Deliberate Evil

October 18, 2021
Renehan (Commodore: The Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt) takes an entertaining look at an 1830 murder case that, while little known today, made national news at the time. On April 6 of that year in Salem, Mass., Capt. Joseph White, an 82-year-old shipping magnate and former slaver, was found in his bed, bludgeoned and stabbed 13 times. Earlier, after White’s grandniece had married his rival’s son, Joe Knapp Jr., he disinherited her and forced his rival into bankruptcy. Ultimately, Joe Jr. and his brother, Frank, were arrested for orchestrating the murder and hiring two locals to do the deed. Frank was tried twice for the murder, the first ending in a hung jury. Daniel Webster was the prosecutor in the second trial, and his summation, considered a masterpiece of modern oratory, persuaded the jury to convict. Frank was hanged, and Nathaniel Hawthorne attended the execution. Joe Jr., who had confessed, was also convicted and hanged. Of the two actual murderers, one died by suicide in the Salem Jail, and the other was acquitted. Renehan argues convincingly that the trial inspired a character in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and influenced several of Edgar Allan Poe’s works. This is a fascinating blend of true crime and American history.

December 1, 2021

Renehan's (The Kennedys at War) meticulously researched book details the 1830 murder of Captain Joseph White in Salem, MA. White was found in his bed, bludgeoned and stabbed; the only thing missing from his house was his will, and with so little evidence and so many suspects, the city was left reeling. White's killing also shocked Salem because he was part of a wealthy enslaver family renowned for its influence in the shipping industry, with family members serving in Congress and as cabinet secretaries. Four men were eventually charged with the murder--Joe and Frank Knapp and Richard and George Crowninshield. The prosecution was led by Senator Daniel Webster, which brought a great deal of attention to the case. Salem resident Nathaniel Hawthorne observed and wrote about the trial, and his later novels were influenced by the events he witnessed. Renehan's narrative is gripping; perhaps most interesting is that he uncovers related documents that were buried for centuries in local archives, --evidence of the ways in which wealth and influence can result in a selective history. VERDICT Readers of Nathaniel Hawthorne, lovers of history, and anyone who enjoys a good mystery will be absorbed by this bizarre true crime tale.--Mattie Cook, Flat River Community Lib., MI

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