The Doylestown DuBois

Mar 22, 20216 min read

True Crime in 1834 - The Bristol Cradle Murder, Part 2

William Booz, in the capacity of constable, later took Joseph Blundin to the county jail. Bidding farewell to his wife and children,...

Mar 15, 20215 min read

True Crime in 1834 - The Bristol Cradle Murder, Part 1

Sunday, 27 July 1834, was a typical sweltering summer day in Bristol township, Pennsylvania. It was the time for harvesting the ripening...

Feb 15, 20213 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 19 - Lino and Lucretia, the Enduring Legacy

What is it exactly about the story of Lino and Lucretia that has endured over the past 190 years? It is indeed a "truth is stranger than...

Feb 13, 20213 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 18 - The Other Victims

When Lucretia died, all five of her children became orphans. They were minors, except for Mary, the oldest. It would appear that...

Feb 11, 20216 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 17 - "The Way of the Transgressor Is Hard"

After being acquitted in the murder of her husband, Lucretia returned to her home, hoping to resume her life. She would find that it...

Feb 8, 202111 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 16 - "Oh, my God! the hour is arrived."

After his conviction, Lino kept himself occupied by writing the history of his life. He had become even more of a celebrity and...

Feb 4, 20217 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 15 - Commonwealth v. Lino Esposimina

With Lucretia's trial out of the way, Deputy Attorney General Thomas Ross turned his attention to the upcoming trial of Lino. It was...

Jan 31, 20218 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 14 - Commonwealth v. Lucretia Chapman

The successful separation of trials, although requested by Lino's counsel, was actually a boon for Lucretia. Tried together, they could...

Jan 28, 20217 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 13 - The Trial Begins

On Monday, 12 December 1831, the Court of Oyer and Terminer opened in Doylestown. The Court consisted of a Supreme Court Justice and two...

Jan 25, 20215 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 12 - Lawyering Up

About the time Lucretia was arrested, David Paul Brown, one of the most fully employed and successful of the many eminent "criminal...

Jan 23, 20218 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 11 - A Daring Escape

The governor of Pennsylvania, having received authentic information following the examination of William's body confirming that he had...

Jan 20, 20214 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 10 - Dead Ducks

After the exhumation and examination of William's body by multiple doctors and chemists, it was determined that he had, indeed, been...

Jan 17, 20214 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 9 - The Poison

Lino was brought before the Mayor of Boston and then, by his order, he was delivered over to Constable Blayney to escort him back to...

Jan 13, 202110 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 8 - The Villain Arrested

The letter Lucretia wrote to Lino on 31 July 1831, never made it to him. When Lino went to Washington, he succeeded in deluding several...

Jan 10, 20217 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 7 - A Woman Scorned

When Lucretia arrived in Philadelphia, she went to Colonel Cuesta's home. She was told that Lino had not been there for a long time and...

Jan 6, 20216 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 6 - Mrs. Lucretia Esposimina

A few days after William's death, Lino became very attentive to the family. He went to Lucretia and said "Lino has one heart-Lino never...

Jan 3, 20214 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 5 - A Curious Case of Cholera Morbus

On Friday, 17 June 1831, William enjoyed a midday meal that consisted of baked veal, boiled pork and green peas. Later that day he came...

Dec 31, 20204 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 4 - Lino and Lucretia

Lino and Lucretia visited Colonel Estanislao de Cuesta, the Consul of the Mexican government in Philadelphia to ask him to assist in...

Dec 27, 20206 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 3 - The Web is Spun

Here is the third installment of my true crime series. The Chapmans, their children and students stood in the parlor and examined the...

Dec 20, 20205 min read

True Crime in 1831, Part 2 - The Mysterious Stranger

Here is the second installment in my True Crime series, based upon William E. DuBois' publication of the trial transcript. And now the...