Year: 1879

The murder of Helen Jewett, in New
York, which occurred in 1886, was Gne OF
the cases where no conviction followed.
The unhappy creature who was the victim
ofthiS brutal crime was well knownin New
York mot then the large city il has since
become) as one of the most beautiful of
that class whose feet take. hold on death
and whose steps lead down to hell. Born
in Augusta, Me-, of poor parents, but
through the kindness OF a benevolent gen
tleman, given IA superior education, she
early fell from the ways of virtue, and af-
ter Il varied experience in Boston and
some other New England towns, made
her way to this city She entered the
house of a Mrs. Rosina Townsend. in
Thomas street. and speedily became known
for her beauty and accomplishments to all
the fast society of the city. Early on the
morning OF the 10Th of April, 1886. the
inmates of the house were startled BY
smoke issuing from her room; the watch
men (our Metropolitan Police had not
then been organized) were hastily called
in the flames from the burning bed were
speedily cxtinguished, and the body of
the unfortunate girl was discovered, adeep
cash on the side of the head showing the
cause of her death. The murder Mortified
the whole city. A young man named
Richard p. Robinson was arrested for the
crime. He was a lrequenter of Mrs.
Townsend's house. and of others of simi-


lar character, where he was known by the
name of Frank Rivers. The trial lasted
several days, and the public feeling ran
high, even to the extent OF causing riotous
demonstrations in front of the City Hall,
where he was tried. Opinion was di-
vided as to his guilt or innocence. He was
proved TO have at one time been strongly
attached to the murdered girl. who was
passionately in love with him but he had
tired of her. and was, it was said, paying
his addresses to a relative of his employer,
with view to marriage. A rumor of this
reaching the girl. she had, it was said.
written letter threatening to expose
him, and this was given as the motive for
the crime. This, however, did not appear
on the trial, the evidence depended upon
the convict the man was entirely circum-
stantial, and the trial resulted in an ac-
quittal. The prosecution had to rely, upon
the evidence of inmates of the house. and
mainly upon Mrs. Townsend who kept it,


She testified that she had admitted Frank
Rivers on the night preceding the murder,
and that he and Helen Jewett had gone up
stairs together to her room, but it appeared
that the man admitted was mufiled in
cloak, and that she did not see his face dis
tinctly. Other inmates of the house testi-
fled with more or less certainty that it was
the accused man who walked up stairs
with the murdered girl, but they only in
ferred it was he from his general appear
ancc. On the other hand, three respecta-
Bile persons testified that at the time Mrs.
Townsend said she admitted Robinson to
the house. he was in a store with them at
least mile from the place of the murder.
AS between these Witness, there would
not have been a reasonable doubt which to
believe but there were circumstances
which told heavily against Robinson, The
girl had been killed by a heavy blow with
a hatchet, causing instantaneous death;
and hatchet was found in the yard at the
back of the house, with large cloak "


ing near it, where both had evidently been
thrown by some person in escaping over
the fence. This hatchet was positively
identified as one taken from the store
where Robinson was employed; the cloak
was proved as positively to have been
worn by him on the very night of the
murder; and miniature of the victim
proved to have been in her possession on
the day before the murder, was found in
the room of the prisoner when arrested
the day after. The bad character of the
witnesses for the prosecution, and many
serious discrepancies in their statements;
the good character of those who testified
to the alibi; the youth of the accused Che
was only l9) and his reputation for amia-
bility and good nature, weighed powerful


l... to
the gallows. The charge of the Judge
was entirely on his side the jury after
only 10 minutes consultation rendered a
verdict of not guilty, and to this
day it remains mistery who murdered
the unfortunate Helen Jewett. Robinson
atterward settled in Texas.