Thursday, September 1, 2011

W. B. Shepard



This is a photo of my actual great-grandfather, the Rev. James Perry, shortly before his murder outside of Aintab in 1920. He is the real-life basis of the character W.B. Shepard. Only a few of the details were changed to suit the novel. The real man, James Perry, and another American, were indeed murdered as they conducted a relief caravan by Turkish irregulars almost certainly acting on orders of the local Mutessarif.

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