Buzz
In the absence of modern communication tools like television or the Internet, people in the 1800s relied on traditional methods to stay informed about gruesome murders, primarily through newspapers. However, those who were illiterate or lacked access to newspapers had to find alternative ways to stay in the loop.
Resourceful business minds devised clever strategies to both inform and entertain the less educated and lower-income populace, ensuring they could still enjoy the sensational stories while spending their hard-earned coins. Here are ten fascinating ways our ancestors turned murder into a family-friendly pastime.
10. Broadsheets and Pamphlets
Authors of broadsheets frequently used simplistic, rhyming verses in their crudely printed yet wildly imaginative tales of murders, which were peddled in less affluent areas. Multiple editions covering the same crime could flood the streets within mere hours. Vendors stayed updated on every twist in the investigation, arrest, trial, and eventual execution, often fabricating details about the crime or the killer’s remorseful last words to captivate their audience. Pamphlets, while sometimes equally fictional, tended to be more polished in both writing and printing. It was common for groups to chip in together to purchase a broadsheet or pamphlet to read collectively.
9. Ballads
Songs centered on murders have existed for centuries. In the 1800s, songwriters capitalized on the public’s dark curiosity by composing memorable tunes about infamous killers and their victims. These musical sheets were sold in shops and by street vendors. Dance halls often featured these popular ballads, while musically literate individuals without instruments sang them aloud to captivated crowds. This tradition of crafting and performing murder ballads persists today. For instance, “Tom Dooley” remains a classic example, and Joan Baez famously performed songs like “Banks of the Ohio.”
8. Theatrical Productions
Whether staged in penny gaffs—a crude and affordable form of theater for the working class—or in more refined playhouses catering to the middle and upper classes, murder stories guaranteed packed audiences for playwrights and actors. Much like modern TV dramas, the facts were often embellished to heighten the excitement. A prime example is the wildly popular play “The Colleen Bawn,” inspired by the 1819 murder of Ellen Scanlan by Stephen Sullivan in Ireland. This gripping tale has been adapted into a play (1860), a novel, an opera, and three films. While the real-life crime was relatively ordinary, writers amplified its drama for entertainment.
7. Marionette Plays
Though marionettes are often associated with children’s entertainment, in the 1800s, these stringed puppets reenacted infamous murders at fairgrounds, captivating both lower-class adults and children. The productions were surprisingly elaborate, sometimes featuring pyrotechnics or simulated blood (achieved by red ribbons bursting from the puppet). One enduring favorite was “Maria Marten, or the Murder in the Red Barn.” Legend has it that Maria Marten’s own son attended a marionette performance of the story and remained completely unfazed.
6. Souvenirs and Memorabilia
Before licensing laws existed, anything tied to a murderer or their victim was considered fair game. For instance, buildings where infamous crimes occurred were sometimes dismantled (often without the owner’s permission) by enterprising individuals who sold the fragments as souvenirs. Wood from crime scenes could be crafted into matchboxes or snuff boxes and marketed. Pottery manufacturers also joined in, creating figurines of key figures and scenes from the crimes. Shockingly, parts of a murderer’s body were sometimes repurposed into items like cigar cases or shoes. Even handkerchiefs stained with an executed killer’s blood became sought-after collectibles.
5. Murder Tours
In an era before forensic science or autopsies were standard, murder victims’ bodies were often left at the crime scene for coroners’ juries to inspect. While police were tasked with securing the area, it was not uncommon for someone from the victim’s household—be it family, friends, or servants—to allow paying visitors to enter and stare at the bloodstains, gruesome injuries, bloodied weapons, footprints, and other potentially irrelevant details. These sightseers often took mementos like door handles, drawer pulls, or fabrics. Even after the body was removed, curious onlookers continued to visit the site.
4. Murder in Miniature The Raree Show
For those unable to visit the actual crime scene, the next best option was a miniature recreation displayed at fairs or by street performers. Customers paid a fee, peered through a hole in a wooden box, and witnessed a detailed, scaled-down version of the murder. The vividly painted backdrops, often depicting the victim in a pool of blood, could be swapped as the narrator recounted the crime’s story, sometimes including the killer’s execution. At night, candlelight added dramatic flair to the scenes. Interestingly, nineteenth-century newspapers occasionally referred to these displays as “camera obscura.” Their popularity endured until mechanical peep shows emerged.
3. Scientific Experiments
Beyond being used for medical dissections, the bodies of some murderers were subjected to experiments, often conducted in public view. For example, William Corder, the killer of Maria Marten (referenced in #7), had his body transported to Shire Hall after his execution. A doctor removed his organs, and a plaster cast of his head was made for phrenological study. Additionally, a battery was brought from Cambridge specifically to conduct “galvanic experiments” on Corder’s corpse. These events drew large, curious crowds, with some traveling up to thirty miles to witness the execution and its aftermath.
2. Public Spectacle
The execution of a murderer often attracted thousands of spectators to the gallows (until 1868, when executions were moved behind prison walls). Property owners with a clear view of the event charged onlookers for prime spots. Vendors sold broadsheets, souvenirs, and food, while pickpockets took advantage of the crowd. If the executioner was unskilled, the condemned might endure a slow, agonizing death by strangulation (lasting up to fifteen minutes) or even decapitation, resulting in a gruesome scene. Afterward, the deceased’s belongings were auctioned, and the rope was sold by the inch. The body might be exhibited for days or handed over to scientists, which brings us to…
1. Storytelling
For those who found broadsides, pamphlets, and ballads too conventional, the arrival of patterers or storytellers in their neighborhood offered a more engaging alternative. These individuals carried signs adorned with dramatic depictions of the victim, the murderer, the crime scene, the courtroom, the prison, and/or the gallows. Patterers used these visuals to attract curious onlookers. Once a sizable crowd had gathered and donations were collected, the patterer would narrate the murder story in a captivating manner. From the police’s initial probe to the killer’s final moments on the gallows, a skilled patterer always had a wealth of material to keep the audience enthralled.
