The Linda Wolfe Collection

by Linda Wolfe

  31 “in the land of the living … this world of trouble and anxiety”: Zenas and Abigail Winslow letter, in Documents Pertaining to the Incarceration and Pardon of Edward Winslow, 1820–1823.

  31 Edward’s reformation: A document signed by Seth Lee, Eleazar James, and others, included in the collection cited above, asserts that by 1823 Edward was “humble” and had “become a sincere penitent.”

  31 Mark’s persistence as a counterfeiter: Mark was arrested in 1826, and died in prison in 1832. I was told by Barre local historian Clark that according to one account he’d read but was unable to locate, the citizens of the town were so afraid of Mark, against whom some of them had testified, that when his coffin was brought to Barre for burial, they implored a doctor to open the casket and make certain that it was his body and not a wax effigy that was laid out within.

  32 “the vulgar term drunk [to] give place to inflated”: Hamilton, Men and Manners in America, p. 221.

  32 Tilghman and Hopkinson’s membership in the Wistar Society: Oberholtzer, Philadelphia, p. 32.

  32 “there is no country in which scandal … is so rare as in the United States”: Grund, The Americans in Their Moral, Social and Political Relations, p. 37. Grund goes on to write that a French gentleman, remarking to him that he found American society dull because “it precluded the very idea of a liaison,” termed the United States “‘le paradis des maris!’”

  33 The visitor from Scotland: He is Thomas Hamilton, who wrote that Philadelphia “is Quaker all over. All things, animate and inanimate, seem influenced by a spirit of quietism as pervading as the atmosphere”; see his Men and Manners in America, p. 196.

  33 “The collar of my coat appeared to stiffen … my hands folded themselves upon my breast of their own calm accord”: Dickens, American Notes, p. 139.

  34 Lino’s predations on the Cuban country folk: see Davis, History of Bucks County, 1876, pp. 858–859.

  34 “discovery”: Philadelphia Gazette, Sept. 16, 1826, cited in WC, p. 25.

  35 “We are perfectly satisfied that no other person in the country possesses the effectual cure for stammering … have spent their time and money fruitlessly with such pretenders”: Leigh, Facts in Relation to Mrs. Leigh’s System of Curing Stammering, p. 2.

  35 “Mr. and Mrs. Chapman respectfully inform the people of the United States that they have conducted an Institution for upwards of NINE YEARS”: WC, p. 2.

  35 “is the first institution of the kind that has been established in the United States”: WC, p. 3.

  35 “the inventor”: WC, p. 3.

  35 “Original Discoverer,” “secret,” and “an all-wise Providence”: WC, p. 2.

  36 “irksome”: WC, p. 6.

  36 “violent contortions”: WC, p. 4.

  36 “That numerous instances of cures have been effected by Mr. Chapman cannot longer be questioned”: WC, p. 30.

  36 “If a great and important discovery demands a tribute of admiration … the superlative benefits of which shall continue to be felt through the rounds of time”: WC, p. 31.

  37 Andalusia’s exotic name: Wainwright, “Andalusia,” p. 7.

  37 Andalusia in the 1790s: McNealy, “Andalusia,” p. 91.

  37 Tenant farmers: Conversation with Terry A. McNealy in August 2002.

  37 Boutcher: Davis, History of Bucks County Pennsylvania, pp. 858–59.

  38 Bristol’s market: McNealy, “Andalusia,” p. 50.

  39 Lucretia’s advertisement for her school: A copy can be found in M-CMCP.

  40 Exceptionally well versed in the catechism: See the Reverend Scheetz’s testimony, TLC, p. 92.

  41 Lucretia’s criticisms of William: TLC, pp. 66–67.

  CHAPTER 4 LINO

  43 The raid on the royal treasury in Havana: Germantowm Telegraph, June 20, 1832.

  43 He was insane: Barnstable Patriot, June 27, 1832.

  44 Lino’s affection for his daughter: In his final days, Lino demonstrated his strong feelings about the girl by attempting to bequeath property to her: see STMC, p. 9.

  44 Lino’s arrival in Boston: Barnstable Patriot, June 27, 1832.

  44 The Sun Tavern: See ads for the tavern in the Boston Morning Post, Feb. 20, 1832, and Feb. 26, 1832.

  45 The meteor on December 31, 1829: Lichtenwalner, Bensalem, p. 311.

  45 A. Bronson Alcott’s school in Germantown: Madelon Bedell, The Alcotts: Biography of a Family, New York, 1980, p. 55–67; see also Germantown Telegraph, Feb. 22, 1832.

  45 The use of globes: James McIntire, A New Treatise on the Use of Globes (Baltimore, 1826), pp. 63–64.

  46 The teaching of botanical nomenclature and classification: See Mrs. Lincoln Phelps, Familiar Lectures on Botany (Hartford, Conn., 1829).

  46 “My friends are on the other side of the Atlantic”: TLC, p. 69.

  46 Sophia’s proximity to the Chapmans: see Bensalem Township Census, 1830.

  47 Bonaparte’s grounds: Clarence Edward Macartney and Gordon Dorrance, The Bonapartes in America (Philadelphia, 1939), p. 87.

  47 Bonaparte’s art collection: Owen Connelly, The Gentle Bonaparte: A Biography of Joseph Bonaparte (New York, 1968), p. 250.

  47 Some visitors grew faint at the sight: Connelly, The Gentle Bonaparte, pp. 252–53.

  48 Confidence men: The term “confidence man” is believed to have been coined in 1849 by the New York press while covering the trial of a swindler named William Thompson; Halttunen, Confidence Men and Painted Women, p. 6.

  48 Advice manuals: Halttunen, Confidence Men and Painted Women, pp. 1–32.

  48 Lino’s scams while at the Sun Tavern: Philadelphia Saturday Bulletin, October 22, 1831.

  49 Celestino Almentero: This name was used by Lino until he left prison. The keeper of the prison Anglicized the name and called him Celestine Almentarius. See STMC, p. 11 and TLC, p. 66.

  49 Lino’s appearance: See eyewitness descriptions of Lino in Philadelphia Saturday Courier, May 26, 1832 and Germantown Telegraph, June 20, 1832; see also the lithograph portrait of him in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.

  50 Philadelphia’s Eastern Penitentiary: The prison, which is now known as Eastern State Penitentiary, is still standing and is open for tours April through November.

  50 “I am persuaded that those who devised this system of Prison Discipline … which slumbering humanity is not roused up to stay”: Dickens, American Notes, p. 131.

  51 Lino’s cell and his work in prison: The Eastern Penitentiary was a must-see destination for most foreign travelers to the United States. I used several eyewitness accounts to describe the cell, among them Dickens’s American Notes and Hamilton’s Men and Manners in America. I also used information provided to me by Brett Bertolino, program coordinator of the Eastern State Penitentiary. Lino’s prison job is mentioned in the testimony of the keeper of the prison, Israel Deacon, TLC, p. 66. 52 Lino’s letter to the prison inspectors: STMC, pp. 10–11.

  52 Only four dollars … departing prisoners: Conversation with Bertolino.

  53 Lino’s behavior on the morning of his release: Philadelphia Saturday Bulletin, Oct. 22, 1831.

  53 The steamboat’s luxurious furnishings and elaborate breakfast buffet: see Oberholtzer, Philadelphia, pp. 70–71.

  53 Lino’s refusal to buy a ticket and his being thrown off the boat: Philadelphia Saturday Bulletin, Oct. 22, 1831.

  54 First stop for northbound steamboats: MacReynolds, Place Names in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, p. 7.

  54 “I need victuals and lodgings for the night”: TLC, p. 20. 54 His shirt was a disgrace. Not worth anything, she thought: See Ellen Shaw’s testimony, “His shirt was not worth anything,” TLC, p. 22.

  54 Lino asked if he could see the master or mistress of the house: TLC, pp. 19–20.

  55 “I need a night’s lodging”; “They refused me”; “There’s a tavern up the hill [italics added]”; and the story Lino tells upon arriving at the Chapmans’: TLC, p. 20.

  55 Carolino Amalia Espos y Mina: Lino’
s last name appears variously in the documents of his day. Sometimes it is spelled Espos y Mina, sometimes Esposimina, sometimes Esposymina. (Lino himself signed his name as both Esposimina and Esposymina, but never Espos y Mina.) Similarly, his second name appears variously as Amalio and Amalia. I have chosen to use Carolino Amalia Espos y Mina, the spelling William Du Bois chose for The Trial of Lucretia Chapman.

  55 “My father’s a Mexican general. The governor of Upper California” and “My dear, if you think so”: TLC, p. 37.

  56 Jackson’s dismissal of Sam Ingham: Yerkes, “John Ross and the Ross Family,” p. 373.

  56 Joanna Clue: Philadelphia Saturday Bulletin, April 30, 1830.

  56 The story Lino tells at supper: TLC, p. 27; see also Kenderdine, “The Chapman-Mina Tragedy,” p. 455.

  58 “What am I to do for shirts if this Lino has them all”: TLC, p. 22. 58

  58 “Suppose you go with this gentleman and get someone to drive you”: TLC, p. 57.

  58 Bonaparte’s generosity and his reputation as an easy mark: Wright, Views of Society and Manners in America, pp. 141–42.

  59 Bonaparte’s sculpture: Wright, Views, p. 137.

  59 “Count Bonaparte has company. He cannot be seen for two or three hours” and “I have to return to my school tonight”: TLC, p. 37.

  60 Lucretia’s evening prayer: see “Evening Prayer” in Prayers for Female Schools (New York, 1825).

  60 “You’d best let him alone. He’s a Spaniard. A body don’t know what he might do” and “He’s a fine young man … one of my own sons”: TLC, p. 20.

  61 “Sir, I have the pleasure of addressing you … acquiring such an addition to his English education as the time may admit of” and “four hundred and eleven [such] pupils of both sexes … great distances in the United States”; “Lino, you know I do not understand your language. If you will write the letter, I will sign it”; and “I have done for you … for I have signed what I do not understand”: TLC, p. 38.

  62 “Dear Madam” and “I am happy to inform you … at the table”; TLC, p. 38.

  63 The high style of Chestnut Street tailors: Wright, Views of Society and Manners in America, p. 128.

  63 “He has no money … hasn’t a suit fit to visit in”; “Make the clothes and charge them to me”; and “Could hardly hold them up”: TLC, p. 26.

  64 “My name is Carolino … I beg you to hear my misfortunes,”: TLC, p. 81.

  64 General Mina in Philadelphia: Connelly, The Gentle Bonaparte, p. 255.

  65 Strange fellow.… Looks more like a beggar than the son of a Mexican nobleman: Cuesta mentions in his testimony that Lino was “so dirty that he looked like a beggar.” See TLC, p. 81.

  65 “Your manners, your way of speaking. These do not show you to be such a man as you would have me believe”: I’ve adapted this quotation slightly; Cuesta’s exact words were that “I observed that his manners, and his bad language, did not show him to be such a man as he would have me believe”: TLC, p. 82.

  65 “It’s true” and “I am an ignorant man.… to improve my manners”: TLC, p. 82, although I have added the phrase “by whom I was raised” because Lino gave Cuesta this information earlier in his monologue.

  65 “I did not know there was any governor by the name of Mina in Mexico”; “I only heard it from my grandfather”; “He is in some high employment, and I thought it was governor”; and “Where in Mexico did you reside”: TLC, p. 82.

  66 “You’re lying to me” and “You’ve never been in Mexico”: Adapted from Cuestas’s statement “I knew from his answer that he had never been in Mexico, and told him so”: TLC, p. 82.

  66 “All I’ve stated is true. But I have been suffering so much … that I am almost out of my senses”; TLC, p. 82.

  66 “Give me some proof that you’re Mexican”; “What proof”; “Your passport”; “I have none”; “Your certificate of baptism, then”; and “Lost”: TLC, p. 82.

  66 The man has an answer for everything … brought him here in it: These thoughts are expressed by Cuesta in TLC, p. 82.

  66 “I have some business in town. I’ll come back for him in an hour”; “I’m ashamed to write in front of you because my handwriting is very bad”; “I’m busy. Write to your mother yourself—particularly as it’s rather her fault that you write badly, isn’t it”; “It is a custom in my country … merely as an act of politeness”; and “We are just beginning to eat … honored if you would”: TLC, p. 82.

  67 “Would they like a sweet? And you? Would you care for a drink”: Adapted from a more wordy statement of Cuesta’s about how he offered Lucretia and her children sweets and a drink: TLC, p. 83.

  67 “Cold lemonade”: TLC, p. 83.

  68 “Romania speaks a little English. She can keep you company while you wait for Señor Mina”: Adapted from Cuesta’s statement, “I went upstairs to ask my elder sister, who could speak a little English, to be company for her till Mina was done”: TLC, p. 82.

  68 “In his own country he’s very rich”: Lucretia Chapman, letter to Cuesta, TLC, p. 86.

  68 “You must come and see me at my house” and “And you must come and see me here again”: adapted from Cuesta’s statement, “She told my sister she would be glad to see us at her house; my sister reciprocated her politeness by the same offer,” TLC, p. 83.

  68 Altogether dispelled: TLC, p. 107.

  CHAPTER 5 BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

  70 She asked William to help Mary … kick with her foot: TLC, pp. 19, 21, and 67.

  70 Esther Bache’s visit: This scene is drawn from Esther’s testimony, TLC, p. 23.

  71 “We fear for his life” and “Mr. Chapman hardly understands anything”: TLC, p. 23.

  72 The next morning … they’d be back in the evening: See TLC, pp. 21–23.

  73 “Who wants to be troubled with a butterfly like you”: TLC, p. 22. At the time, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term butterfly meant “a light-headed inconstant person” or “giddy trifler.”

  74 “Maybe they’ve run off to Mexico”; “I wouldn’t be surprised. The way they’ve been going on”; and “I wish the ship that brought Mina from Mexico had sunk”: TLC, p. 67.

  74 The thoughts attributed to William in this scene are drawn from the testimony of Edwin Fanning, TLC, p. 68.

  75 “A rogue” and “I’d rather be poor than have my peace disturbed the way it’s been since this fellow came here”: TLC, p. 68.

  75 “In all probability their object is to tarry until the family has retired and perhaps then to engage in improper conduct”: Abbreviated from Fanning’s report that William said to him, “In all probability their object is to tarry until the family has retired, and I would like to know whether they would be guilty of improper conduct after they do return.” See TLC, p. 68.

  75 “If I know of their going together … by God I’ll kill him” and “You stay up, and if they come home and go to that rogue’s room, you let me know”: TLC, p. 68.

  76 William’s sympathetic treatment of Lino: This scene, too, is drawn from the testimony of Edwin Fanning, TLC, p. 69, as well as from that of little Lucretia Chapman, TLC, p. 89.

  76 William’s letter to Watkinson: TLC, p. 174; see also TLC, p. 38.

  77 Durand’s pharmacy: England, The First Century of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, 1821–1921, pp. 101–02, and 357–59.

  77 “We haven’t. But we might prepare it” and “If you have plain arsenic powder, that would answer”: TLC, p. 30.

  78 Arsenic was a principal ingredient in taxidermy: An eighteenth-century French apothecary named Becoeur was the first to use a paste containing arsenic to preserve animal skins. He was reluctant to publish his recipe, but in 1820, taxidermist Louis Dufresne did so, and by 1831, when Lino made his request, arsenic had become the chief ingredient in preservative formulas. It remained in widespread use throughout the nineteenth century, and continued to be used by some taxidermists until the 1930s. See WAAC Newsletter (a publication of the Western Association for Art Conserva
tion) 18, no. 1, Jan. 1996.

  78 My description of Durand is based on the portrait of him in England, The First Century of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy.

  78 William’s first uncomfortable night: See TLC, p. 90.

  79 “The doctor will only give me medicine. I have drops for stomachache in the house. I’ll take those”: TLC, p. 90.

  79 “You’ve had a mild attack of cholera morbus”: TLC, p. 32.

  79 “A beefsteak would do me more good than anything else”: TLC, p. 33.

  79 She decided on rice gruel … helping out in the kitchen: TLC, p. 90.

  80 Little Lucretia was keeping William company.… He was vomiting again: TLC, p. 90–91.

  81 “Not so well as in the morning. I have a misery at my stomach. It feels very much like fire”: TLC, p. 24.

  81 “Tarry with me through the night”: TLC, p. 31.

  82 “When Don Lino is sick all attention must be paid to him. But now that I am sick, I am deserted. I am left.”: TLC, p. 68.

  82 “Then give him some salt and water … heard it recommended”: TLC, P. 31.

  82 “I cannot live so”: TLC, p. 32.

  84 “Bury them”; “Fish water can kill ducks”; and “They’ve been poisoned”: TLC, p. 35.

  85 “Fifty-five beats in the minute” and “Now it’s forty-five”: TLC, p. 34.

  86 “I studied medicine for two years”: TLC, p. 35.

  86 The Marsh test and the history of arsenic: Dr. Anil Aggrawal, “The Poison Sleuths: Arsenic—The King of Poisons,” Science Reporter, February, 1997.

  88 “Why would Don Lino not do,” “Because he’s a stranger. A stranger, and undersized,” and “Yes. I see no impropriety in that”: TLC, p. 35.

  88 Scheetz had scolded the sexton … Dug right through the loamy clay to the sandy soil beneath: TLC, p. 92.

  89 Putting straw on coffin lids: According to Nadianiel Hawthorne, this New England custom came about because “the clods on the coffin-lid have an ugly sound.” See Larkin, The Reshaping of Everyday Life, p. 101.