Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Description
County attorney Ralph Ingalls prosecuted Deputy Sheriff Francis Carroll for the shocking murders of Dr. and Mrs. Littlefield. Ingalls compiled this scrapbook with newspaper and magazine clippings that captured the public’s fascination with the trial, especially Carroll’s teenage daughter, Barbara Carroll. The scrapbook includes clips from nearly 40 newspapers and magazines nationwide.
Barbara sold autographs, fielded media requests, and received invitations to nightclubs and photoshoots. While some tried to make her a celebrity, Boston police banned her from appearances, her mother refused to let her accept money, and she struggled with her father’s conviction.
The case, filled with conflicting theories, gripped the public. In 1937, New Jersey police found Paul Dwyer asleep in a car with Maine plates. Inside, they discovered Lydia Littlefield dead in the backseat and Dr. James Littlefield’s body in the trunk. Dwyer initially claimed he invited Dr. Littlefield to his house for a medical exam, then strangled and bludgeoned him after an argument. To cover up the crime, he lured Lydia Littlefield on a road trip and strangled her when she grew suspicious. He pleaded guilty and received a life sentence.
A year later, Barbara accused her father of sexual abuse, prompting Dwyer to change his story. He claimed that he and a reportedly pregnant Barbara sought Dr. Littlefield’s advice, and when the doctor threatened to expose Carroll, Carroll killed him and forced Dwyer to dispose of the bodies. A jury convicted Carroll of both murders and sentenced him to life in prison.
About This Item
- Title: Carroll/Dwyer murder trial scrapbook, Volume 2, 1938
- Creator: Ralph Ingalls
- Creation Date: 1938
- Subject Date: 1938
- Location: South Paris, Oxford County, ME
- Media: Ink on paper
- Local Code: Coll. 394 Volume 2
- Object Type: Text and Image
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.).
- Crime and the press
- Lawyers--Maine
- Murder--Maine--South Paris
- Scrapbooks
- Trials (Murder)--Maine
People
Other Keywords
- Abuse
- Courthouse
- Crime
- Crime and punishment
- Criminal
- Photojournalism
- Police officer
- Wrongfully accused
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. No Permission is required to use the low-resolution watermarked image for educational use, or as allowed by the applicable copyright. For all other uses, permission is required.
More to Consider
Item 152274
Carroll/Dwyer murder trial scrapbook, Volume 1, 1938
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