My Grandfather's Prison: Death and Deceit in 1940s Kansas City

Investigative journalist Richard Serrano tells the story of his grandfather’s murder and its cover-up—with links to political boss Tom Pendergast and other colorful characters.

A drunk living on Kansas City's skid row, James Patrick Lyons was arrested 80 times for public intoxication. On the night of his last arrest, he was taken to the city jail and held in solitary confinement. The next morning he was dead. Officials said it was natural causes—yet they could not explain his broken neck.

Serrano is a former reporter for the Kansas City Times and former Washington correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. He is also author of One of Ours: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing.

Listen
Upcoming in this series:
10
Aug
'In the Country of the Kaw': Exploring the Watersh...
Central Library |
2:00pm
Watch or Listen to Past Events in this Series:

Paul Andrew Hutton

The Apache Wars

Wednesday, August 31, 2016 6:30pm
America’s longest war began with an Apache raid and kidnapping of an Arizona rancher’s 12-year-old stepson in 1861. It would last more than a quarter of a century, t...
26
Aug
Missouri Civil War Archaeology
Central Library |
2:00pm
6
Mar
Osage Women and Empire: Gender and Power
3:00pm
19
May
Floods, Fires, and Buried Trains: Immigrant Storie...
Central Library |
2:00pm
22
Jun
'Chasing After Freedom'
Central Library |
2:00pm

My Grandfather's Prison: Death and Deceit in 1940s Kansas City

Date & Location
-
In Person
Details
Adults