Cohen, Patricia Cline

New York. 1998. Knopf. 1st Edition. Very Good in Dustjacket. 0679412913. 435 pages. hardcover. Jacket design by Barbara de Wilde. keywords: New York History Women Murder Crime. FROM THE PUBLISHER - This evocative account goes beyond the sensationalized news stories surrounding the murder of a young prostitute in 1836 New York City, In 1836, thise murder made headlines in New York City and around the country, inaugurating a sex-and-death sensationalism in news reporting that haunts us today. Patricia Cline Cohen goes behind these first lurid accounts to reconstruct the story of the mysterious victim, Helen Jewett. From her beginnings as a servant girl in Maine, Jewett refashioned herself, using four successive aliases, into a highly paid courtesan. But she was to meet her match - and her nemesis - in a youth called Richard Robinson. He became Helen Jewett's lover in a tempestuous affair and 10 months later was arrested for her murder. He stood trial in a five-day courtroom drama that ended with his acquittal amid the cheers of hundreds of fellow clerks and other spectators. With no conviction for murder, nor closure of any sort, the case continued to tantalize the public, even though Richard Robinson disappeared into the wilds of Texas and a new life under a new name. Through her meticulous and ingenious research, Patricia Cline Cohen traces his life there and the many twists and turns of the lingering mystery of the murder. inventory #25741 ISBN: 0679412913.