In 1931, a 12-year-old boy shot and killed the sheriff of Asotin,
Washington. The incident stunned the small town and a mob
threatened to hang him. Both the crime and Herbert Niccolls's
eventual sentence of life imprisonment at the Washington State
Penitentiary in Walla Walla drew national attention, only to be
buried later in local archives.
Journalist Nancy Bartley has conducted extensive research to
construct a compelling narrative of the events and characters that
make this a unique episode in the history of criminal justice in
the United States. Niccolls became a cause for Father Flanagan of
Boys Town, who took to the airwaves, imploring listeners to write
Governor Hartley on the boy's behalf. The bitter campaign put
Hartley in such a negative light that he lost his bid for
reelection. Under a new and progressive warden, Niccolls thrived in
prison. Inmates like physician Peter Miller and literary agent
James Ashe became his tutors, finding that Niccolls had an
insatiable appetite for knowledge. During the deadly 1934 prison
riot at Walla Walla, several prisoners kept him from harm.
Niccolls was finally released from prison in his early twenties.
He went to work at 20th Century Fox in Hollywood, where he kept his
secret for the rest of his long life. "The Boy Who Shot the
Sheriff" explores this little-known story of a young boy's fate in
the juvenile justice system during the bloodiest years in the
nation's penitentiaries.
Journalist and writer Nancy Bartley has published in the
"Seattle Times, Washington Post, Sydney Morning Herald, Toronto
Star, Houston Chronicle," and "Home Magazine." She lives in
Seattle, Washington.
" is the result of some very impressive research by an author
obviously engaged with the subject. And it tells an important story
few of us know." -Joann Byrd, author of "Calamity: The Heppner
Flood of 1903"
General
Imprint: |
University of Washington Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
March 2013 |
First published: |
February 2013 |
Authors: |
Nancy Bartley
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 18mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade / Trade
|
Pages: |
302 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-295-99245-7 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
True stories >
Crime
Books >
Fiction >
Promotions
|
LSN: |
0-295-99245-X |
Barcode: |
9780295992457 |
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