Goodreads Blurb

Before the sensational cases of Amanda Knox and Casey Anthony—before even Lizzie Borden—there was Polly Bodine, the first American woman put on trial for capital murder in our nation’s debut media circus.

On Christmas night, December 25, 1843, in a serene village on Staten Island, shocked neighbors discovered the burnt remains of twenty-four-year-old mother Emeline Houseman and her infant daughter, Ann Eliza. In a perverse nativity, someone bludgeoned to death a mother and child in their home—and then covered up the crime with hellfire.

When an ambitious district attorney charges Polly Bodine (Emelin’s sister-in-law) with a double homicide, the new “penny press” explodes. Polly is a perfect media villain: she’s a separated wife who drinks gin, commits adultery, and has had multiple abortions. Between June 1844 and April 1846, the nation was enthralled by her three trials—in Staten Island, Manhattan, and Newburgh—for the “Christmas murders.”

After Polly’s legal dream team entered the fray, the press and the public debated not only her guilt, but her character and fate as a fallen woman in society. Public opinion split into different camps over her case. Edgar Allen Poe and Walt Whitman covered her case as young newsmen. P. T. Barnum made a circus out of it. James Fenimore Cooper’s last novel was inspired by her trials.

The Witch of New York is the first narrative history about the dueling trial lawyers, ruthless newsmen, and shameless hucksters who turned the Polly Bodine case into America’s formative tabloid trial. An origin story of how America became addicted to sensationalized reporting of criminal trials, The Witch of New York vividly reconstructs an epic mystery from Old New York—and uses the Bodine case to challenge our system of tabloid justice of today.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

The brutal murder of a young woman and her child will flip the lives of those living on Long Island on a Christmas night in 1843. The case against Polly Bodine will portray her as an evil witch who needs to get punished for the murders of her sister-in-law, Emeline Houseman, and her niece, Ann Eliza. Emeline and Ann were killed and burned in their home. It was a gruesome murder of two innocent lives. Can the court find Polly Bodine guilty of this heinous crime?

Polly’s trials will drag on for three and a half years and will be the talk of everyone who reads the newspaper or lives near where the court cases get held. The first case is in Long Island, but she has an unfair trial. Then, the case moves to Manhattan, where the newspapers will tarnish her reputation and create Polly as an evil witch, which will dissuade everyone in New York that she is guilty of the murders. A new trial will occur in Newburgh, where the jury will reach a decision.

Alex Hortis shared a story with which many people were unfamiliar. He researched the three trials thoroughly, providing readers with a glimpse into a trial that took place many years ago, was famous at the time, but got forgotten with time. I learned about this story when I saw Alex would be discussing the book at the exact location where the Newburgh trial took place. Sitting in the precise location where Polly Bodine stood trial made this rollercoaster case seem surreal. I was back to a moment in history. Organizing the book into four sections, naming each chapter, and providing dates when the events took place made the story easy to follow.

He provided detailed information about the court cases, Polly’s life, and the media frenzy that fueled the witch trial to portray Polly as guilty and a witch figure. In my opinion, Polly was guilty. Her running away when she found out about the murders, had written a mysterious letter to her lover, and was seen as the woman who sold Emeline’s property raised more questions than answers. You must read this epic trial to decide whether or not you find Polly guilty.

Author Biography

“[A] fascinating look at the crime and what came after…the reader is rewarded by the increasingly bonkers trials and their fallout.” -New York Times book review

“Hortis’s fastidious historical detail makes this episode come to life…. Fans of Daniel Stashower will love this.” -Publishers Weekly *STARRED* Review

This is the court house in Newburgh, where Polly’s final trial is held.