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Elm City

In August 1881, the body of Jennie Cramer, a 20-year-old society girl, was found by a fisherman on a Connecticut shore. It was initially believed she had committed suicide by drowning, but an autopsy showed that there was no water in her lungs, that she had been raped and poisoned with laudanum. Prior to her death she had been seen with James Malley, his cousin Walter Malley, and Walter’s friend Blanche Douglas, a prostitute. The Malleys came from a wealthy family that owned a New Haven department store. On the Wednesday prior to the discovery of her body, Cramer had gone to the Malley mansion with Douglas and spent the night. Douglas and the Malleys claimed that they did not see her after that, but witnesses testified that Cramer had been with them prior to her murder. After a trial of three months, the accused were acquitted. There was no definite proof to tie the accused to the murder, but many townspeople suspected that the wealthy Malleys had paid off the jury to acquit.


Front cover of the second edition of The beautiful victim of the Elm City, Containing a Full and Complete Account of the Life and Death of Jennie E. Cramer. In the center of the cover is a head and shoulders, left pose of Jennie E. Cramer.Elm City panel Titlepage of The beautiful victim of the Elm City: Being a full, fair, and impartial narrative of all that is known of the terrible fate of the trusting and unfortunate Jennie E. Cramer: Giving all the evidence that led the jury to hold James Malley, Jr. as her murderer, and to denounce Walter E. Malley and Blanche Douglass as aiders and abettors in this terrible social tragedy. Head and shoulders, left pose of an engraving of Blanche Douglass. Head and shoulders, left pose of an engraving of James Malley, Jr. An engraving of Asa Curtiss kneeling on a beach over the body of Jennie E. Cramer that he found on August 6th, 1881. In the background are the docks at West Haven. An engraving of the street side view of the Malley's store with people milling in front. An engraving of the front of the Malley mansion. In the forefront are three people. A man and a woman are sitting while another woman stands to their left. The beautiful victim of the Elm City: Being a full, fair, and impartial narrative of all that is known of the terrible fate of the trusting and unfortunate Jennie E. Cramer: Giving all the evidence that led the jury to hold James Malley, Jr. as her murderer, and to denounce Walter E. Malley and Blanche Douglass as aiders and abettors in this terrible social tragedy. Price 10 cents. 64 pp. (New York, 1881).

NLM Unique ID: 101480846
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