Although The Mercy Seat is a work of fiction, it was inspired by real events. The character of Willie Jones is loosely based on two people: Willie McGee, who was accused of raping a white woman and put to death in Mississippi’s traveling electric chair in 1951, and Willie Francis, who was accused of killing a white man and whose failed execution in 1946 was successfully reattempted in 1947.
The death warrant and formal death decree read before each execution in the novel are taken from the historical record of Willie Francis’s execution. Polly’s argument against a second attempt at execution is the same reasoning attempted by Willie Francis’s lawyer, Bertrand de Blanc. The towns and cities referenced in the novel are real, as is Gruesome Gertie. Ultimately eighty-seven people were executed in the chair.
The following books and sources were invaluable to my research: The Execution of Willie Francis: Race, Murder, and the Search for Justice in the American South by Gilbert King, The Eyes of Willie McGee: A Tragedy of Race, Sex, and Secrets in the Jim Crow South by Alex Heard, Laurel Remembrances by Cleveland Payne, Dangerous Liaisons: Sex and Love in the Segregated South by Charles F. Robinson II, Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody, and the article “The History of New Iberia” by Glenn R. Conrad.
I am grateful to the following people for their inspiration, knowledge, and support: Adin Murray, who introduced me to The Radio Diaries Podcast: Willie McGee and the Travelling Electric Chair. Kate Levine, who answered my endless legal questions, and Leslie Starritt, who carefully corrected my southern dialect. I am indebted to Endicott College, whose support allowed me the time to work on the book. I feel lucky to have Amanda Urban as my faithful agent, and Elisabeth Schmitz as my incredibly wise, insightful, and supportive editor. Thanks also to careful readers Katie Raissian, Corinna Barsan, and Carole Welch.
And as always, nothing means as much as the support and encouragement of my parents, my sisters, and my husband, Adin.