Crime & Punishment on the Isles of Shoals

Crime and Punishment on the Isles of Shoals at North Hampton Public Library, Presented by Author, Balladeer, and Lawyer John Perrault

Anethe and Karen Christensen were murdered on Smuttynose Island, Isles of Shoals, on March 5, 1873.  Louis Wagner was convicted of the crime.  Although sentiment against Wagner was at a fever pitch following the murders, time and reflection have generated an ongoing debate about the trial.

Turning to the evidence as revealed in the trial transcript, lawyer and balladeer John Perrault—author of The Ballad of Louis Wagner and other New England Stories in Verse—examines the law’s judgment of Wagner. Tracing the tracks of Louis on that fateful day, John will present witness testimony and argument from the trial transcript in an attempt to address two crucial questions that have persisted since that time: Was Wagner guilty?  Did he get a fair trial?

The program will culminate with John singing the title ballad from his book, The Ballad of Louis Wagner and other New England Stories in Verse, which includes photographs by Peter Randall.  Copies of the book will be available for sale.  Ladies, gentlemen and their progeny are invited to attend this free event which is sponsored by the North Hampton Public Library in conjunction with the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

For further information Contact: Susan Grant at the Library.  For more information on the poems and ballads of John Perrault, go to: http://www.johnperrault.com.

Admission:    Free