The witch of New York: the trials of Polly Bodine and the cursed birth of tabloid justice
(Book)
Author:
Published:
New York, NY : Pegasus Crime, 2024.
Format:
Book
Physical Desc:
xx, 315 pages : illustrations; 23 cm
Status:
Description
Before the sensational cases of Amanda Knox and Casey Anthony-before even Lizzie Borden-there was Polly Bodine, the first American woman put on trial for capital murder in our nation's debut media circus. On Christmas night, December 25, 1843, in a serene village on Staten Island, shocked neighbors discovered the burnt remains of twenty-four-year-old mother Emeline Houseman and her infant daughter, Ann Eliza. In a perverse nativity, someone bludgeoned to death a mother and child in their home-and then covered up the crime with hellfire. When an ambitious district attorney charges Polly Bodine (Emelin's sister-in-law) with a double homicide, the new "penny press" explodes. Polly is a perfect media villain: she's a separated wife who drinks gin, commits adultery, and has had multiple abortions. Between June 1844 and April 1846, the nation was enthralled by her three trials-in Staten Island, Manhattan, and Newburgh-for the "Christmas murders." After Polly's legal dream team entered the fray, the press and the public debated not only her guilt, but her character and fate as a fallen woman in society. Public opinion split into different camps over her case. Edgar Allen Poe and Walt Whitman covered her case as young newsmen. P. T. Barnum made a circus out of it. James Fenimore Cooper's last novel was inspired by her trials. The Witch of New York is the first narrative history about the dueling trial lawyers, ruthless newsmen, and shameless hucksters who turned the Polly Bodine case into America's formative tabloid trial. An origin story of how America became addicted to sensationalized reporting of criminal trials, The Witch of New York vividly reconstructs an epic mystery from Old New York-and uses the Bodine case to challenge our system of tabloid justice of today.
Copies
Location
Call Number
Status
Durham New Non-Fiction
364.1523 HORTIS
Due May 24, 2024
Hamden/Miller New Adult Nonfiction
364.1523/HOR
Due May 14, 2024
Subjects
LC Subjects
Bodine, Polly -- Trials, litigation, etc.
Infanticide -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 19th century -- Case studies.
Tabloid newspapers -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 19th century -- Case studies.
Trials (Murder) -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 19th century -- Case studies.
Infanticide -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 19th century -- Case studies.
Tabloid newspapers -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 19th century -- Case studies.
Trials (Murder) -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 19th century -- Case studies.
Other Subjects
More Details
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781639363919
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)
Hortis, A. (2024). The witch of New York: the trials of Polly Bodine and the cursed birth of tabloid justice. New York, NY, Pegasus Crime.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Hortis, Alex, 1972-. 2024. The Witch of New York: The Trials of Polly Bodine and the Cursed Birth of Tabloid Justice. New York, NY, Pegasus Crime.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Hortis, Alex, 1972-, The Witch of New York: The Trials of Polly Bodine and the Cursed Birth of Tabloid Justice. New York, NY, Pegasus Crime, 2024.
MLA Citation (style guide)Hortis, Alex. The Witch of New York: The Trials of Polly Bodine and the Cursed Birth of Tabloid Justice. New York, NY, Pegasus Crime, 2024.
Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
134623a2-e601-d934-50db-900ad5d00eb9
Record Information
Last Sierra Extract Time | May 03, 2024 06:06:40 AM |
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Last File Modification Time | May 03, 2024 06:06:48 AM |
Last Grouped Work Modification Time | May 03, 2024 06:06:46 AM |
MARC Record
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