Murder stories are useful to historians because the carefully recorded details of investigations offer a rare glimpse into the lifestyles of other eras. Such is the case of the story of the Night Marauder, a home-invasion thief and killer who terrorized Knoxville just after World War I. This one’s even more relevant because new research suggests it’s an alternative to the story of Bertie Lindsey, who was murdered in her Eighth Avenue bedroom in late August 1919. That crime, originally blamed on a mixed-race boulevardier named Maurice Mays, set off the lynch-mob driven race riot of that year, the worst race-related riot in Knoxville history. Mays was eventually executed for the killing, but several attorneys have studied the episode and believe his convictions to have been unjust. Locklin-Sofer, a professor at Maryville College, is working on a book on the subject, and will share the chilling details of what she has learned. Free program. Food and drinks available for purchase.
