Deliberate Evil: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Daniel Webster, and the 1830 Murder of a Salem Slave Trader

by Edward J. Renehan Jr.

The 1830 murder of wealthy slaver Joseph White outraged all of Salem, Massachusetts. Soon the crime drew national attention when it was discovered that two of the conspirators came from Salem’s influential Crowninshield family: a clan of millionaire shipowners, cabinet secretaries, and congressmen.

A prosecution team led by famed Massachusetts senator Daniel Webster made the case even more newsworthy. Meanwhile, young Salem native Nathaniel Hawthorne—who knew several of the accused—observed and wrote.

Here, using source materials not available previously, Edward J. Renehan Jr. provides a riveting narrative of the cold-blooded murder, intense investigations, scandal-strewn trials, and grim executions that dominated headlines nearly two-hundred years ago.

Genres: True Crime, History, Nonfiction, Crime, American History, Audiobook, Historical

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 7, 2021

About the author

Currently publishing as Edward Renehan

Edward John Renehan, Jr. (born c 1956) is a publisher, consultant and writer, and onetime professional musician. He made headlines in 2008 when he was convicted of document theft.

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read many books I thought should have been articles or blog posts instead of books, but this one may be the best example. To give the author credit, it is an interesting premise to look into the murder of a "pillar of the community" person who built his wealth partially through the slave trade. However there was not much suspense in the book as one of the conspirators confessed to the crime to a minister, who immediately revealed it to the authorities. What really frustrated me was the extensive use of block quotes. The text of the book was 209 pages and at least 40 of those pages were text of speeches during the trial. Daniel Webster was the main prosecutor and I understand one of his speeches is considered one of the best trial speeches ever given, but to quote the whole speech, along with almost all of the defense's speech, was a bit much. I think it would have been helpful to have the author's interpretation and a few selected sections.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously meticulously researched, but I was not able to finish it. It is very dry. It also gives you the bona fides for darn nearly every person who enters the story and sometimes their spouse too. This guy was kin to John Quincy Adams, his was wife was the granddaughter of Judge So and So. I'm sorry, you lost me. Do we really need to know what each one of the Crowninshield children did with their lives before we get to the guy who is the central scoundrel of our story?

And while "slave trader" is in the title, it isn't dissected at all. It's just mentioned briefly. When the victim was murdered he was in his 80s, he wasn't actively involved in slave trading at the time or murdered directly because of his involvement.

I did have flashes of Lizzie Bordon and Leopold and Loeb while reading. When rich people commit murder the authorities respond differently.

Once I gave up I found a Smithsonian magazine article that summarized the outcome quite succinctly. (That's all I really wanted.)

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-1/2 stars.
Well written and interesting account of the murder, investigation and subsequent trial and events concerning Salem, MA, shipping magnate, Joseph White in 1830. The author has done his research using newly uncovered materials due to an almost two century attempt to cover over the events, because White was a slave trader. All parties involved are presented in great detail. The aftermath of the event is also tied up neatly by the author.

The author connects the murder trial in 1830 Salem with Nathaniel Hawthorne, a resident of the town at the time, and explains how this real-life event influenced Hawthorne’s writing: The Scarlet Letter; The House of the Seven Gables; and “Mr. Higginbottom’s Catastrophe.”
The trial also resonated with Hawthorne’s contemporaries, influencing the works of Emerson, Thoreau and Poe–who was five year junior to Hawthorne (“The Tell-Tale Heart”)¬¬¬–and of course the well-known Stephen Vincent Benét story, “The Devil and Daniel Webster.”

Buffalo Connection: Stephen White, heir to the Joseph White fortune and a shipping magnate himself, established a shipyard in Boston, relying on the finest oak timber for his business, cut and milled in western New York. He established a sawmill and settlement located on Grand Island, that he named “Whitehaven,” shipping the lumber east via the Erie Canal and then on to Boston. The first ship built with WNY lumber was his own, named the Niagara.

Well worth reading.

[Patrick Seitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shamefully bloated. This meeting could have been an e-mail. Oh, a 20,000-word quote from a primary source, followed almost immediately by a 7,000-word quote? And then it ends with another extended quote that does nothing to further our understanding of what we’ve just read? Cool.

[Janice Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deliberate Evil had my mind running, who did it? The crime murder plot is capturing especially the way it is presented in the book itself. Storyline has to do with Salem’s wealthiest and most prestigious families as well as some of the most best known personalities of the day including Nathaniel Hawthorne and Daniel Webster.
Deliberate Evil is a very fascinating saga from our country’s past that can be enjoyed by true crime fans. The tale of the murder of Joseph White, echoes the courtroom dramas we watch routinely today on television; murder, suicide, confessions given, confessions withdrawn and along with it the very press. As we seen and know, sometimes the law can be twisted to better benefit those who would benefit politically or monetarily.
The Salem, Massachusetts of Mr. Renehan’s book may not be fully recognizable to many of us currently, but instead known as a Halloween playground. After the storied witch trials of 1692 and 93, Salem became for a time the most profitable shipping center within the country.
Book is a good read, I enjoyed reading this interesting book.

[Eileen Charbonneau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for those of us who love a good delve into the wormholes of history. The setting: 1830 Salem, Massachusetts. The crime: the cold-blooded murder of an unrepentant slave trader in his own bed. The suspects: many. The trial: prosecuted by Daniel Webster and witnessed by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Extensively researched, beautifully told. A wry quote from a local newspaper: "Let it no longer be considered that the case of an individual depends upon right and justice, but upon who he had engaged for counsel, and upon the magnitude of the fee paid to some pretended giant of the law." Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was extremely well researched and detailed, almost too much information was given. Because of how in depth it went on the surrounding characters of the case, and giving background on every little piece it read more like a dissertation. Very well researched and informative but very dry.

[Shawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not at all what it thought I was getting when I decided to read this particular book. I thought I was getting a detailed history of a killer and the impact of a murder on the Salem, Massachusetts society at the time. Instead it was more a discussion of the trial of three men who killed Captain White, complete with the entirety of both the defense and prosecution summations transcribed. Rather dry reading to say the least. The chapter analyzing how this trial influenced Salem resident Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing was fascinating, but I’m not sure it was worth reading the rest of the book to get to it.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars: This wasn't a bad book, but I just had a hard time getting into it. The title is a bit misleading--there are a few small sections about Nathaniel Hawthorne and his family's history in Salem, but it's really tangential to the main story and seemed like padding to make the book longer. Most of the second half of the book is made up of long quotes from the closing arguments of the defense and prosecution (Daniel Webster). It is an interesting case, but I would have appreciated some sort of analysis from a legal perspective. Based purely on what was presented in the book the prosecution's case was very flimsy (mostly circumstantial evidence). Overall, I think this was an interesting story but is probably more suitable for a long-form essay than a full-length book.

[Marsha Valance · Rating 3 out of 5]

A genealogist's dream of a true crime saga, DELIBERATE EVIL combines a maritime history of Salem, Massachusetts, with a look at the families affected by & affecting its growth/decline over the 2 centuries from its foundation as a strict, god-fearing settlement in the 1630s thru its late 18th century height as a center for slaving, privateering & the China trade to its nadir as a center for crime & debauchery in the 1830s. Salem's rise & fall is framed within the context of the 1830 murder of Joseph White, an octogenarian retired slave trader & privateer, & the subsequent murder tria.sl prosecuted by Daniel Webster & reported upon by Nathaniel Hawthorne & James Gordon Bennett. It is quite well-researched, albeit not that well-written, & as a reader I could have done with fewer photos of houses & just a few illustrations of the protagonists. Webster's summation of the evidence at the trial of the 2nd murderer is worth reading the entire (short) book.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best storytelling. The crime was interesting, but difficult to make into an enjoyable book. It seems as though the first third was a history of Salem and its most prominent families - more "begats" than Genesis - long lists of names of lots and lots of people who have little bearing. The second third is the crime, pretty straightforward, and we know who and why pretty quickly. The last third seems to be just courtroom transcripts, closing arguments that go on for hours and hours and hours and hours. Finally, Nathaniel Hawthorne is only tangentially related to this case, just barely. He's from Salem, and he wrote a couple of letters in which he mentioned the case. The book does really make me want to go back to visit Salem, though.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A murder mystery set in the 1830s, this book has several intriguing points: names that are famous now are presented in the down-to-earth perspective of their lives and times, which makes them the more interesting. Seeing how the politics of the time, and their effects, compare with those of today, is food for thought as well. Last but not least, one cannot ignore the fact that as a murder mystery, it is true, as far as the author in his considerable diligence can make out.

[Brian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was an awful book. I don't even want to finish the last 3 minutes which is, apparently, a verbatim recitation of someone's 1830 will complete with the names of the witnesses thereto? Come on man, that's not writing, that's copying. Oh, audiobook, please end!

[Gretchen Hohmeyer]

DNFed at 75%. Wouldn't have even gotten that far, but I was waiting for another library hold to come through. Very dry and filled with paragraph upon paragraph of straight testimony taken from the trials.

[Caroline Hagood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fascinating in terms of revealing a slice of history that has not been taught in the average history education. The book reads like page-turning fiction but informs like the best of nonfiction, thereby bringing together the best of both worlds.

[Daniel Farabaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does a good job with the murder and investigation. The book is overly reliant on reading the transcripts of the lawyer summations at the end.

[Fernando Escobar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid work. Didn't know about the case.

[Robyn Williamson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. I had hopes for this to be so much more than what it turned out to be. Dry, jumbled and over-the-top in unnecessary detail

[Kelsey Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt like it tried to be engaging and scandalous but some of that effort fell flat to me.

[Los Gatos Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book seemed to be mainly quotes from historical transcripts, and I found the Hawthorn connection to be very sparse.

Breanna - Adult Librarian

[Lawanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook read by Shawn Compton
Amazing relatives and connections.

[Breanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF’ed

Literally just quotes, and the fact the author tried to tie in Hawthorne in a big way just for it to be…this?