The story of a Black woman accused of murder in 1890s Toronto

Clara Ford, a Black woman, was accused of murdering Frank Westwood, the son of a wealthy Toronto family, in 1894. She defended herself in court — and won. Carolyn Whitzman tells the story of race and justice in her new book, Clara at the Door with a Revolver: The Scandalous Black Suspect, the Exemplary White Son, and the Murder That Shocked Toronto.