Pretty Evil New England,  True Crime

Historic Crime: Stepping Back in Time

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A large part of my research for Pretty Evil New England involved traveling to crime scenes, historical societies, libraries, and cemeteries. And every so often I hit the motherload, which is exactly what happened this past Friday when Bob and I drove into the Great North Woods of New Hampshire in search of answers to a historic crime. We’d planned to visit the library that housed the original newspapers that supposedly covered the Grand Jury hearing. But the library didn’t open till 1 p.m.

Let me back up a bit.

In the summer of 1880 and winter of 1881, a 22-year-old girl was accused of murdering the two most prominent families in town (Sorry for being cryptic, but I’m trying not to ruin the book). When six people die and there’s only one left standing, it’s a safe assumption that she’s probably the murderer. But what if she isn’t? What if she’s innocent?

This particular case intrigued me because it’s never legally been solved. Sure, people in town all thought the girl did it, but the state didn’t have enough reliable evidence to prove that. So, technically, I’m researching a 140-year-old cold case, much like the infamous Lizzie Borden case. And that’s exactly the mindset I need to keep in order to uncover facts the state might have missed.

Before I dragged my poor husband we drove two hours north, I’d formed a new theory about the case—not the story told to generation after generation (teachers used to tell this “murder mystery” to every class). I uncovered the specific type of arsenic used to kill the victims. I also found the murder weapon: a tainted demijohn of whiskey bought by one of the victims while visiting family out of town.

See why my crime writer antenna dinged?

historic crimeThese details I found in random newspaper articles in the Library of Congress that mentioned the arsenic and whiskey in passing as if they didn’t make a difference in the case. But they do! They make a huge difference, because the arsenic used was not your run-of-the-mill white arsenic that folks bought over the counter to kill rats (or unruly husbands ;-)). This was a “medicinal” arsenic compound called Fowler’s Solution.

Invented in 1786 by Thomas Fowler, physicians considered Fowler’s Solution safe to use as a general tonic or prescribed for a wide range of ailments and diseases, from impotence to leukemia. Nineteenth century women applied arsenic powder to whiten their faces—now we know why they all had alabaster skin. Fowler’s Solution gave women “beauty and freshness” by destroying the capillaries of the face.

Fun fact: Arsenic continued to be used in cosmetics well into the twentieth century, resulting in a common source of accidental poisoning.

I’d love to tell you I’ve confirmed my findings and found the real killer behind this intriguing historic crime, but I’ve only scratched the surface. I still need to chat with my consultant at the ME’s to see how Fowler’s Solution would react during decomposition. While I was up north, I interrogated chatted with the town undertaker, but sadly, my questions sailed right over his head. Admittedly, he might’ve been thrown by my excitement over decomp and putrefaction.  🙂

Anyway, back to my story. The library didn’t open for another hour, so we decided to take a little detour. In my flurry of phone calls to various people before we left, I’d unearthed the addresses of the two crime scenes (side by side houses). After the murders, one of the homes had been turned into a community center for kids, which is a beautiful way to transform a tragedy into a beacon of hope.

Once I got chatting with the folks at the community center, they summoned the local historian who gave me a research folder full of material on this historic crime. He also told me the third floor had never been touched. Never. Been. Touched! The entire top level was perfectly preserved from 1881, with the same wallpaper, the family furniture, handcrafted statues, and priceless first edition hardcovers in pristine condition… walls of books in breathtaking oak-and-glass cases.

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When I tell you it was like stepping back in time, that’s an understatement. I was literally walking through the pages of my book, gazing at the same objects the victims and killer looked at every day.

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I sat on the same couch and laid my fingers on the same ivory keys of the pianos.historic crime

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This chair was too fragile to sit in, but check out the flatirons.

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What an amazing experience!

Engulfed by history, Bob and I were overcome by emotion. We could only stare — wide-eyed — taking it all in.

 

 

 

 

Here’s what the lower level of the community center looks like today…

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The bowling alley and auditorium were built in 1927. And guess what? They invited me to do a book chat/signing when Pretty Evil New England releases November 1, 2020 — on the same stage that Aerosmith played on during the band’s early years. Gulp No pressure. 😉

UPDATE (Oct. 2020): PRETTY EVIL NEW ENGLAND is available for preorder! Read Chapter One to see if it might be a book you’d enjoy.

Sue Coletta is an award-winning crime writer and an active member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Feedspot and Expertido.org named her Murder Blog as “Best 100 Crime Blogs on the Net.” She also blogs on the Kill Zone (Writer's Digest "101 Best Websites for Writers"), Writers Helping Writers, and StoryEmpire. Sue lives with her husband in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Her backlist includes psychological thrillers, the Mayhem Series (books 1-3) and Grafton County Series, and true crime/narrative nonfiction. Now, she exclusively writes eco-thrillers, Mayhem Series (books 4-9 and continuing). Sue's appeared on the Emmy award-winning true crime series, Storm of Suspicion, and three episodes of A Time to Kill on Investigation Discovery. When she's not writing, she loves spending time with her murder of crows, who live free but come when called by name. And nature feeds her soul.

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