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Case File: Brown, Carrie née Montgomery (1891)

Description

Name Born-Died Description / Note
Victim
 Brown, Carrie née Montgomery 1834-1891  aka “Old Shakespeare”, prostitute
Suspects
 Francis, George “Frenchy No. 1” x  “might pass for Greek or Italian; rather tall, thin, and dark. Does not tally very well with the man described by Mary Minister called Nicolo”. Later determined to only be a witness as he was a close friend of Shakespeare and not the man seen by Mary Miniter, who also knew him well.  He was released.
 “Frenchy No. 2” x  Cousin of George Francis who also goes by the name Frenchy. 
 “Jack the Ripper” x  Commonly referred to as a suspect in the newspaper due only to the brutality of the crime, not taken seriously by the police. 
 Kallenberg, Adolph x  picked up by the Elizabeth Street station when found loitering around the Bowery at 1 am.  Mary Miniter said he was not the man she saw, he was released.  He was German.
 Nicolo, C. x  “about thirty-six years old, 5’8″, slim build, long sharp nose and a heavy mustache of light color, wearing a dark-brown cutaway coat and black trousers, an old black derby hat, the crown of which was much dented, he was evidently a foreigner, believed to be German”.  Gave his name as “C. Nicolo” to Mary Miniter, was written as “C. Kniclo” in the register book.
 Perringer, Isaac x  a sailor and a very bad character.  Possibly more of a witness, was seen with Shakespeare with another man, supposed to tbe the murderer, came in and called her away.  She went with him and did not return.
 Strube, Frederick x  68 Fulton Street, arrested by Detective Kearney of the Second Precinct.  Not identified by Mary Miniter and released.
 unnamed x  a German taken from the steamship Philadelphia of the “Red D” line, this ship had arrived from Caracas at 2pm on the day of the murder, he was among the crew and matcheds the description.  The police refused to speak of him and denied the arrest.
Family of Victim
 Brown, James x  died many years ago on the Pacific Coast
 daughter x  aged 36 in 1891, sill living
 daughter x  also still living in 1891
Law Enforcement & Lawyers
 Byrnes, Mr.  x  Inspector
 Campbell, Mr. x  Superintendent of the Brooklyn police
 Crowley, Mr.  x  Detective
 Grady, Mr. x  Detective
 Hayden, Mr.  x  Commisioner of the Brooklyn police
 Jenkins, Dr. x  Coroner, held autopsy 
 Kearney, Mr.  x  Detective of the Second Precinct, Brooklyn, arrested Frederick Strube as a suspect
 McClusky, Mr. x  Detective
 McLaughlin, Capt. x  Captain at Police Headquarters, temporary charge of the detective bureau
 McNaughton, Mr. x  Detective looking for Isaac Perringer
 O’Connor, Capt. x  Captain at the Oak Street police station, first on the scene
 Schultze, Dr. x  Coroner, first on the scene
 Weston, Dr. x  Coroner, held autopsy
 Williams, Mr. x  Inspector
 x x  x
 x x  x
 x x  x
Witnesses & Other People
 Briscoe, Mary x  of 12 Roosevelt St, detained  by Det Sgt McClusky as a witness, believed to be very important but no details
 Corcoran, Annie x  works around the East River Hotel and frequented it, detained
 Fitzgerald, Edward “Eddie” x  room clerk at the East River Hotel, found the body
 Francis, George “Frenchy” x  originally described as a minor suspect in the New York Times -“might pass for Greek or Italian; rather tall, thin, and dark. Does not tally very well with the man described by Mary Minister called Nicolo”.  Next day they confirm he was held only as a witness, note he is Algerian and a close friend of Shakespeare.
 Harrington, Mrs. Mary x  proprietor of lodging house at 49 Oliver Street, Shakespeare seen with suspect Frenchy
 Healey, Mary x  friend of Shakespeare, was with her the night before her death, heavily intoxicated at the time, detained
 Jennings, James x  owner of the East River Hotel
 Kelly, Mr x  night clerk of the Glenmore Hotel
 Lizzie x  left with Mary Healey before the murder of Shakespeare
 Lopez, Mary Ann x  woman who Frenchy called after at the Harrington lodging house the day of the murder
 Lynch, Annie x  works around the East River Hotel and frequented it, detained
 McEachron, J. A. x  Superintendent of the lodging house on Ridge Street, near Broome, owned by 7th Pres. Church.
 Mestrom, Lizzie x  works around the East River Hotel and frequented it, detained
 Miniter, Mary x  assistant housekeeper at the East River Hotel, only person to see the suspect, detained
 Shine, Samuel x  bartender and night clerk for the East River Hotel
 Speckman, John x  owner of saloon on Oliver Street where Shakespeare and Frenchy went after meeting 
 Tiernan, Mr. x  night watchman at the Glenmore Hotel
  woman (not named) x  detained at 11:30 pm Apr 24, name not known to reporters on the 25th.
 x x  x

In addition to the above, there were the following jurors: 

  • Coroner’s Inquest (13 May 1891) – conducted by Coroner Schultze
    • Brennan, Thomas S. – Ex-Commissioner
    • Brockway, George
    • Iden, C. W.
    • Merkel, L. J.
    • Miner, Henry Clay – Manager
    • Putney, George T. – Hotel Metropole
    • Rupert, Jacob Jr.
    • Seaman, Dr. L. L.
    • Slaughter, A. F.
    • Strassburg, A.
    • Trainor, James
    • Walters, Richard M.

[Gallery]

Timeline

  • 1831 – the approximate year of Shakespeare’s birth, believed to have been born at sea.
  • 1891 (early April) – Shakespeare is released from Blackwell’s Island, three weeks before her murder
  • 1891 (Thu Apr 23) – Shakespear leaves the lodging house of Mrs. Mary Harringont at 49 Oliver Street with a man called “Frenchy”, when he had come to call on a woman named Mary Ann Lopez.
  • 1891 (Thu Apr 23, 9 pm) – Shakespeare came into the saloon at the East River Hotel with Mary Healey
  • 1891 (Thu Apr 23, 11 pm) – Shakespeare gets her room with a young man
  • 1891 (Fri Apr 24, 1:30 am) – suspect tries to check in to the Glenmore Hotel, bloody, no money, matches the description
  • 1891 (Fri Apr 24, morning) – Edward Fitzgerald finds the body and alerts the police at the Oak Street police station
  • 1891 (Fri Apr 24, 6 pm) – the body is taken to the morgue
  • 1891 (Fri Apr 24, 9 pm) – “Frenchy” is arrested, had been seen leaving Mrs. Harrington’s lodging house with Shakespear the night she died.
  • 1891 (Fri Apr 24, 11 pm) – a woman is detained, reason and name unknown to reporters the next day
  • 1891 (Sat Apr 25, morning) – autopsy held by Coroner’s Physicians Jenkins and Weston with doctors from Bellevue Hospital present.
  • 1891 (Sun Apr 26) – the police seem to focus their efforts on the man “Frenchy”, cousin of the first “Frenchy”.  Police deny that they arrested a german crew member about the steamship Philadelphia that arrived from Caracas at 2pm the day of the murder.  This unnamed German matches the description of the murderer. 
  • 1891 (Mon Apr 27) – Inspector Byrnes denies that either Frenchy is a suspect, refuses to confirm that Frenchy No 1 (George Francis) has been released.
  • 1891 (May 13) – coroner’s inquest begins – witnesses Mary Corcoran, Capt. O’Connor, Detective Sergeant Crowley, Detective Griffin, Deputy Coroner Jenkins. In the afternoon witness “Eddie” Fitzgerald and finally Dr. Edson of the Health Board.

Testimonies

  • Corcoran, Mary – housekeeper of the East River Hotel, the first witness at the coroner’s inquest. “She was able to tell nothing of interest but the fact that she saw Carrie Brown drinking in the ‘ladies’ room’ of the hotel the evening of the murder.
  • Crowley, Detective Sgt – corroborated the testimony of Capt. O’Connor and added that the stains were dug up or cut out that day.
  • Edson, Dr. – of the Health Board, testified that he believed the blood from the nail scrapings and on the bloth that was sent to him but wouldn’t say absolutely.
  • Jenkins, Deputy Coroner – testified about the body and his conclusion that death was by asphyxiation.
  • Fitzgerald, Edward – testified he let “Frenchy” in along on the night of the murder and received 25 cents from him for his room. This was between midnight and morning. Later, at about 5 am, he was sweeping out the barroom when he saw Frenchy go out, or “sneak out”, as he called it, in a suspicious manner.
  • Griffin, Detective – “swore twice that he did not see the stains in question until the following day” – directly contradicting both Detective Crowley and Capt. O’Connor
  • O’Connor, Capt. – of the Oak Street station told of the appearance of the body when he saw it soon after its discovery, and identified the knife found on the bed.  He testified that he and the other detectives discovered blood spots leading to Room 33, across the hall, “Frenchy’s” room, and blood spots on the bed in that room, a few hours after the body was found.  Detective Griffin later contradicted this twice, later the same day.

Documentation

Burial Records:

  • Cemetery: City, County, State, Country
    • Names (Born-Died)

Census Records:

  • Census Name: City, County, State – Family

City Directories:

  • City, County, State: Names

Crime Scene Location:

  • East River Hotel – “a four-story brick building, which has a decent exterior appearance, but the interior is squalid in the extreme. While dignified by the name of hotel, it is a lodging house of unsavroy reputation, and is chiefly resorted to by the women who prowl about the neighborhood after nightfull. On the ground floor there is a bar-room. The entrance to the lodging huse proper is in Water Street and the door opens into a short hallway, at the end of which is a narrow stairway leading to the upper floors. At the landing of the first flight of stairs is what is called the office, and here is kept a greasy book in which it is the practice of Edward Fitzgerlad, the room clerk, to write the names the lodgers give him.” (New York Times, 25 Apr).  Shakespeare and a man who gave the name “C. Nicolo” were given Room 31, a corner room on the top floor of the house – six rooms on that floor, all opening to the same hallway. Four of these rooms were occupaied, but no one heard any noise or calls for help”

Newspaper Articles

Vital Records:

  • Birth:
    • YEAR: Name
  • Marriage:
    • YEAR: Names
  • Death:
    • YEAR: Name
  •  

Posted by:

Gideon Rockwell

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