Dorcas Doyen was born 18 Oct 1813 in Temple, Maine, to John Doyen (1784-1856) & Sally Tuck (1785-1822).
After the death of her mother she was employed as a servant to Chief Justice Nathan Weston, the main Supreme Court Judicial Court. She was well educated and could play the piano, violin, and guitar. As she continued to read books, which she could memorize and never forget. She became restless with the local men trying to woo her. She read books on philosophy and this is when she decided she would never marry. The details of her seduction are not clear, but the act appears to have been consensual, and among the men suggested as her possible seducer, was Judge Weston himself. The details of her seduction are not clear, but the act appeared to be consensual. When the story became public, the judge had to do something. Though Dorcas was only seventeen, she and the Westons agreed to say she was eighteen and end her service. This freed the judge from having to take action against her seducer, and allowed Dorcas to go her own way.
At age 17 she disappeared without a trace and went to Portland, ME changed her name to Helen Stanley, where she met a bachelor by the name of Scroggs. He was very rich and owned a bank and they fell in love. He wanted to marry her and she refused to be owned by a man, she didn't mind living with him, but would not become his wife. He went crazy with nagging her to be his wife and it drove her away. She left him and went to Boston, MA.
Here she met Beacon Hill Parker and again he proposed marriage to her and again she left going to New York City as Helen Jewett, with lots of gold in her purse.
She became a sophisticated prostitute at Rosina Townsend’s upscale brothel not far from New York’s city hall. Her clients included politicians, lawyers, journalists, and wealthy merchants, who viewed their relationships with her almost as romances, with rendezvous and exchanges of gifts and letters.
Most women become prostitutes because of poverty and other circumstances, this was not true for Helen, she felt it was her calling and she embraced it with enthusiasm.
Her favorite client was a young man who went by the name of Frank Rivers. He was handsome and dashing -- the girls at the brothel referred to him as "Pretty Frank." His true name was Richard P. Robinson, an 18 year old clerk with a promising career at a Maiden Lane dry goods store. They began spending time together and corresponding when they were apart. They were very fond of each other but Robinson despised her profession and he began to see other, more respectable women. Helen wanted him to herself and threatened to publicly humiliate him.
Their last words to each other through correspondence was this: Three day before the murder Helen sent him a letter trying to reconcile and renew their relationship, but closed by saying "You have known how I have loved, do not, oh do not provoke the experiment of seeing how I can hate." In his response Richard Robinson said, "You are never so foolish as when you threaten me. Keep quiet until I come on Saturday night and then we will see if we cannot be better friends hereafter."
On 10 April 1836 Mrs. Townsend found Helen's brutally murdered and half burned body.
Here are some newspaper articles:
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42676502/helen_jewett/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42676718/helen_jewett/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42676982/richard_robinson/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42677179/richard_robinson/
So he either got away with murder or there wasn't enough evidence, Richard would leave New York and move to Texas where he died of a fever two years later. His dying words were Helen's name.
Helen's legend and story lives on as a mystery as to who and why.
There are several books on Amazon about her and a movie, below is a YouTube 6 min video for your viewing pleasure.
https://alchetron.com/Helen-Jewett
After the death of her mother she was employed as a servant to Chief Justice Nathan Weston, the main Supreme Court Judicial Court. She was well educated and could play the piano, violin, and guitar. As she continued to read books, which she could memorize and never forget. She became restless with the local men trying to woo her. She read books on philosophy and this is when she decided she would never marry. The details of her seduction are not clear, but the act appears to have been consensual, and among the men suggested as her possible seducer, was Judge Weston himself. The details of her seduction are not clear, but the act appeared to be consensual. When the story became public, the judge had to do something. Though Dorcas was only seventeen, she and the Westons agreed to say she was eighteen and end her service. This freed the judge from having to take action against her seducer, and allowed Dorcas to go her own way.
At age 17 she disappeared without a trace and went to Portland, ME changed her name to Helen Stanley, where she met a bachelor by the name of Scroggs. He was very rich and owned a bank and they fell in love. He wanted to marry her and she refused to be owned by a man, she didn't mind living with him, but would not become his wife. He went crazy with nagging her to be his wife and it drove her away. She left him and went to Boston, MA.
Here she met Beacon Hill Parker and again he proposed marriage to her and again she left going to New York City as Helen Jewett, with lots of gold in her purse.
She became a sophisticated prostitute at Rosina Townsend’s upscale brothel not far from New York’s city hall. Her clients included politicians, lawyers, journalists, and wealthy merchants, who viewed their relationships with her almost as romances, with rendezvous and exchanges of gifts and letters.
Most women become prostitutes because of poverty and other circumstances, this was not true for Helen, she felt it was her calling and she embraced it with enthusiasm.
Her favorite client was a young man who went by the name of Frank Rivers. He was handsome and dashing -- the girls at the brothel referred to him as "Pretty Frank." His true name was Richard P. Robinson, an 18 year old clerk with a promising career at a Maiden Lane dry goods store. They began spending time together and corresponding when they were apart. They were very fond of each other but Robinson despised her profession and he began to see other, more respectable women. Helen wanted him to herself and threatened to publicly humiliate him.
Their last words to each other through correspondence was this: Three day before the murder Helen sent him a letter trying to reconcile and renew their relationship, but closed by saying "You have known how I have loved, do not, oh do not provoke the experiment of seeing how I can hate." In his response Richard Robinson said, "You are never so foolish as when you threaten me. Keep quiet until I come on Saturday night and then we will see if we cannot be better friends hereafter."
On 10 April 1836 Mrs. Townsend found Helen's brutally murdered and half burned body.
Here are some newspaper articles:
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42676502/helen_jewett/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42676718/helen_jewett/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42676982/richard_robinson/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42677179/richard_robinson/
So he either got away with murder or there wasn't enough evidence, Richard would leave New York and move to Texas where he died of a fever two years later. His dying words were Helen's name.
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| Richard P Robinson |
There are several books on Amazon about her and a movie, below is a YouTube 6 min video for your viewing pleasure.
https://alchetron.com/Helen-Jewett
WOW! What a story
ReplyDeleteThank you so very much.
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