Historians Get Break in Unsolved Murder
There is the "cold
squad". Then there is the really cold squad. Two historians have
turned up new information that recasts a 129 year-old murder and
their newly updated UVic website lets users "solve" the murder
mystery.
The year was 1868. The place, Saltspring Island. A Black man, William Robinson, is murdered in his isolated cabin for no apparent reason. More than a year later an Aboriginal man, Tshunnahusset, was charged, convicted by an all-White jury, and hanged for the murder. A close examination of the evidence suggests that he may well have been innocent.
"Who Killed William Robinson?" is an internationally acclaimed UVic Web site designed as a real-life murder mystery for use in teaching Canadian history. New information on the murder has prompted the reworking of the site by Dr. John Lutz, of UVic's department of history, and UBC lecturer Dr. Ruth Sandwell. Users can now explore the details of the crime, the evidence, the historical context, and share their interpretations, all the while learning about the history of race relations and the legal system in Canada 130 years ago.
Journalists are invited to attend the launch of the new site on Sept. 22 at 3:30 p.m. in the Humanities Computing and Media Centre, Clearihue A051. The new site will be available thereafter at http://web.uvic.ca/history-robinson/
The year was 1868. The place, Saltspring Island. A Black man, William Robinson, is murdered in his isolated cabin for no apparent reason. More than a year later an Aboriginal man, Tshunnahusset, was charged, convicted by an all-White jury, and hanged for the murder. A close examination of the evidence suggests that he may well have been innocent.
"Who Killed William Robinson?" is an internationally acclaimed UVic Web site designed as a real-life murder mystery for use in teaching Canadian history. New information on the murder has prompted the reworking of the site by Dr. John Lutz, of UVic's department of history, and UBC lecturer Dr. Ruth Sandwell. Users can now explore the details of the crime, the evidence, the historical context, and share their interpretations, all the while learning about the history of race relations and the legal system in Canada 130 years ago.
Journalists are invited to attend the launch of the new site on Sept. 22 at 3:30 p.m. in the Humanities Computing and Media Centre, Clearihue A051. The new site will be available thereafter at http://web.uvic.ca/history-robinson/
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Media contacts
>Dr. font Lutz (history) at (250) 721-7392