Smith, Tom 1953-

PERSONAL:

Born 1953, in CT. Education: Attended Elmira College and the University of Exeter; Drew University, B.A., 1975; Southern Connecticut State University, M.A., 1977.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Freelance researcher, writer, and editor. Associate writer and columnist for New Haven Advocate and Fairfield Advocate newspapers, 1978-87. Has also worked as a professional musician, justice of the peace, assistant registrar of voters, fine arts appraiser, and auction runner.

MEMBER:

Authors Guild.

WRITINGS:

Discovery of the Americas, 1492-1800 ("Discovery and Exploration" series), Facts on File (New York, NY), 2003.

The Crescent City Lynchings: The Murder of Chief Hennessy, the New Orleans "Mafia" Trials, and the Parish Prison Mob, Lyons Press (Guilford, CT), 2007.

Contributor to books, including Great American Trials, Visible Ink Press (Detroit, MI), 1993; Sex, Sin & Mayhem: Notorious Trials of the 1990s, Visible Ink Press (Detroit, MI), 1995; Great World Trials, Visible Ink Press (Detroit, MI), 1997; Famous First Facts about the Environment, H.W. Wilson (New York, NY), 2002; The American West, Wiley (New York, NY), 2003; and Exploration in the World of the Middle Ages, 500-1500, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2005. Contributor to periodicals, including Spin, New Times Connecticut, and Living Blues. Contributor of reviews to Record Roundup, 1984-94; columnist and contributor for CT Life, 1993-97.

SIDELIGHTS:

Tom Smith is the author of The Crescent City Lynchings: The Murder of Chief Hennessy, the New Orleans "Mafia" Trials, and the Parish Prison Mob, "an engrossing examination of a crime that rocked late-19th-century Louisiana," observed a Kirkus Reviews contributor. In October 1890, New Orleans police chief David Hennessy was gunned down while walking home; as he lay dying, Hennessy blamed the shooting on Italians. Mass arrests followed, and police eventually charged nineteen Italian and Italian American men with conspiring to murder the chief. At the first of two trials, nine of the defendants were acquitted, prompting charges of jury tampering. An outraged mob stormed the Orleans Parish Prison and lynched eleven of the men, creating a diplomatic crisis between the United States and Italy. "Quoting heavily from newspaper accounts, Smith is able to bring a local and timely flavor" to his work, noted a critic in Publishers Weekly. "In The Crescent City Lynchings," wrote New Orleans Times-Picayne contributor Michael A. Ross, "Smith rejects the approach of previous historians, and instead lets the reader decide whether the jury's verdict in the Hennessy case was just. Although some readers may get bogged down in the welter of witnesses, conflicting testimony and legal maneuvering, Smith's account will appeal to those who want to know exactly what evidence the jury heard." Booklist reviewer Mike Tribby also offered praise for Smith's work, calling it "a rich, insightful slice of Americana."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 15, 2006, Mike Tribby, review of The Crescent City Lynchings: The Murder of Chief Hennessy, the New Orleans "Mafia" Trials, and the Parish Prison Mob, p. 11.

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2006, review of The Crescent City Lynchings, p. 1005.

Publishers Weekly, November 20, 2006, review of The Crescent City Lynchings, p. 55.

Times-Picayne (New Orleans, LA), March 11, 2007, Michael A. Ross, review of The Crescent City Lynchings.

ONLINE

BlogCritics Online,http://blogcritics.org/ (February 3, 2007), Simon Barrett, review of The Crescent City Lynchings; (February 5, 2007), Simon Barrett, "An Interview with Tom Smith, Author of The Crescent City Lynchings."

Clews,http://laurajames.typepad.com/ (February 21, 2007) Laura James, "Clews Interviews True Crime Author Tom Smith."

Tom Smith Home Page,http://www.crescentcitylynchings.com (April 20, 2007).