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by James Thomas Mann (Author)
The murders that shocked Michigan
In the early morning of Tuesday, August 11, 1931, a Washtenaw County farmer found the smoldering remains of a car. Inside were the bodies of four teens, burned almost beyond recognition. Police immediately began an investigation, even tapping Harry Bennett, head of the Ford Motor Company Service Department, for assistance. Three killers stood trial two days later as a mob gathered outside the Ann Arbor Courthouse clamoring for a lynching. With the mob held back by the Michigan National Guard, Bennett delivered the killers to Jackson Prison by midnight Thursday. At the time, the so-called Torch Murders were deemed the most gruesome act of homicide in Michigan's history--and perhaps the nation's.
Peeling away myth from truth, author James Mann tells the story in full for the first time ever.
Author Biography
James Thomas Mann is a local historian in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and is the author of ten published books on local history. His works include Wicked Washtenaw County, Wicked Ann Arbor and Wicked Ypsilanti. His most recent work is Murder & Mayhem in Washtenaw County. He is also a frequent contributor to the Ypsilanti Gleanings, a publication of the Ypsilanti Historical Society. Mann is the host of the Highland Cemetery Lantern Tours every October.
