The Brutal Death of Berengera Caswell

1849 - Saco, Maine.

In April of 1850, as the sun shone on Woodbury Brook in Saco, Maine, a boy made a grisly discovery: the body of a young woman tied to a board. It was soon determined that the woman, known as Mary Bean, was killed during a botched abortion from the local botanic doctor, James Smith.

During the course of the trial, it was revealed that Mary Bean was actually Berengera Caswell, a 21-year-old Canadian factory worker who was trying to make a life for herself in New England.

The murder of Mary Bean was written into a fictional, salacious true crime novella, warning young women against the dangers of promiscuity and the inevitable demise of working mill girls. For years, the death of Berengera Caswell remained buried under the moral parable of her infamous pseudonym... until 2007, when the true identity of Mary Bean was unearthed for the modern era.

This episode discusses and describes abortion in the historical context of the 1850's. Please listen with care.

Read The Murder of Mary Bean Book

Connect on Instagram @murdershetoldpodcast

Detailed sources can be found at murdershetold.com.

Support the show here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices