The Witch of New York: The Trials of Polly Bodine and the Cursed Birth of Tabloid Justice

In this excellent work of true crime, historian Hortis (The Mob and the City) examines the case of Polly Bodine (1810–1892), who became infamous after she was accused of murdering her sister-in-law and infant niece. In December 1843, someone killed 24-year-old Emeline Houseman and her daughter, Eliza, in their Staten Island home before setting it on fire. Emeline’s father pointed the finger at Bodine, the last person seen with his daughter, theorizing that she’d killed the pair while trying to steal their silver. After Bodine gave conflicting alibis to authorities, she was charged with the murders. Her first trial ended in a hung jury, and the case was moved to Manhattan for a second trial. That jury convicted Bodine, but the conviction was overturned on appeal. A third and final trial held upstate ended in Bodine’s acquittal. Newspapers including the New York World seized on the story, stirring up public interest in the crimes and villainizing Bodine for her supposed avoidance of justice during her multiple trials. Hortis’s fastidious historical detail makes the episode come to life, and he successfully evokes contemporary tabloid scandals like the Amanda Knox trial without stretching the point too far. Fans of Daniel Stashower will love this. Agent: Scott Mendel, Mendel Media. (Mar.)