, the whole violent tale holds a place in historic and folkloric tradition.
Both volumes of this two volume history are well worth reading in terms of Canadian history.
Comments
Post a Comment