The Case of the Autographed Corpse: A Medicine Man and a Mystery Writer in Pursuit of Justice
In 1933 Margaret Edwards, the wife of Apache religious leader Silas John Edwards, was brutally attacked and killed on a lonely trail on the Fort Apache Reservation in Arizona. An all-white jury found Silas John guilty of the crime – despite flimsy evidence and misinformation about Apache traditions the prosecution spread – and he received a sentence of life in prison. After eighteen years behind bars, Silas John sent out an urgent letter for assistance to Erle Stanley Gardner, the famed author of the Perry Mason and the guiding force behind The Court of Last Resort, an organization that investigated wrongful convictions, like today’s Innocence Project. Together the two men bridged a cultural divide to re-examine Silas John’s case and reach a just resolution. The Case of the Autographed Corpse tells of a dramatic and little-known episode in American history and details two men’s unwavering commitment to finding the truth.
