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.

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
See the LocatorPlus record

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