Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Description
This fictitious tale presents the story of Mary Jane Gordon, a Scottish-born American whose elaborate crime spree played out along the Northeast from New York to Canada, ending in Vassalboro, Maine.
Gordon’s alleged crimes included robbery, adultery, and numerous murders. On her own, or alongside female accomplices, Gordon murdered her infant child, first husband, father, acquaintances, strangers, and eventually her sister-in-law Jane Anderson of Vassalboro. For Anderson’s murder, authorities arrested, tried, convicted, and executed Gordon on June 24, 1847.
The work includes two illustrations: the murder of Gordon’s child on the title page, and at left, Gordon carrying Anderson’s lifeless body.
This pamphlet incorporates many inaccurate genre stereotypes about women, including the dark paths women may take when left to their own devices. The story depicts Gordon as a spoiled child, an immigrant with a “haughty disposition,” and a woman resentful of her hard-working husband who could not support her lifestyle.
About This Item
- Title: Life and Confession of Mary Jane Gordon, 1847
- Creator: John S. Calhoun (pseudonym)
- Creation Date: 1847
- Subject Date: 1847
- Location: Vassalboro, Kennebec County, ME
- Media: Ink on paper
- Local Code: QJ B G657
- Object Type: Text and Image
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Crime--Maine--Vassalboro
- Murder--Fiction
- Trials (Murder)--Maine--Vassalboro
- Vassalboro (Me.)--Biography
Other Keywords
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website
Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.
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