The Devil's Gentleman (54 page)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As the dedication to this book suggests, I owe my greatest debt of gratitude to Will Molineux, Roland’s grand-nephew, who gave me complete access to his trove of family documents and—even better—quickly became a valued friend. I am also grateful to Ross Molineux, who first put me in touch with Will.

Among those who offered various kinds of assistance during the research and writing of the book, I wish to thank Eve Berliner, Clare Eby, Mark Essig, Tom Gilson, Linda Goetz Holmes, G. Gordon Liddy, Jane Pejsa, Richard Pope, Thomas J. Reed, Marvin Schechter, Nancy M. Shawcross, Marie Spearman, and—at the Paul Klapper Library of Queens College—Marianne Conti Stein and Evelyn Silverman.

I owe more than I can say to my editor and friend, Linda Marrow. My agent, Loretta Barrett, has been there for me every step of the way. Dana Isaacson has offered invaluable advice, and Dan Mallory unstinting assistance.

Finally, I wish to convey boundless love to my research assistant. From her research assistant.

H
AROLD
S
CHECHTER
is a professor of American literature and culture at Queens College, the City University of New York. He is widely celebrated for both fiction and true-crime writing, including
The Serial Killer Files.
He lives in Brooklyn and Mattituck, Long Island, with his wife, the poet Kimiko Hahn.

A
LSO BY
H
AROLD
S
CHECHTER

NONFICTION

The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers
(with David Everitt)

Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster

Depraved: The Shocking True Story of America’s First Serial Killer

Deranged: The Shocking True Story of America’s Most Fiendish Killer

Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original “Psycho”

Fatal: The Poisonous Life of a Female Serial Killer

Fiend: The Shocking True Story of America’s Youngest Serial Killer

Savage Pastimes: A Cultural History of Violent Entertainment

The Serial Killer Files: The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World’s Most Terrifying Murderers

FICTION

Nevermore

Outcry

The Hum Bug

The Mask of Red Death

The Tell-Tale Corpse

Praise for

The Devil’s Gentleman

“Schechter has created satisfying, nuanced portraits of his main characters and set them in a late nineteenth-century New York that fairly throbs with exotic, specific life.”

—
The New York Times

“An intriguing read for true-life crime buffs.”

—
San Antonio Express-News

“An elegantly written true-crime story, rich in themes and vibrant details. Schechter is an addictive storyteller.”

—
Bomb
magazine

“Harold Schechter breathes life into the strange and twisted saga of Roland Molineux…letting us taste the mood, lifestyle, customs and moral assumptions of a long gone era…. We can almost feel the chill in the courtroom…. A virtuoso performance.”

—
New York Law Journal

“[Schechter’s] lurid tale of murder, jealousy and love also gives insight to the culture of the time period, blending history with vivid storytelling.”

—
The Parkersburg News

“Thrilling…a riveting tale of murder, seduction and tabloid journalism.”

—
Publishers Weekly

2008 Ballantine Books Trade Paperback Edition

Copyright © 2007 by Harold Schechter

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

B
ALLANTINE
and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

Photograph credits: Prisoners in stripes lined up © Bettmann/Corbis; electric chair at Sing Sing © Underwood & Underwood. Reprinted by permission of Corbis. Photo graphs of General Edward Leslie Molineux and Roland Molineux courtesy of William A. Molineux.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Schechter, Harold.
The devil’s gentleman: privilege, poison, and the trial that ushered in the twentieth century/Harold Schechter.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Molineux, Roland Burnham. 2. Murder—New York (State)—New York. 3. United States—Social conditions—1865–1918. I. Title.
HV6534.N5S34 2007                           364.152'3092—dc22                           2007019705

www.ballantinebooks.com

eISBN: 978-0-345-50942-0

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