SALISBURY, MD---Long before Casey Anthony or O.J. Simpson, the nation was enthralled by the trial of William Lee.

In 1906, Lee, an African American, was sent to jail in Eastville, VA, for the rape of a woman in Somerset County, MD. His capture and subsequent state execution grabbed the attention of political leaders in Maryland and Virginia, sparking a heated and long-standing debate on capital punishment and the authority of the state.

More than a century later, author Brooks Miles Barnes explored the controversy in his book Gallows on the Marsh. Historian Linda Duyer discusses the book 7 p.m. Thursday, October 6, at Salisbury University’s Edward H. Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture, 190 Wayne St.

Admission is free and the public is invited. For more information call 410-543-6013 or visit the Nabb Research Center Web site at http://nabbhistory.salisbury.edu.