On Christmas Eve 1913, more than six dozen people were crushed to death as they scrambled to flee the second floor of the Italian Hall in Calumet, Michigan. Someone had cried "Fire" at the top of the stairs. There was no fire.The entire event was over in a flash, but the tradgedy permanently scarred the psyche of the region. Was the call of "Fire" a tragic error or a calculated action designed to cause chaos?Inaccurate history is like a computer virus: it spreads exponentially. Local newspapers were wildly inaccurate - often on purpose. Transcripts from investigations and hearings survive, but don't tell the whole story, either. The coroner's inquest was botched worse than any other legal proceeding of its sort in Michigan.

On the other hand, a House Subcommitee hearing was well conducted.In Death's Door: The Truth Behind Michigan's Largest Mass Murder, author and attorney Steve Lehto wades through conflicting news reports, transcripts and other documentations to finally set the record straight.