The Winds of Midnight - The Tragic Story of the Pattenburg Massacre

The Winds of Midnight - The Tragic Story of the Pattenburg Massacre is a story of human evil, of a night when men of one color hunted men of another and the good people of a town hid in fear. It is also a story of the trials of those accused and of a jury’s final verdict. On the night of September 21st 1872, the sleepy village of Pattenburg, NJ, was the scene of a murderous riot among Irish and Negro railroad workers building the Great Musconetcong Tunnel. Before the sun rose, four men lay dead; one Irishman shot by an unknown assailant and four Negro workers hunted down and gruesomely murdered as they fled for their lives.In the aftermath of the slaughter, the village inhabitants remained intimidated by roving gangs of workers, threatening reprisals against anyone assisting the authorities in identifying their leaders. In the months that followed, the local County Courthouse would become the scene of a series of trials that still leave questions as to the justice afforded those murdered.The story of the Pattenburg Massacre and the subsequent murder trials is reconstructed from the pages of newspapers, court documents, and other records of the time, retold through the voices of those who lived through this tragic event.

Writer and historian, G. Gordon Long has published numerous articles and short stories on a wide range of subjects for national publications. He has lectured on many of these topics, including the Pattenburg Massacre, to general audiences.