In the early morning hours of April 10th, 1836, the Madam of a New York City brothel awoke to someone knocking loudly on the door of her building, located at 41 Thomas Street.

When she rose to let the visitor inside, she noticed a lamp out of place in the parlor. She carried it up the stairs to return it to its rightful

place only to find one of the girl's bedrooms filled with smoke and flames. The madam sent for the watchmen as she and the girls

doused the fire with water. As the flames died down, there they found 22-year-old

Helen Jew it, dead on her mattress but it was clear that

Helen's death was not caused by the fire they just extinguished Helen who was

born and raised in Maine, was considered a well-known sex worker and a prominent New Yorker, and her case became known around the world.

And though Helen Juit's case was sensationalized by the press and the tabloid papers of the day,

the coverage helped put a human face on sex work in the criminalized act of prostitution.

As the taboo subject of sex entered the prudish public sphere of the 1800s,

it invited commentary, opinion, and bias, even among those tasked with the pursuit of justice on Helen

Jewett's behalf.

I'm Kylie Lowe and this is the historical case of Helen Jewett on born Dorcas Doyan on October 1813 in Temple Maine to John and Sally Doyan.

Dorcas would change her name often as she moved through life,

and according to Patricia Klein Cohen,

author of The Murder of Helen Jewett, quote,

as soon as she could, Dorcas abandoned the name her parents had given her,

later insisting that Maria Benson was her natal name."

I will refer to her as Helen, as that is her most commonly used name.

According to the Kennebec Journal, the moniker was one she assumed in honor of her favorite historical character, Helen of Troy.

Just to note, this case and the individuals involved, used numerous aliases.

I will include a list in the show description for your reference.

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