Ragtime Chapter Summary & Analysis - Part 3, Chapters 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39 Summary

Part 3, Chapters 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39 Summary

The original plan of the Coalhouse gang is to hold Pierpont Morgan hostage in his home, but the members of the gang were not familiar with the distinction between the millionaire's home and the adjoining library. As it turns out, Morgan is not in New York but on a ship bound for Rome and then Egypt.

The police set up headquarters in a brownstone across the street. Control of the operation is given to Charles Whitman, the District Attorney of New York. Whitman is famous for the prosecution of a corrupt police lieutenant in the case of the murder of a well-known gambler. Almost as prized as his political career are Whitman's social connections, and he remarks that he is missing an invitation to vacation in Newport at the mansion of one of New York's most prestigious families. While Whitman calls for the structural plans of the library, an explosion...
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