Spectacular justice: The circus on trial, and the trial as circus, Picton, 1903

Abstract

The 1903 murder of one Black circus labourer by another in Picton, Ontario, led to the unlikely juxtaposition of two spectacles, the trial and the circus, and provides the opportunity to read the former institution in light of the latter. In doing so, we come to several conclusions about the modern circus, the trial of 'Side Show Shorty,' trials in general, and the relationship between law and community. We argue that 'Shorty's' acquittal may be attributed to a variety of extra-legal factors, including Pictonians' attitudes towards capital punishment, the town's emerging identity as a tourist haven, and the status of the victim and offender as outsiders, both by virtue of their race and their association with the circus. Show more