Riot that Never Was

Combining the moral indignation of Emile Zola and the writing talent and historical perspective of Pierre Berton, this detailed inquiry claims that an 1832 Montreal riot-which allegedly caused British troops to open fire-simply never happened and that there was no mob when soldiers opened fire, leaving three innocent bystanders dead. The examination corroborates these assertions with affidavits presented to a packed grand jury that exonerated the soldiers, officers, and magistrates who called in the troops. Also noteworthy is that the grand jury comprised a majority of recently arrived English-speaking Protestant farmers, even though the three victims were French Canadian and Catholic. Most troubling, the author notes, is the fact that historians have not questioned the official story; but here he attempts to set the record straight.