The Lynching of Peter Wheeler by Debra Komar

Author:Debra Komar
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Canadian Non-Fiction, True Crime, Forensic Science, Murder, Racism, Crime Scene Investigation, Annie Kempton, Maritimes, Atlantic Canada
Publisher: Goose Lane Editions
Published: 2014-03-16T04:00:00+00:00

On July 21, 1896, an American merchant ship, the Herbert E. Fuller, docked in Halifax. Its crew told a horrific tale as they staggered ashore. While bounding on the high seas, the vessel’s captain Charles Nash, his wife Laura, and the second mate, August Blomberg, were viciously hacked to death with an axe. Suspicion quickly fell on a young shipmate, known to his fellows as Charlie Brown. His real name was Justus Leopold Westerberg and he became the prime suspect when he was seen changing clothes immediately after the murders. Another ensign, Thomas Bram, ordered Westerberg to be shackled and a search of the ship soon uncovered a bloody axe, presumably the murder weapon. Bram, holding the axe aloft, asked if he should throw it overboard. Another crew member — who feared the actions of a now-mutinous crew and thought the axe might once again be used as a weapon — agreed it should be tossed. In a lapse of judgment that would come back to haunt him, Bram threw the axe over the side.

As the story spread through town, the Halifax police came on board to take Westerberg into custody. Leading the investigation was none other than Nicholas Power. The detective took the accused into his office to interrogate him and, oh, what a story Westerberg had to tell. As is a sailor’s want, his tale grew larger with each minute he spent ashore. By the time the interview drew to a close, Westerberg had somehow convinced Power he was innocent and that Bram was the murderer. Despite Westerberg’s questionable credibility as a witness, Power believed his version of events. What ultimately convinced the detective was that Bram had disposed of the murder weapon, “which of course might have borne fingerprints.”3

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.