The Case of Valentine Shortis

A True Story of Crime and Politics in Canada

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Legal History, History, Americas, Canada
Cover of the book The Case of Valentine Shortis by Martin Friedland, University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Martin Friedland ISBN: 9781442658318
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division Publication: December 15, 1988
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Martin Friedland
ISBN: 9781442658318
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
Publication: December 15, 1988
Imprint:
Language: English

Two men were shot and killed in the office of the Montreal Cotton Company in Valleyfield, Quebec, on a night in 1895. A third victim, shot through the head, managed to survive. Charged with the murders was Valentine Shortis, a young Irish immigrant. His trial, the longest on record at the time in Canada, was played out against one of the most dramatic periods in Canadian political history. Before the case closed it had involved some of the most important names in the country.

Did Valentine Shortis commit murder in the course of a bold robbery, as the Crown and the citizens of Valleyfield believed? Or was he insane, as the defence argued and the leading psychiatrists in Canada contended? The best-known lawyers in Quebec fought out the issues in the courts, while politicians used the case to further their careers. As the trial dragged on it became part of the intricate political tapestry of the day, along with the Manitoba schools question, the revolt of the 'nest of traitors' from the Mackenzie Bowell's cabinet, and the federal election of 1896, in which Laurier used the Shortis case to help him become prime minister.

As well as Laurier, other prominent Canadians made appearances in the case. Lady Aberdeen, the wife of the govenor-general, mysteriously put a word in the ear of Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper, the young minister of justice. We meet the larger-than-life psychiatrists, C.K. Clarke and R.M. Bucke, sex-educator Arthur Beall, and even Mackenzie King and his spirits.

Martin Friedland has vividly reconstructed one of the most dramatic criminal cases in Canada's history. Along the way he reveals much about our political past, the criminal process, French-English relations, and the history of psychiatry and corrections. Above all he tells a fascinating and compelling tale of murder and politics.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Two men were shot and killed in the office of the Montreal Cotton Company in Valleyfield, Quebec, on a night in 1895. A third victim, shot through the head, managed to survive. Charged with the murders was Valentine Shortis, a young Irish immigrant. His trial, the longest on record at the time in Canada, was played out against one of the most dramatic periods in Canadian political history. Before the case closed it had involved some of the most important names in the country.

Did Valentine Shortis commit murder in the course of a bold robbery, as the Crown and the citizens of Valleyfield believed? Or was he insane, as the defence argued and the leading psychiatrists in Canada contended? The best-known lawyers in Quebec fought out the issues in the courts, while politicians used the case to further their careers. As the trial dragged on it became part of the intricate political tapestry of the day, along with the Manitoba schools question, the revolt of the 'nest of traitors' from the Mackenzie Bowell's cabinet, and the federal election of 1896, in which Laurier used the Shortis case to help him become prime minister.

As well as Laurier, other prominent Canadians made appearances in the case. Lady Aberdeen, the wife of the govenor-general, mysteriously put a word in the ear of Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper, the young minister of justice. We meet the larger-than-life psychiatrists, C.K. Clarke and R.M. Bucke, sex-educator Arthur Beall, and even Mackenzie King and his spirits.

Martin Friedland has vividly reconstructed one of the most dramatic criminal cases in Canada's history. Along the way he reveals much about our political past, the criminal process, French-English relations, and the history of psychiatry and corrections. Above all he tells a fascinating and compelling tale of murder and politics.

More books from University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division

Cover of the book Honour Among Men and Nations by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book The Chinese Novel at the Turn of the Century by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book Flora of Alberta by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book Hired Hands by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book Acculturation and Its Discontents by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book Creeping Conformity by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book Polling and Public Opinion by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book Policy Work in Canada by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book Searching for Leadership by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book Atom Egoyan's 'The Adjuster' by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book People versus Politics by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book The History of the Pioneer German Language Press of Ontario, 1835-1918 by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book Canadian Economic Policy and the Impact of International Capital Flows by Martin Friedland
Cover of the book The Fur Trade in Canada by Martin Friedland
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy