In this special Halloween episode, we explore an urban legend that emerged from the trial of Levi Weeks. After the verdict came down, a vengeful Catherine Ring is said to have cursed Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and Justice John Lansing, causing all three to die horrific deaths.
Above: “Trick a Witch”by French Painter Jean-Baptiste Cariven (1843–1904)
SHOW NOTES
Historical illustration from 1901, representing the infamous 1804 confrontation between Hamilton and Burr on the dueling fields of Weehawken, NJ. Held by the Library of Congress and made available by Internet’ Archive’s Flickr account (https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14598442187/)
On July 4th, 1804—a week before he was shot dead by Aaron Burr—Alexander Hamilton wrote a letter to his wife, Elizabeth (“Eliza”) Schuyler Hamilton. It reads, in part: “This letter, my very dear Eliza, will not be delivered to you, unless I shall first have terminated my earthly career…If it had been possible for me to have avoided the interview [i.e. duel], my love for you and my precious children would have been alone a decisive motive. But it was not possible, without sacrifices which would have rendered me unworthy of your esteem.” The letter was conveyed to Eliza as Hamilton languished on his death bed, in the Greenwich Village house of his friend William Bayer, Jr., where he was conveyed after being mortally wounded in his duel with Burr. Letter held by the Library of Congress.
Portrait of Eliza Jumel by unknown artist (ca. 1835). Jumel—a wealthy widow whose Harlem mansion is today a museum—married Aaron Burr in 1833. She regretted the decision almost instantly. When Jumel filed for divorce, she hired Alexander Hamilton, Jr., rubbing salt into Burr’s wounds. Their divorce was finalized on the day Aaron Burr died. A brass plaque on the portrait’s frame reads: “Eliza Jumel, 2nd wife of Aaron Burr Vice President of the United States.” Digitized by the Morris Jumel Mansion.
A depiction of Manhattan’s City Hotel, as it appeared around 1841. The City Hotel, open from 1794-1849, was New York’s first modern hotel. It is also the last place where Chief Justice John Lansing, Jr. was seen alive before his mysterious disappearance. When the establishment closed in 1849, New York papers highlighted the fact that the City was formerly owned by Ezra Weeks. This low-resolution digitized image comes courtesy of Columbia University.
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