THE NOTORIOUS MRS. CLEM This page intentionally left blank THE NOTORIOUS MRS. CLEM MURDER AND MONEY IN THE GILDED AGE Wendy Gamber Johns Hopkins University Press Baltimore © 2016 Johns Hopkins University Press All rights reserved. Published 2016 Printed in the United States of Amer i ca on acid-f ree paper 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1 Johns Hopkins University Press 2715 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363 www . press . jhu . edu Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Gamber, Wendy, 1958– author. Title: The notorious Mrs. Clem : murder and money in the Gilded Age / Wendy Gamber. Description: Baltimore, Mary land : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2015036004 | ISBN 9781421420202 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781421420219 (electronic) | ISBN 1421420201 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 142142021X (electronic) Subjects: LCSH: Clem, Nancy E. | Women murderers—I ndiana— Biography. | Murder— Indiana— Case studies. | Crime— Indiana— History—19th century. | Indiana— History—19th century. Classification: LCC HV6248.C468 G36 2016 | DDC 364.152/3092— dc23 LC rec ord available at http:// lccn. loc. gov /2 015036004 A cata log rec ord for this book is available from the British Library. Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this book. For more information, please contact Special Sales at 410-5 16-6 936 or specialsales@press .j hu . edu . Johns Hopkins University Press uses environmentally friendly book materials, including recycled text paper that is composed of at least 30  percent post- consumer waste, whenever pos si ble. For Ian This page intentionally left blank contents Acknowle dgments ix Prologue 1 1 New Year’s Day 4 2 Business 17 3 Cold Spring 28 4 Detection 38 5 Trial 51 6 Self- Reliant and God Defiant! 78 7 Knowed It Was Them 100 8 I Wish I Was an Angel 127 9 A Good Soldier 141 10 Lebanon 153 11 T he Indiana Murderess 168 12 Indiana Justice 183 13 I Kept It Rolling 199 14 Aunty Smith 218 15 Mrs. Dr. Patterson 227 Epilogue 236 Notes 249 Index 297 This page intentionally left blank ack nowl edgm ents Nancy Clem has been with me for a long time. In the pro cess of researching and writing her story, I’ve incurred many debts. Stephanie Bower, James H. Madison, and Jocelyn W ills each read an early draft of the entire manu- script. Each, albeit in very dif er ent ways, ofered just the right mix of en- couragement and sharp- edged criticism. I’m also indebted to Alecia P. Long, the reader for Johns Hopkins University Press, whose excellent advice vastly improved the final product. Numerous friends and colleagues read portions of the manuscript, responded to pre sen ta tions, or mulled over the mystery of Mrs. Clem with me— some did all three. I thank Judith Allen, Robert Barrows, Darrel Bigham, Mary Blewett, John Bodnar, Ann Carmichael, Claude Clegg, Daniel A. Cohen, the late William B. Cohen, Will Cooley, Thomas Dublin, Ellen Dwyer, Susan Ferentinos, Tamara Gaskell, Richard Godbeer, Michael Grossberg, Hendrik Hartog, Morton Keller, Pamela Walker Laird, Bonnie Laughlin- Schultz, Alan Lessof, Ed Linenthal, Phyllis Martin, Michael McGerr, Thomas Pegram, Jeanne Peterson, Elyce Rotella, Scott Sandage, Andrew Sandoval- Strausz, Eric Sandweiss, Tara Saunders, Philip Scranton, Kathryn Kish Sklar, Paula Tarankow, Michael Ayers Trotti, Leigh Ann Wheeler, and Mary Yeager. I bumped into Dallett Hemphill at the 2013 Organ ization of American Historians (OAH) meeting, never realizing it would be the last time I’d see her. I’m glad I had the chance to talk with her about this proj ect— and much else. I’m grateful to audiences at Binghamton University and to those who attended pre sen ta tions at meetings of the Indi- ana Association of Historians, the Social Science History Association, and the OAH. Here at Indiana University I’ve benefited from the wisdom of colleagues at vari ous venues— the Criminal Justice Brownbag seminar, the Gender Studies Colloquium, the Committee of Historians for Intellectual Culture, and the U.S. History Workshop. I owe considerable gratitude to two indefatigable research assistants. Peter Rowley diligently searched predigital versions of vari ous Indianapolis newspapers. Susan Ferentinos devoted her characteristic energy and per sis- tence to the task of locating trial transcripts, deeds, and lawsuits. This book could never have been completed without the able assistance of librarians and archivists. I thank the stafs of the Indiana Office of Su- preme Court Rec ords, the Marion County Courts, and the Indiana State Library, especially former newspaper librarian John Selch, whose enthusiasm