“HellPuttoShameisapowerfullyunsettlingportraitofboththesinglemostsavageepisodeinthelongdecadesofsavageryinflictedbywhitesouthernersontheirBlackneighborsinthe20thcentury--andthemethodicalprocessthatfollowedtoerasethosecrimesfromAmerica’scollectivememory.“--DouglasA.Blackmon,authorofSlaverybyAnotherName,winnerofthePulitzerPrizeFromtheacclaimedNewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorofChesapeakeRequiemcomesagrippingnewworkofnarrativenonfictiontellingtheforgottenstoryofthemasskillingofelevenBlackfarmhandsonaGeorgiaplantationinthespringof1921--acrimethatexposedforthenationtheexistenceof“peonage,“aformofslaverythatgainedprominenceacrosstheAmericanSouthaftertheCivilWar.OnaSundaymorninginthespringof1921,asmallboymadeagrimdiscoveryasheplayedonariverbankinthecottoncountryofruralGeorgia:thebodiesoftwodrownedmen,boundtogetherwithwireandchainandweightedwithahundred-poundsackofrocks.Withindaysathirdbodyturnedupinanothernearbyriver,andintheweeksthatfollowed,eightothers.Andwiththemadeeperhorror:allelevenhadbeenkeptinvirtualslaverybeforetheirdeaths.Infact,asAmericawasshockedtolearn,thedeadwereamongthousandsofBlackmenenslavedthroughouttheSouthinconditionsnearlyasdireasthosebeforetheCivilWar.HellPuttoShametellstheforgottenstoryofthatmasskillingandoftherevelationsaboutpeonage,ordebtslavery,thatitplacedbeforeapublicself-satisfiedthatinvoluntaryservitudehadendedatAppomattoxmorethanfiftyyearsbefore.Byturnspoliceprocedural,courtroomdrama,andpoliticalexpos矇,HellPuttoShamealsoreintroducesreaderstothreeAmericanswhospearheadedtheprosecutionofJohnS.Williams,thewealthyplantationownerbehindthemurders,atatimewhenwhitepeoplerarelyfacedpunishmentforviolenceagainsttheirBlackneighbors.TheremarkablepolymathJamesWeldonJohnson,newlyappointedthefirstBlackleaderoftheNationalAssociationfortheAdvancementofColoredPeople,marshaledtheorganizationintoafull-onwaragainstpeonage.Johnson’slieutenant,WalterF.White,alight-skinned,fair-haired,blue-eyedBlackman,conductedundercoverworkatthesceneoflynchingsandotherJimCrowatrocities,helpingtothrowalightonsuchviolenceandtohastenitsend.AndGeorgiagovernorHughM.Dorseywonthestatehouseasaheroofwhitesupremacists--thenredeemedhimselfinspectacularfashionwiththe“MurderFarm“affair.Theresultisastorythatremainsfreshandrelevantacenturylater,asthenationcontinuestowrestlewithseeminglyintractablechallengesinmattersofraceandjustice.Andthe1921caseatitsheartarguesthattheforcesthatsoroilsocietytodayhavebeenwithusforgenerations..
