They Both Reached for the Gun: Beulah Annan, Maurine Watkins, and the Trial That Became Chicago

by Charles H. Cosgrove

Examining the case that inspired a pop culture phenomenon

In 1924 Beulah Annan was arrested and incarcerated for kill­ing her lover, Harry Kalsted. Six weeks later, a jury acquitted her of murder. Inspired by the sordid event, trial, and acquittal, Maurine Watkins, a reporter at the time, wrote the play Chicago, a Broadway hit that was adapted several times. Through a fresh retelling of the story of Annan and of Watkins's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809339382
• ISBN13: 9780809339389
• Release Date: June 2024
• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"