Jennie Bosschieter
Encyclopedia
Jennie Bosschieter was murdered in Paterson, New Jersey
on October 19, 1900.
, and worked at the Paterson Ribbon Company on Vreeland Avenue. She left home on October 18, 1900 at 8:10 pm to go to the drug store where she met Walter C. McAlister and William A. Death. She had previously dated Death but he married another woman. McAlister, Death and two others drank with her in a private party room in Saal's saloon at the corner of River Street and Bridge Street. Her first drink may have been a Manhattan
, then she drank an absinthe
frappe
, and then she had two glasses of Great Western sparkling wine
. She was given two or three doses of chloral hydrate
in her sparkling wine by McAlister. They took her in a carriage to a secluded area, raped her, and she died from an overdose of the drug. They dumped the body on the ground and her head hit a rock.
Her body was found lying a short distance from the Wagaraw bridge, on the Bergen County, New Jersey
side of the Passaic River
between 5:30 and 6:15 am. The discovery was made by Marinus Gary on his way to work. Her head rested on a jagged rock, and there was a fracture of her skull near the base of her brain. The damage to her skull was postmortem. At the trial the defense attorneys tried to blame her death on the absinthe and not the overdose of chloral hydrate. The jury rejected that the death was from the absinthe and that the murder was premeditated.
There was a possible copycat crime on March 12, 1901 with Mary Paige drugged, raped and found severely ill. Paige did recover. Three boys were convicted of assault and served brief sentences.
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
on October 19, 1900.
Biography
Jennie was the daughter of Dina Bosschieter (1861-?) from The Netherlands. She lived with her parents at 155 East Fifth Street in the Riverside sectionRiverside, Paterson
Riverside is a larger neighborhood in Paterson, New Jersey and, as its name states, this neighborhood is bound by the Passaic River to the west, north and east, separating the city from Hawthorne and Fair Lawn. It is bounded on the south by 10th Avenue and Montgomery Street from the Eastside...
, and worked at the Paterson Ribbon Company on Vreeland Avenue. She left home on October 18, 1900 at 8:10 pm to go to the drug store where she met Walter C. McAlister and William A. Death. She had previously dated Death but he married another woman. McAlister, Death and two others drank with her in a private party room in Saal's saloon at the corner of River Street and Bridge Street. Her first drink may have been a Manhattan
Manhattan (cocktail)
A Manhattan is a cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. Commonly used whiskeys include rye , Canadian whisky , bourbon, blended whiskey and Tennessee whiskey. The cocktail is often stirred with ice and strained into a cocktail glass, where it is garnished with a Maraschino cherry...
, then she drank an absinthe
Absinthe
Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as "grande wormwood", together with green anise and sweet fennel...
frappe
Frappé
Frappé or frappe, from the Old French frapper meaning to strike or hit, is used in English to refer to various uses of crushed ice, including:...
, and then she had two glasses of Great Western sparkling wine
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
. She was given two or three doses of chloral hydrate
Chloral hydrate
Chloral hydrate is a sedative and hypnotic drug as well as a chemical reagent and precursor. The name chloral hydrate indicates that it is formed from chloral by the addition of one molecule of water. Its chemical formula is C2H3Cl3O2....
in her sparkling wine by McAlister. They took her in a carriage to a secluded area, raped her, and she died from an overdose of the drug. They dumped the body on the ground and her head hit a rock.
Her body was found lying a short distance from the Wagaraw bridge, on the Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
side of the Passaic River
Passaic River
The Passaic River is a mature surface river, approximately 80 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey,...
between 5:30 and 6:15 am. The discovery was made by Marinus Gary on his way to work. Her head rested on a jagged rock, and there was a fracture of her skull near the base of her brain. The damage to her skull was postmortem. At the trial the defense attorneys tried to blame her death on the absinthe and not the overdose of chloral hydrate. The jury rejected that the death was from the absinthe and that the murder was premeditated.
There was a possible copycat crime on March 12, 1901 with Mary Paige drugged, raped and found severely ill. Paige did recover. Three boys were convicted of assault and served brief sentences.
Attackers
- George J. Kerr, was the son of Hugh Kerr (c1840-1901) and brother of John F. Kerr, a judge. He was married. He served eleven years and nine days of a fifteen-year sentence.
- Walter C. McAlister, put the chloral hydrate in her drink
- Andrew J. Campbell (1875-?). He served 15 years of his thirty-year sentence.
- William A. Death, served in the Spanish American War and was married
Others
- Marinus Gary, he found the body, he worked for Alyea brothers feed mill
- Augustus Sculthorp, the carriage driver
- Vroom, the coroner
- Graul, chief of police
- Christopher Saal, owner of the saloon
- Joseph Bosschieter (1885-?), Jennie's brother who was born in The Netherlands
- Susan Bosschieter (1881-?), Jennie's sister who was born in The Netherlands