Paroxysm: Love, Murder and Justice in Post-Civil War Washington, DC - Softcover

Otis, Gerald D

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0983594430 ISBN 13: 9780983594437

Publisher: Gerald D. Otis, 2013

Synopsis

As Washington authorities search for the assassins of President Lincoln, Mary Harris awaits trial for having murdered Adoniram Judson Burroughs, the man who had abandoned her and married another. A clever Irish farm girl from Iowa, Mary capitalizes on the sympathy of many influential visitors to pressure Joseph H. Bradley, a prominent Washington attorney, to take her case. Bradley assembles a distinguished group of lawyers and politicians who defend Mary with great skill and cunning, arguing that the accused suffers from "paroxysmal insanity." At the same time, they imply that she is but the instrument of divine retribution for the deceased's own depravity and the complicity of his famous brother, a minister and university president. The trial receives nationwide attention. Lincoln's wife - herself mentally troubled - sends Mary a bouquet of flowers while she is confined in her jail cell. Lawyers jockey to frame the debate, the defense presenting some of the most eloquent and moving speeches ever heard in an American courtroom while the prosecution presents incisive arguments that cut to the heart of the legal issues. Thinking judgment battles feeling judgment for the minds of the jurors. They return with their verdict after just five minutes of deliberation. But public sentiment reverses course when newspapers and the national psychiatric association criticize the decisions made by the jury, the judge, and the lawyers involved in the case. Defendant and counsel become close companions as she struggles with her affliction while he defends one of the Lincoln conspirators. Based on a true story, many historical facts in the case are uncovered which were not available to the jury or the attorneys involved. The author presents in dramatic form what he believes to be the true story of this amazing crime and the surprising romance which emerged from it.

About this title

About the Author

Gerald D. Otis was born in Northfield, Minnesota. He graduated from Northfield High School, attended St. Olaf College for two years, and graduated from the University of Minnesota. He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Arizona in 1966. After completing a clinical internship at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Palo Alto, California he joined the University of New Mexico School of Medicine where he headed a research team in a longitudinal study of the career decision making process in medical students and physicians, taught classes and maintained a clinical practice. For 10 years after Dr. Otis left the University, he combined a private practice with the design and construction of sculptural furniture and computer programming. During his years as a psychologist he published results of research on incidental learning, interaction of stress and personality, family psychotherapy, physician career choice, psychological type and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, post-traumatic stress disorder, and trends in violent death. He has received two awards from the Association for Psychological Type and several awards for his efforts at fine woodworking. Following16 years working for the Veterans Administration in Medford, Oregon, where he specialized in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, Dr. Otis retired from clinical practice and now lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico with his wife Connie and two Bichon Frise dogs, Scuzzie and Brandi Alexandria. He has authored two books: Joseph Lee Heywood: His Life and Tragic Death and Paroxysm: Love, Murder and Justice in Post Civil War Washington, DC. He has also edited, with his wife, a collection of poems: Words of Grace: The Poetry of Grace McCrea Lindahl. His current project is a novel, inspired by a true story, about a man abused by legal and mental health systems in a civil commitment procedure.

About this edition

• Publisher: Gerald D. Otis
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0983594430
• ISBN 13: 9780983594437
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 428