The murder of Helen Jewett attracted a lot of attention, because it was about a well-educated woman and a young man both taking paths to get into trouble. The expansion of the newspapers made everyone know about the case from all across the United States. New people were coming into New York City which was bringing a greater population expansion. It was quicker for people to move around the city because there was transportation and Richard Robinson and Helen Jewett were not being controlled as much like the smaller cities, such as walking.
The resulting media attention on the murder of Helen Jewett created panic while it highlighted the affect of the expansions of newspapers, population, and technology on the societies ability to control youth. The expansion of the newspapers made it easier for everyone to know about the case from all across the United States. With newspapers it was way more easy to get information and it was far more difficult to hide conflict. With more people migrating into the city there was a better chance that someone may witness another person creating a crime, such as Richard Robinson killing Helen Jewett.
The cold blooded, deliberate and savage manner in which the unfortunate girl was massacred (Cohen 24)”“. Her well-known fame among the young men of New York for allure, achievements, intelligence, and aristocracy of appearance tended to expand “rather than diminish the agitation of the public mind. (Cohen 24)” People loved reading the newspaper to get information for daily living. The citizens in New York City also loved reading these newspapers to be informed about daily events that happened with Helen Jewett.
Some newspaper companies had better luck than others at selling these newspapers to people over this crime sky rocketed over the case of Helen Jewett. From the start point the New York Transcript was far more successful compared to the other companies because of the ridiculous number of copies they sold in just one day. “Other papers published “extra” editions with all the closing statements; the New-York Transcript bragged that it had sold fifteen thousand copies of its first extra of the trial transcript in one day, and two days later an extra with the closing speeches was on sale. Cohen 354)”
This also showed how much attention was captured with the Helen Jewett and Richard Robinson Case. One of their publishers turned the set concluding statements into a nearly twenty-five page small print brochure titled Murder Most Foul. This murder was exceedingly popular for multiple newspaper companies. “New York City already had more than a half-dozen daily newspapers of the six-cent variety that attended to political and economic news (Cohen 25)”. This penny press focused mainly on the more common topics than business topics.
Some of the places that the newspaper came from were the Commercial Advertiser, the Daily Advertiser, and the New York Gazette. About everyones’ focus in the newspaper companies in New York City was on this case. “The crime reportage did not fall into their definition of news. (Cohen 25)”Multiple of these six-cent newspapers ran automatically court columns compiling the activities of the Court of General Sessions and the Police Court. With this case going on between Richard Robinson and Helen Jewett this kept the newspaper companies busy.
Some newspaper companies had a different view of the topic for covering the publics’ view of excitement or disgrace. As the Jewett murder story gained greater popularity in the penny press, the more traditional papers found themselves struggling to equalize their sense of journalistic against the drama that had become the talk of the town. “The Evening Post of June 8, for example, called it ‘disgusting’ and ‘disagreeable,’ covering it only to satisfy a ‘public excitement. ‘ (Cohen 26)”
This became outrageous when the collapse to discern involved a wanton isrespect for human life, which ended up leading to manslaughter. Killing is immoral. Some people are afraid to read about murder because they are afraid of blood and guts, but others think it was interesting and uncommon like to discuss about in the news. Some people in New York City did not take this case seriously. “It has become really amusing to read the attractive fictions in which the life and character of the wretch ELLEN JEWETT have been dressed by the penny prints. (Cohen 35)” She was a beautiful girl who was well educated and could play the piano, harp, and guitar.
She then took a wrong turn to later become a prostitute because of poor choices. Her natural charms had been correlated to “Italian marbles (Cohen 35)” and her ancestors connected to big-name generals or majors. Her true story later appeared in the Boston Post. This well educated woman who later became a prostitute changed her name. “Helen Jewett was identified as Dorcas Torrance, who had lived in Augusta, Maine before succumbing to seduction and embracing prostitution, going first to Portland user the name of Maria Stanley, on to Boston as Helen Mar, until finally becoming Helen Jewett in New York City. Cohen 40)” Judge Weston recognized Jewett when he heard that her name used to be Maria Stanley when she was in Portland. She changed her name in order that no one would recognize her, but once the judge found out her real name, he then recognized her.
This showed a mixture of feelings for the judge, even though he was no help to her because, Richard Robinson got away with murder. New people that migrated to New York City created a greater expansion. “New York City was fast earning a reputation for being the number-two city in America for sexual vice, second only to New Orleans. Cohen 69)” In the 1830s it became the primary urban center of America, outperforming Baltimore, Boston, and Philadelphia in mercantile activity, population, and in size. The Eric Canal was the root cause of the dramatic change in 1825. It remodeled the city into the Atlantic-coast outlet for an endless agricultural hinterland covering inland to the Great Lakes and away from rivers into the gigantic interior of the Old Northwest Territory. New York was rapidly gaining more population, which led up to more prostitutes.
The awareness that prostitution was on the rise caused multiple groups and individuals to try to check the harshness of what they thought of as a serious social problem. “The most alarmist estimate, made in 1831 by the Reverend John McDowall of the newly formed New York Magdalen Society, put the figure at ten thousand. (Cohen 71)” He was appalled by that estimate throughout a rough decade of unrest over sexual sin that contended reformers against others far more buoyant about prostitution.
These estimates were ridiculous. In 1835, over 270,000 people-around 25,000 to 30,000 persons per square mile—inhaled the island of Manhattan, an amazing 35 percent increase in just five years. (Cohen 70-71)” With more people migrating into the city it was more complicated to keep track of everyone to make sure they were staying out of trouble, such as Richard Robinson seeing prostitutes like Helen Jew. Fifteen ferry and steamboats arrived all south of Canal Street, departed by the thousands every day on the five dozen steamboats. These steamboats were advertised in an 1837 financial directory.
Transportation allowed adolescent males, such as Richard Robinson to come into the city without parental guidance. There was limited people watching them, so this caused issues with staying out of trouble. Robinson had come to see Elizabeth Stewart at 171 Reade Street. He came to visit her to see about a room that he wanted. He was then later “renting a room for Imogene (or Emma) Chancellor, a very young girl he had seduced and discarded. (Cohen 345)” He had a striking threat to blow out the brains of any woman who revealed him.
His lawyers did not want the jury to hear that part, so they successfully blocked the line of inspection leading up to it. Although Ellen Jewett found love with Richard Robinson, it ended up in a terrible disaster with the question of him killing her. They “found each other, in a city of more than 270,000 people. (Cohen 407)” These two were extremely talented and unusual young people.
“Starting out as a prostitute and client, roles they each knew well from ample prior experience, they quickly found that the relationship deepened, perhaps unexpectedly. Cohen 407)” Richard did not really admire her literary talents, as other clients did, but he matched hers. He hooked her heart and mind by making her think she had at last found someone that matched her intelligence. The resulting media attention on the murder of Helen lewett created panic while it created the effect of the expansions of newspapers, population, and technology on the societies ability to control youth. The murder of Helen Jewett attracted a lot of n, because it was about a well educated woman and a young man both making terrible mistakes.
The expansion of the newspapers made everyone know about the case from all across the United States. This case became so well-known because of how two well educated kids made disastrous decision. New people were coming into New York City which was bringing a greater expansion. In the city it was quicker for people to move around because there was transportation and compared to the smaller cities, they were not being controlled as much. People like Helen Jewett and Richard Robinson took advantage of these expansions to create a life in New York City.