Francell Schrader

Man of Honor Francell Schrader

Man of Honor is a work of Historical Fiction based on the life of an idealistic Irish Catholic lawyer, arch-foe of the Ku Klux Klan when it was at it's height in Denver in the 1920s. Dedicated to defending the poor, James Brandt Lee fights many a battle on their behalf. He is a dynamic force in the Denver campaign supporting Al Smith for the presidency, and with his Irish beauty Sheila at his side is a leader in the Denver community. James Brandt Lee tries fifteen cases before the Colorado Supreme Court in the spectacular twenties. In the culminating legal battle of his career he donates his services to defend two mentally deficient boys charged with murder. Commencing with a trial in a little mountain town rocked by threats of lynching and angry mobs, the drama goes on for three years, leading to the Supreme Court. When the State decides to execute the boys in spite of all Brandt's brilliant efforts, national organizations against Capital Punishment are formed and Women's Clubs march on the Governor's Office to demand commutation of the sentence. The whole question of Execution of the Mentally Retarded which is now being debated in many state legislatures comes into national prominence for the first time.