THE SENATORS SON The Shocking Disappearance, the Celebrated Trial, and the Mystery That Remains a Century Later

SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR * * * On Monday, February 13, 1905, eight- year-old Kenneth Beasley walked to the back of his school's playground and into the melting snow of the woods beyond. He never returned. A massive search was undertaken for the North Carolina state senator's son, and a reward was offered. Despite clues, rumors and even a ransom note, he was never found. A year and a half later, a political rival hurriedly was charged. Accused of the most bizarre and twisted of plots, he faced a courtroom overflowing with jurors, star lawyers, spectators and newspaper reporters. The eventual verdict and stunning aftermath would rip apart two families and shock a state ... yet leave a mystery unsolved. NOW CHARLES OLDHAM, attorney by trade, has reopened the case. Using modern research methods and his own legal training-while also investigating the state's political, racial, lynching, and liquor cultures-Oldham has come as close as anyone can to the truth. The result is an absorbing, must-read story. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, "The Senator's Son" is both an important book and a fascinating one. -- Hardcover with dust jacket, signed by the author.