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The Notorious Mrs. Clem: Murder and Money in the Gilded Age
Was Nancy Clem a respectable Indianapolis housewife―or a cold-blooded double murderess? In September 1868, the remains of Jacob and Nancy Jane Young were found lying near the banks of Indiana’s White River. It was a gruesome scene. Part of Jacob’s face had been blown off, apparently by the shotgun that lay a few feet away. Spiders and black beetles crawled over his wound. Smoke rose from his wife’s smoldering body, which was so badly burned that her intestines were exposed, the flesh on her thighs gone, and the bones partially reduced to powder. Suspicion for both deaths turned to Nancy Clem, a housewife who was also one of Mr. Young’s former business partners. In The Notorious Mrs. Clem , Wendy Gamber chronicles the life and times of this charming and persuasive Gilded Age confidence woman, who became famous not only as an accused murderess but also as an itinerant peddler of patent medicine and the supposed originator of the Ponzi scheme. Clem’s story is a shocking tale of friendship and betrayal, crime and punishment, courtroom drama and partisan politicking, get-rich-quick schemes and shady business deals. It also raises fascinating questions about women’s place in an evolving urban economy. As they argued over Clem’s guilt or innocence, lawyers, jurors, and ordinary citizens pondered competing ideas about gender, money, and marriage. Was Clem on trial because she allegedly murdered her business partner? Or was she on trial because she engaged in business? Along the way, Gamber introduces a host of equally compelling characters, from prosecuting attorney and future U.S. president Benjamin Harrison to folksy defense lawyer John Hanna, daring detective Peter Wilkins, pioneering “lady news writer” Laura Ream, and female-remedy manufacturer Michael Slavin. Based on extensive sources, including newspapers, trial documents, and local histories, this gripping account of a seemingly typical woman who achieved extraordinary notoriety will appeal to true crime lovers and historians alike.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 11, 2017
~ review copy
I enjoyed this book. The author, Wendy Gamber, knows her stuff. It's obvious that she is familiar not only with the details of the crimes but also with the politics and history of the time in which they took place.
I think it's important to make this latter point because in my judgement the person who is going to really get the most out of this book is the one who is interested in the history of the post-war years (taking Civil War here) versus one who is looking for a crime thriller. I actually became bored with the actual trial --and freely admit that one of my problems was that I didn't make a serious enough attempt to memorize all the 'characters' as they were introduced in the beginning. And this is just one of those books with lots and lots of people coming and going; many of them related in one way or another. So my bad. I just didn't realize that I needed to do so as it didn't occur to me that the case would spread so far afield.
THAT said, I did not get at-all bored with the details of the time. I learned a lot about what happened after the Civil War that I did not know previously, and this information was integrated into the story of the murders as well as the growth of Indianapolis and it's cities.
That Ms. Gamber understands those times is clear from the intricate details of city life and community life that she shares.
SUMMARY
There are many ways you can approach this book. You can glean it for the interesting insight that's provided into the post-war years; or you can follow the story of Mrs. Clem and trial. There are political, social, gender and financial aspects to explore. You should know though that as a trial book it is very detailed and the writing is what I would expect from a promising PhD. There is no attempt to glamorize either victims nor perps. She just tells it like it was.
I enjoyed this book. The author, Wendy Gamber, knows her stuff. It's obvious that she is familiar not only with the details of the crimes but also with the politics and history of the time in which they took place.
I think it's important to make this latter point because in my judgement the person who is going to really get the most out of this book is the one who is interested in the history of the post-war years (taking Civil War here) versus one who is looking for a crime thriller. I actually became bored with the actual trial --and freely admit that one of my problems was that I didn't make a serious enough attempt to memorize all the 'characters' as they were introduced in the beginning. And this is just one of those books with lots and lots of people coming and going; many of them related in one way or another. So my bad. I just didn't realize that I needed to do so as it didn't occur to me that the case would spread so far afield.
THAT said, I did not get at-all bored with the details of the time. I learned a lot about what happened after the Civil War that I did not know previously, and this information was integrated into the story of the murders as well as the growth of Indianapolis and it's cities.
That Ms. Gamber understands those times is clear from the intricate details of city life and community life that she shares.
SUMMARY
There are many ways you can approach this book. You can glean it for the interesting insight that's provided into the post-war years; or you can follow the story of Mrs. Clem and trial. There are political, social, gender and financial aspects to explore. You should know though that as a trial book it is very detailed and the writing is what I would expect from a promising PhD. There is no attempt to glamorize either victims nor perps. She just tells it like it was.
February 16, 2019
Just three years after the end of the Civil War, Jason and Nancy Young were murdered along the White River outside Indianapolis. The investigation quickly settled on a conspiracy of three men and a woman who were involved in a dubious financial scheme with the husband. The woman was Nancy Clem, a woman from a farm family, poorly educated, but smart and capable. The prosecutorial theory was one of the men bought the shotgun used in the crime, the other two men followed the couple out in the country, and Mrs. Clem rode with the couple. The husband was shot by a different weapon than the wife, so more than one killer was likely.
Gamber draws heavily on contemporary news reports of court proceedings and the many editorials urging the ultimate penalty for Mrs. Clem. She had money enough to afford the best lawyers and the county ended up having to try her again and again, thanks to two hung juries and two successful appeals. Later in life, she was prosecuted again, for unrelated crimes, lending and borrowing in a clumsy sort of Ponzi scheme. Too bad she didn’t incorporate, she would have been in the clear.
The most fascinating element of Mrs. Clem’s notoriety was how much she was perceived as guilty or not guilty based on the partisan view of women’s role in the economy. The Democrats who were more rural, agricultural folk depended on women’s labor on the farm and didn’t get offended over a women trading in loans or investments. They saw women in the marketplace as legitimate. The Republicans, more urban, educated, and well off, on the other hand, saw women’s role in the home, not contributing to the economic health of the family, but raising the children and taking care of her husband. Mrs. Clem’s skill and interest in money and lending offended them.
The legal arguments of lawyers reflected these biases and so did the juries. For me, the hung jury of the first cast looms large since testimony is freshest, less rehearsed and set in stone. Over time, people become more certain, not less. However, I get a strong impression that Gamber assumes Clem was guilty. Today, we are less credulous about eyewitness testimony and courts don’t allow hearsay, so I wonder what would happen in today’s courts. Then again, they would have ballistics and DNA evidence. In many ways, the strongest evidence against Mrs. Clem was a Size 3 footprint. At first, I thought that was definitive because who is a size 3? However, that was the most common women’s size back then, so obviously, sizes were different from today.
This is a scrupulously sourced and carefully documented history of what was once a national scandal. It is different from many other crimes because the idea of a woman killing over money and fraud seems strange. This is no crime of passion.
I was interested throughout, though since there were so many trials, it’s really hard to avoid covering the same ground. Gamber wisely focused on new directions, new evidence, and new arguments, but nonetheless, it really seemed like a Bleak House criminal case.
It was most fascinating to see how the concept of women’s role in the economy played such a powerful role in how people viewed Mrs. Clem. It seemed the national divisions that led to the Civil War were still playing out on new battlefields.
I received a copy of The Notorious Mrs. Clem from the publisher.
The Notorious Mrs. Clem at Johns Hopkins University Press
Wendy Gamber faculty page
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
Gamber draws heavily on contemporary news reports of court proceedings and the many editorials urging the ultimate penalty for Mrs. Clem. She had money enough to afford the best lawyers and the county ended up having to try her again and again, thanks to two hung juries and two successful appeals. Later in life, she was prosecuted again, for unrelated crimes, lending and borrowing in a clumsy sort of Ponzi scheme. Too bad she didn’t incorporate, she would have been in the clear.
The most fascinating element of Mrs. Clem’s notoriety was how much she was perceived as guilty or not guilty based on the partisan view of women’s role in the economy. The Democrats who were more rural, agricultural folk depended on women’s labor on the farm and didn’t get offended over a women trading in loans or investments. They saw women in the marketplace as legitimate. The Republicans, more urban, educated, and well off, on the other hand, saw women’s role in the home, not contributing to the economic health of the family, but raising the children and taking care of her husband. Mrs. Clem’s skill and interest in money and lending offended them.
The legal arguments of lawyers reflected these biases and so did the juries. For me, the hung jury of the first cast looms large since testimony is freshest, less rehearsed and set in stone. Over time, people become more certain, not less. However, I get a strong impression that Gamber assumes Clem was guilty. Today, we are less credulous about eyewitness testimony and courts don’t allow hearsay, so I wonder what would happen in today’s courts. Then again, they would have ballistics and DNA evidence. In many ways, the strongest evidence against Mrs. Clem was a Size 3 footprint. At first, I thought that was definitive because who is a size 3? However, that was the most common women’s size back then, so obviously, sizes were different from today.
This is a scrupulously sourced and carefully documented history of what was once a national scandal. It is different from many other crimes because the idea of a woman killing over money and fraud seems strange. This is no crime of passion.
I was interested throughout, though since there were so many trials, it’s really hard to avoid covering the same ground. Gamber wisely focused on new directions, new evidence, and new arguments, but nonetheless, it really seemed like a Bleak House criminal case.
It was most fascinating to see how the concept of women’s role in the economy played such a powerful role in how people viewed Mrs. Clem. It seemed the national divisions that led to the Civil War were still playing out on new battlefields.
I received a copy of The Notorious Mrs. Clem from the publisher.
The Notorious Mrs. Clem at Johns Hopkins University Press
Wendy Gamber faculty page
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
April 28, 2021
I’m only giving this two stars because it does have a wealth of information and history but it’s not what I want. I just gave up reading it and returned it. I’ll google to see what happens to Nancy Clem and see what made her so notorious 🙄
October 20, 2016
ARC courtesy The Johns Hopkins University Press via the Amazon Vine program
The city of Indianapolis was on the cusp of growth and change in the years immediately after the Civil War ended when the Gilded Age was born. Population growth and stratification, political ideologies, and even women's rights were all in flux during this volatile time.
Author Wendy Gamber humanizes this changing era by teasing out the story of a woman who was tried for murder. Standing center stage in this book is Nancy Clem, a remarried widow who had a knack for the main chance when it came to generating income with others' money. The choices Clem made and the social constructs of the time and place in which she lived ended up combining to render her, as a contemporaneous saying put it, like "a dog in the well."
Gamber's thoroughly researched and carefully annotated study of the life and times of Clem is fascinating on several levels. On one level, it is a challenging "whodunit" so quirky in many details that it is odder than fiction. On another, it is an exploration of how social environment can shape the choices people make. And on a third level, perhaps by sheer happenstance, a number of people who would go on to high-level politics, including one who became a U.S. president, were involved in Clem's criminal proceedings.
It is to Gamber's credit that this book reads so compellingly on all three levels. While some sections dealing with elements of Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction politics were difficult for me to navigate, her narrative overall was thought-provoking, and her attention to detail brought the situations and personalities she described into bright and authentic focus. This book is both academic and accessible. 4.5 stars.
The city of Indianapolis was on the cusp of growth and change in the years immediately after the Civil War ended when the Gilded Age was born. Population growth and stratification, political ideologies, and even women's rights were all in flux during this volatile time.
Author Wendy Gamber humanizes this changing era by teasing out the story of a woman who was tried for murder. Standing center stage in this book is Nancy Clem, a remarried widow who had a knack for the main chance when it came to generating income with others' money. The choices Clem made and the social constructs of the time and place in which she lived ended up combining to render her, as a contemporaneous saying put it, like "a dog in the well."
Gamber's thoroughly researched and carefully annotated study of the life and times of Clem is fascinating on several levels. On one level, it is a challenging "whodunit" so quirky in many details that it is odder than fiction. On another, it is an exploration of how social environment can shape the choices people make. And on a third level, perhaps by sheer happenstance, a number of people who would go on to high-level politics, including one who became a U.S. president, were involved in Clem's criminal proceedings.
It is to Gamber's credit that this book reads so compellingly on all three levels. While some sections dealing with elements of Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction politics were difficult for me to navigate, her narrative overall was thought-provoking, and her attention to detail brought the situations and personalities she described into bright and authentic focus. This book is both academic and accessible. 4.5 stars.
November 4, 2018
A true story of murder but also of a woman's place in the 1800's. Interesting read for Hoosiers as well as true crime fans. This story takes place in and around Indianapolis. The murders take place in Cold Springs but Mrs. Clem lived in Indianapolis. The reader will learn a little of Indy's history and will be introduced to such figures as Benjamin Harrison and John Hanna. We learn that Indiana was known, nationally, as the 'champion' divorce state of the union. We also see a city experiencing rapid growth. With all of the material that the author had to work with I was disappointed in the way the story was presented. Gamber never pulls the reader into the story which is sad because this is a fantastic tale. I still recommend the book to people with an interest in Indiana as there are some interesting bits of information to be found.
July 23, 2017
I'll be generous and give this book 3 stars just for the depth of the authors research, although I can't recommend it. I was hoping for another "Devil in the White City" or even a "Poisoners Handbook" but this was too much of a turgid slog. Most of the book is just taken up with massively detailed accounts of her trials (or it feels that way) and so attempts to link the case to the social and political changes occurring at the time are lost in the mire. A good editor would have been an idea.
April 21, 2021
While the concept of this historic true crime book was fascinating (1800s business woman murders business associate and wife), only about 1/3 of the book was very interesting. Much of the narrative here has readers stuck in court case after unfulfilling court case, each case promising new information on the murders and each one failing to deliver. While the book was well-researched and offered a fascinating look at developing Indianapolis, it was a struggle to finish the book.
October 29, 2017
An ambiguous historical read, giving a glimpse into late 19th century Indiana. (You should ask yourself, first, if you really care about entering this world.)
Nancy Clem seems indeed a pioneer for women. But in what sense? This book, and story, goes a bit longer. Benjamin Harrison, future US president, also plays and outsize role here.
Nancy Clem seems indeed a pioneer for women. But in what sense? This book, and story, goes a bit longer. Benjamin Harrison, future US president, also plays and outsize role here.
November 11, 2017
Mrs Clem is on trial for murdering a couple involved in her money-lending schemes.
What we got was a history lesson of the post US Civil War era into which the story falls, and also to the history of the criminal justice system.
True crime bogged down by the details - I just wanted to know the facts - and concisely at that.
What we got was a history lesson of the post US Civil War era into which the story falls, and also to the history of the criminal justice system.
True crime bogged down by the details - I just wanted to know the facts - and concisely at that.
February 14, 2025
I was unfortunately not able to get through this one. I'm not sure I can put a finger on why it was tedious for me. Nothing very memorable in the first several chapters that I read. I was probably spoiled by other great historical non-fiction. Sad that notuch sticks with me enough to even comment further. But what a great title! ;^)
April 25, 2022
I went into this book hoping for an interesting true crime book but instead stopped less than halfway through. It was dry and dull, leaving the reader wanting something more. The information was there but the story telling was not.
May 6, 2017
Despite the storyline, the book just wasn't that interesting unfortunately.
June 29, 2018
3.5 stars. This is a well researched non-fiction read.
July 17, 2018
Very slow read. Well researched, but just not terribly interesting. It isn't told like a story. Just dry information.
December 2, 2019
Fairly boring book about a crime; reading about the subsequent trials felt like a chore. However, it was good for an understanding of late 1800s Indianapolis.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2020
Mostly paraphrases court transcripts and newspaper articles, so it's not a very engaging narrative.
June 24, 2016
The Notorious Mrs. Clem covers the life of Nancy Clem who allegedly murdered Jacob and Nancy Young as part of a scheme to reclaim money from illicit loans and an equivalent of a 19th century Ponzi scheme in Indiana. This book which focuses on the murder, trails, and aftermath of what happened to Mrs. Clem is well documented and researched. In some cases, it is almost too much so and the reader is left wanting the story to move along at a little faster pace. Given the numerous hung juries that occurred during the course of the trail and various appeals the reader is forced to keep track of similar trials again and again. Quite a bit of attention is paid to the gender norms of the time and how shocking it was that Mrs. Clem could be a murderess! Overall as someone who reads a lot about the Gilded Age I had not heard of this incident before and found it an interesting part of the narrative of the time. The book covers many of the ins and outs of the justice system at the time from a criminal perspective (as opposed to the corporate perspective which is usually what is written about for this time period). Familiar faces like Benjamin Harrison and Mark Hana make an appearance and give you a look at their careers. Very well researched but you have to be willing to slog through it to get to the gems of which there are many.
March 31, 2017
I can't decide if the story was boring or the way it was written was boring. A little of both I guess? It didn't help that in the epilogue the author mentions both Lizzie Borden and Belle Gunness, two stories that were skillfully examined by Ann Jones in Women Who Kill. It just reminded me that I've ready way better true crime books that examine societal beliefs about women.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews