James Brockman rose from shady character to preeminent defense attorney
in Houston, Texas representing clients including gang leaders, jilted
spouses, wealthy storekeepers and drunken on-duty policemen. These
high-profile true crime and murder accounts take place between 1895 and
1910. They cross racial lines, revealing instances of separate and
unequal justice in segregated Texas that had a lasting effect on the
city and the state. His career gained national recognition, including
his involvement in the most famous American murder case of the young
twentieth century, when he himself was murdered leaving a dubious
legacy.