Molly Cutpurse Takes Novel Approach to 1923 Thompson and Bywaters Hanging Scandal

June 14, 2006 - Press Dispensary - Author Molly Cutpurse (http://www.mollycutpurse.com) is publishing her second novel, 'A Life Lived', inspired by the notorious injustices surrounding the hanging of Edith Thompson in 1923. The launch of the book coincides with the release by the National Archives of historic documents concerning hangmen, together with appeals for a posthumous pardon for its heroine.

Implicated in the murder of her husband, Edith Thompson was condemned to hang alongside her lover, Frederick Bywaters, despite no concrete evidence proving her involvement with the killing. Her sentence outraged the British public to the extent that one million signatures called for their reprieve and after the traumatic execution, hangman John Ellis retired and then committed suicide in 1931. The hanging had a profound effect on all those present. The governor and the chaplain also retired and spent the rest of their lives speaking out against the death sentence.

Through an imaginary tale - a counterfactual narrative - Molly Cutpurse redresses what she describes as "terminal bullying" by the justice system. She presents a life the engaging and intelligent Edith might have enjoyed - had she escaped capital punishment.

Repulsed by the prejudice Edith faced as a morally compromised woman in a country still riddled with Victorian values, and touched by personal connections (Cutpurse's parents knew Thompson's), the author imagines Edith was "almost hung. Cutpurse undertakes an intensely emotional journey into understanding the everyday concerns of her heroine, depicting Edith living to see the 20th century unfold and her family flourish, all the time bearing the infamy of her murder trial.

Molly Cutpurse says of her novel: "This book is a place where Edith lives. It is how her life may have been had she not become involved in the tragedy that was to shame British justice."

She continues: "Responding to the 'what if' supposition of the story, readers may begin to wonder how things might be if events had been different in their own lives."

Professor Rene Weis, vice dean for arts and humanities at University College London, provides superlative authority on the injustices of Edith Thompson's trial in his book Criminal Justice. He says of A Life Lived: "This novel is deeply moving."

A Life Lived is published by Publish America (www.publishamerica.com) priced US $16.95 and is available through its website as well as online book retailer Amazon.com (www.amazon.com).

Molly Cutpurse is also working with Professor Weis towards obtaining a posthumous pardon for Edith Thompson. They have approached a number of institutions including Holloway Prison in an attempt to uncover relevent documents and they support lobbying of the Home Secretary to reopen the case.

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Notes for editors
Molly Cutpurse is the pen name for Essex-based Jean Winchester, originally from London's East End. She is a transgendered novelist and playwright and has written a number of short stories. Her first novel was The Last Winter ISBN 1-4137-2827-8 also published by Publish America.

A Life Lived is listed with Bowker's Books in Print, stocked by wholesalers Baker & Taylor, Brodart Co., and Ingram. It can be purchased online at Amazon.com, Borders.com (www.borders.com), BN.com (www.barnesandnoble.com) and Chapters.com (www.chapters.indigo.ca).

For further information please contact:
Jean Winchester, Molly Cutpurse
Tel: 01375 851556
Email:
Site: www.mollycutpurse.com