The Riot that Never Was

Combining the moral indignation of Émile 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.