The Ship of Seven Murders: A True Story of Madness & Murder

In 1828, the Mary Russell sailed into Cork Harbor from the West Indies. Seven crewmen lay in the main salon, brutally murdered by the captain. The trial was a sensation as survivors revealed a tale of danger and delusion. But what really happened? Now the facts of the case are reconstructed against the background of trade between Cork and Cobh and the West Indies. How would today's psychiatrists and courts view Captain Stewart's behavior? Was his later decline into homicidal mania prompted by guilt, or was mental illness following its natural course? And why has such a strange, intriguing story remained buried for so many years? This bizarre tragedy, the dramatic court case, and its place in history and folklore are unraveled in this gripping account.