Note: This post follows “Henry Tufts’s Partners in Crime.” While living in Massachusetts in 1793, Henry Tufts purchased a silver tablespoon and five teaspoons from John Stewart, who said he found them while clearing out a cellar. Tufts used the spoons until a neighbor recognized them as stolen and reported Tufts to the authorities. [...]
Note: This post follows “Henry Tufts’s Thanksgiving.” Henry Tufts returned to his family in Lee, NH after slipping away from Mr. Pickard, who in good faith had released him from the Old York jail. When Tufts arrived in his home town, though, he discovered that his reputation was as bad as ever, especially when [...]
Note: This post continues “Thomas Mount’s Crime Tips.” Long before Nicholas Pileggi wrote Wiseguy and revealed the inner-workings of present-day organized crime, Thomas Mount in 1791 disclosed the secrets of the Flash Company, a gang of burglars, thieves, and highwaymen. As a part of his revelations, Mount asked that the language and songs of [...]
beat – 1. to get the best of him; 2. to rob or swindle; 3. the part of a town in which a criminal or gang works; 4. to escape from prison; 5. to cheat or defraud (as in beat the hotel out of its bill). beat out of – to extort money from (a [...]
If you are vacationing on Cape Cod and want to add some early American crime to your dining experience, visit the Old Jailhouse Tavern in Orleans, MA. The current restaurant and bar is in the former house of town constable Henry Perry. Early in the nineteenth century, Perry used his spare front bedroom to hold [...]
On August 21, 1784, a man entered the house of Capt. James Dagget of Reheboth, MA in the middle of the night and took several valuable items. He was soon caught and committed to the Taunton Gaol, where he gave his name as Abiel Brigs. The authorities knew better. They easily recognized him as John [...]
Even though William Huggins and John Mansfield were both born into good families, their backgrounds couldn’t have been more different. Huggins was raised in New York, served in the army, and then worked the land as a farm laborer. Mansfield was born in the Province of Maine and traveled the sea as a sailor. But [...]
My brother-in-law recently created a CD-mix of songs about jails, prisons, and crime for me. I enjoyed listening to it so much that I thought I would reproduce it for Early American Crime. “In The Jail House Now” – Soggy Bottom Boys “Jailhouse Rock” – Elvis Presley (See the video from Last.fm.) “I Shot the [...]
Note: This post continues “Advice from a Condemned Burglar.” Joseph Atwood and Levi Ames both participated in the burglary of Martin Bicker’s house in 1773, although the extent to which each one was involved was a matter of debate. Both said that the other was the mastermind of the burglary, and Atwood claimed that he [...]
Note: This post continues “The Stories of Levi Ames, Burglar.” After Levi Ames was sentenced to death for his part in the burglary of Martin Bicker in the early fall of 1773, he was held in prison to await his execution. At first, he hoped to find a means of escape, but he came to [...]
Anthony Vaver has broad expertise in the social and cultural history of crime and punishment, and he holds a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and an M.L.S. from Rutgers University. He is the author of the Amazon.com bestselling book, Bound with an Iron Chain and is currently working on a new book about early American criminals. He has never spent a night in jail, but he was once falsely accused of shoplifting. Contact Me.
All purchases made by going through the links on this website help to keep it running--whether you buy the products specifically listed or find something else you would rather purchase. Prices are exactly the same as if you went directly to the commercial website.
If you are interested in advertising on my website, please contact me.
Books reviewed on this website are supplied by the publisher.
Do you like this website?
If you do, then click this button to let Google know:
Early American Criminals: Henry Tufts in the Castle [ 16:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2606)
Read my new book, Bound with an Iron Chain: The Untold Story of How the British Transported 50,000 Convicts to Colonial America, an Amazon.com bestseller! Visit Pickpocket Publishing for more details.
Subscribe to all posts via an RSS feed.
Subscribe to all posts by Email.
Subscribe to all podcasts on iTunes.
