Was Edgar Allen Poe Right About These Staten Island Ax Murders?
What follows is excerpted from an editorial written by Edgar Allen Poe on June 18, 1844, as part of his "Doings of Gotham - Correspondence of the Spy" letters. These letters about New York are preserved and available from The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore, with my gratitude.
My novel, "The Witch of Maple Park," was inspired by the horrific Polly Bodine ax murder case that occurred on Staten Island on Christmas Eve six months earlier. There seemed to be no doubt in Poe's mind that Polly Bodine was guilty.
Polly Bodine, dubbed the Witch of Staten Island, was eventually exonerated and the true murderer was never found. At the time, the case was as notorious as the famed Lizzie Borden case, and all of New York City was consumed by it.
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"The trial of Polly Bodine will take place at Richmond, on Monday next, and will, no doubt, excite much interest. This woman may, possibly, escape; — for they manage these matters wretchedly in New-York. It is difficult to conceive anything more preposterous than the whole conduct, for example, of the Mary Rogers affair. The police seemed blown about, in all directions, by every varying puff of the most unconsidered newspaper opinion. The truth, as an end, appeared to be lost sight of altogether. The magistracy suffered the murderer to escape, while they amused themselves with playing court, and chopping the technicalities of jurisprudence."
