This short is the FIRST segment of an ONGOING project. Research of this TRUE STORY has led to library archives and courthouse records in Baton Rouge, LA, Jackson, MS, and of course, Natchez. Research is feeding an ever-evolving historical novel-style narrative dramatizing Miss Dockery’s outlandish but ultimately uplifting life. The evolution of the writing process will produce ADDITIONAL spin-off projects along the way ( other films, dramatic monologues, multi-media presentations...), perhaps culminating as a feature film in time for the historic city of Natchez’s tercentennial celebration in 2016! Octavia Dockery was born into a privileged Southern family in 1865 as the daughter of a Confederate Brigadier General. President Grant escorted the teenage Dockery to her debutante ball, and the unorthodox and quick-witted intellect began a promising writing career with the New York World newspaper in the late 1880s. But a procession of unfortunate events forced her into bleak destitution the latter half of her life as she cared for a deranged friend in a crumbling Natchez, Mississippi mansion populated with chickens, geese, and a sizable herd of goats. These dire circumstances led to her entanglement in a murder case that made international headlines (including Newsweek and Life magazines) in the early 1930s. The sudden exposure by the world’s media cast a glaring spotlight on the bewildered Faulkner-esque Mississippi duo. After acquittal of the crime, the ever-resourceful Octavia parlayed her newfound celebrity into a more comfortable life for her and her companion. Dubbed “Mistress of the Goat Castle” by the world’s journalists, Miss Dockery finally gained the audience she deserved, however unexpected.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 09:45:52 +0000
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