In September 1868, the remains of Jacob and Nancy Jane Young were
found lying near the banks of Indiana's White River. It was a
gruesome scene. Part of Jacob's face had been blown off, apparently
by the shotgun that lay a few feet away. Spiders and black beetles
crawled over his wound. Smoke rose from his wife's smoldering body,
which was so badly burned that her intestines were exposed, the
flesh on her thighs gone, and the bones partially reduced to
powder. Suspicion for both deaths turned to Nancy Clem, a housewife
who was also one of Mr. Young's former business partners. In The
Notorious Mrs. Clem, Wendy Gamber chronicles the life and times of
this charming and persuasive Gilded Age confidence woman, who
became famous not only as an accused murderess but also as an
itinerant peddler of patent medicine and the supposed originator of
the Ponzi scheme. Clem's story is a shocking tale of friendship and
betrayal, crime and punishment, courtroom drama and partisan
politicking, get-rich-quick schemes and shady business deals. It
also raises fascinating questions about women's place in an
evolving urban economy. As they argued over Clem's guilt or
innocence, lawyers, jurors, and ordinary citizens pondered
competing ideas about gender, money, and marriage. Was Clem on
trial because she allegedly murdered her business partner? Or was
she on trial because she engaged in business? Along the way, Gamber
introduces a host of equally compelling characters, from
prosecuting attorney and future U.S. president Benjamin Harrison to
folksy defense lawyer John Hanna, daring detective Peter Wilkins,
pioneering "lady news writer" Laura Ream, and female-remedy
manufacturer Michael Slavin. Based on extensive sources, including
newspapers, trial documents, and local histories, this gripping
account of a seemingly typical woman who achieved extraordinary
notoriety will appeal to true crime lovers and historians alike.
General
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