Who Killed Jackie Bates?:
Murder and Mercy During the Great Depression
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by Bill Waiser
Fifth House Ltd., Calgary, 2008
208 pp., illus., $24.95 hardcover
Who Killed Jackie Bates? is a sad, somewhat gruesome tale of a young family from Glidden, Saskatchewan. It tells of the true-life story of Ted and Rose Bates, who, along with their eight-year-old son Jackie, were found on December 5, 1933, gassed and bloodied with knife wounds. The family was in their rented car, parked in a schoolyard in Avalon, Saskatchewan.
That the despair and frustration of tough Depression times led to such an extreme act makes for a poignant read on its own. The fact that young Jackie Bates died, while his parents survived and were subsequently tried for his murder, allows for an even deeper glimpse into the human condition.
Author Bill Waiser thoroughly researched the incident through police and trial records, as well as by interviewing people who knew the family. >Who Killed Jackie Bates? may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but if you can get past the blood and gore you will find a tragic tale that is hard to put down.
— Beverley Tallon (Read bio)
Beverley Tallon is a freelance writer and the former Assistant Editor for Canada's History.