Title: Salem History Society: “Reign of Terror: The Salem Murder of 1830”
Location: Cornerstone Bookstore, 45 Lafayette St., Salem, Mass
Link out: Click here
Description: 180 years ago, on the night of April 6, 1830, in the quiet seaport of Salem, Capt. Joseph White, 82, one of the wealthiest men in America, was killed in his house on Essex Street. Nothing had been stolen, and there seemed to be no motive for the crime. For several weeks, Salem experienced a reign of terror: the killer or killers remained at large, despite the efforts of a “Committee of Vigilance” that tried to find them. White’s nephew and chief heir, the Hon. Stephen White, was framed for the murder, but at last the true killer and his sponsors were identified, and the whole nation was shocked at the revelations. Come to this meeting of the Salem History for an illustrated talk by historian Robert Booth and discussion about The White Murder and what it meant to Salem, in 1820 America’s richest place, per capita, and its 8th-largest population center, but by 1830 a town in which crime flourished and a flagging maritime commerce had tragic consequences worldwide. All are welcome at this free event!
Start Time: 19:30
Date: 2010-04-13