F is for Polly FRISCH, murderess

In 1856, in the rural town of Alabama, NY one woman's family suffered from multiple unexplained deaths. The town folk grew suspicious of the now remarried Polly Frisch. An investigation commenced, bodies were exhumed, an affair—exposed. Polly would be arrested for the murders of her first husband and daughters. Her fourteen-year-old son would testify against her. If found guilty, the punishment for such a crime was the gallows. Would Polly be the first woman in Genesee County history to be hanged for murder? Bread & Butter is the true story of Polly Frisch who poisoned her family with arsenic and the five trials it took to convict her.

 

By Cindy Amrhein &Ellen Lea Bachorski 

 

NOW AVAILABLE AT:

Lulu in Hardcover
Amazon in Softcover and Kindle Edition 

***

Stay tuned for more history tidbits throughout the month of April!

The list to the other A-Z bloggers is here.

***

If your user name in comments doesn't lead to your A-Z blog, leave the URL so I can find you!

Here's how to do a clickable link to your blog in the comments section:

< a href="http://historysleuth.blogspot.com/">History Sleuth's Writings - Blogging A-Z</a >

Just replace my stuff with yours and take the space out between the < a and a > above.

(Had to put a space in or you would see a link instead of code. :)

Keep it in a note on your desktop so you can copy & keep hitting paste at every blog instead of retyping.

Read More

Blogsite Malfunction

Before you say it, yes I backed up my template as well as all my posts. In my attempt to try and find a new template and not finding one right away, my old template for some reason, would not re-upload. I like the new one BUT none of my posts are showing soooo, 8 sentence snippet for me today.

Read More

Y is for YARD, Grave Yard that is

An excerpt from Bread & Butter the Murders of Polly Frisch. A 19th century true crime.

Tombstone of Henry Hoag/e, murdered by his wife Polly.

The bodies must have been moved prior to the inquests as records show the exhumations were performed at the cemetery in Alabama Center. There is however a space between the grave of Henry and those of his children.

So the question remains—are Eliza Jane and the infant buried with no headstone? At least Eliza Jane should be, and maybe her stone has been destroyed with time. The original cemetery records burned in a fire in the early 1900s and had to be recreated from the tombstones themselves. If Eliza Jane’s stone had been destroyed by that point in time there would be no record of her burial there.

 

***

Bread and Butter The Murders of Polly Frisch is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

The list to the other A-Z bloggers is here.
If your user name in comments doesn't lead to your A-Z blog, leave the URL so I can find you!
 

Here's how to do a clickable link to your blog in comments:
< a href="http://historysleuth.blogspot.com/">History Sleuth's Writings - Blogging A-Z</a >
Just replace my stuff with yours and take the space out between the < a and a >
(Had to put a space in or you would see a link instead of code. :)
Keep it in a note on your desktop so you can copy & keep hitting paste at every blog instead of retyping.

Read More

X is for Ten -a Page from the Murders of Polly Frisch

I was hard pressed for X, like most people, and I had nothing in my crime files. So... X is roman numeral ten, IX is for nine. We often see these pages in non-fiction for an introduction, forward etc. So I am giving page IX of Bread & Butter the Murders of  Polly Frisch. It shows how with one paragraph from an old book, and a lot of research you can get to the truth.

Hoag/e family plot - Alabama Center Cemetery.

Foreword

Bread & Butter, a true story of the murders committed by Polly Franklin Hoag Frisch, is the result of extensive research. It began from one paragraph in a book entitled Gazetteer and Biographical Record and Directory of Genesee County New York 1788-1890, by F.W. Beers; and the prompting of the Genesee County Historian, Sue Conklin.

Sue felt that Polly’s story would be great for the history section of the local monthly paper we published at the time, The Basom Post. (Basom is a hamlet of Alabama, NY; Alabama being the scene of where the murders occurred.)

We began researching the story in January of 1995, and quickly came to the conclusion that there was far too much information to put into a news article. It would have to be told in a book.

After reading the story of Polly Frisch, refer back to the following paragraphs taken from the Gazetteer mentioned above. It is a fine example of how, after time elapses, the public forgets the facts, details are lost, and the truth becomes folklore.

Cindy Amrhein & Ellen Lea Bachorski

About the year 1848-1856 Alabama Center was the scene of a crime committed by a woman, Polly Franklin, who married Henry Hoag about 1844. Their children Rosa and Viola, died suddenly, and soon the father died, another child Frances, followed him.  After the death of Mr. Hoag his widow married Otto Frisch, but soon was deserted by him.

About this time suspicion was aroused and S.E. Filkins (counselor) caused an investigation to be made, which revealed the fact that some of her family had died from the effects of poison, large quantities of arsenic having been administered to them. She was arrested and tried three times, and being finally found guilty was sentenced to be hung, but was eventually imprisoned for life.

IX

It would turn out that only about half of what was printed above in 1890 was true. They confused the children, miscounted the trials, and unknown to them at the time of their printing in 1890---Polly's story didn't end there.

***

Bread and Butter The Murders of Polly Frisch is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

The list to the other A-Z bloggers is here.
If your user name in comments doesn't lead to your A-Z blog, leave the URL so I can find you!
 

Here's how to do a clickable link to your blog in comments:
< a href="http://historysleuth.blogspot.com/">History Sleuth's Writings - Blogging A-Z</a >
Just replace my stuff with yours and take the space out between the < a and a >
(Had to put a space in or you would see a link instead of code. :)
Keep it in a note on your desktop so you can copy & keep hitting paste at every blog instead of retyping.

Read More

V is for VERDICT

The following is an excerpt from Bread & Butter the Murders of Polly Frisch.

Old Genesee County Court House where Polly Frisch was tried for murder. Still in use today for Bankruptcy court and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

 ***

I'm not going to tell you which trial this was as it would ruin the crazy thing that went on during it. Here is the excerpt:

Up to this point, the jury had been split down the middle just like the last trial. It had seemed at first that the reading of the minutes had gone unnoticed, but it must have come up in their conversations. All of a sudden, everyone was in agreement that Polly Frisch was guilty of murder. After the verdict was read, and the jury discharged the incident was freely discussed amongst them. Those who had been for a verdict of innocent from the beginning were now saying that they had played “possum.” They thought she was guilty all along. They only said she was innocent to make sure that the case was debated and that the prisoner got a fair trial. It was a bit unbelievable to have six men be adamantly opposed to a verdict of guilty, then a few moments later change their minds. It was a fortunate thing for Polly that the jurors couldn’t resist gabbing about the case the moment it was over.

***

Bread and Butter The Murders of Polly Frisch is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

The list to the other A-Z bloggers is here.
If your user name in comments doesn't lead to your A-Z blog, leave the URL so I can find you!
 

Here's how to do a clickable link to your blog in comments:
< a href="http://historysleuth.blogspot.com/">History Sleuth's Writings - Blogging A-Z</a >
Just replace my stuff with yours and take the space out between the < a and a >
(Had to put a space in or you would see a link instead of code. :)
Keep it in a note on your desktop so you can copy & keep hitting paste at every blog instead of retyping.

Read More

U is for UNDERSHERIFF

The following is an excerpt for Bread & Butter the Murders of Polly Frisch.

Old Genesee County Jail, pre-1900.

Sunday the 3rd was to be a day of rest, and the jury needed it. It was a difficult task deciding the fate of Polly Frisch. The jurors were lodged at the Eagle Hotel and their rooms were in a separate area from the regular hotel guests. A sitting room had been provided near the hotel lobby for their use only. Under Sheriff Charles Sprague, Deputy Sheriff Lorenzo Olcott, and Constable Robert Pease were in charge of the jury. Their job was to insure that the jury was under constant supervision. They were sequestered, and not to speak to anyone, read anything that may have been in print about the trial, or leave the confines of the Eagle Hotel. All the things the jury was not supposed to do, they did.

***

Bread and Butter The Murders of Polly Frisch is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

The list to the other A-Z bloggers is here.
If your user name in comments doesn't lead to your A-Z blog, leave the URL so I can find you!
 

Here's how to do a clickable link to your blog in comments:
< a href="http://historysleuth.blogspot.com/">History Sleuth's Writings - Blogging A-Z</a >
Just replace my stuff with yours and take the space out between the < a and a >
(Had to put a space in or you would see a link instead of code. :)
Keep it in a note on your desktop so you can copy & keep hitting paste at every blog instead of retyping.

Read More

S is for SURROGATE'S Court

An excerpt from Bread & Butter The Murders of Polly Frisch.

A 19th century true crime.

The Hoag(e) family plot. Alabama Center Cemetery. Alabama, NY.

TO THE SURROGATE COURT OF GENESEE COUNTY:

The petition of Mary Hoage of the town of Alabama in the County of Genesee, respectfully sheweth, That Henry Hoage of the town of Alabama in the County of Genesee, died about the month of July 1856; that he left personal & real property, and four infant children who are all now under the age of fourteen years to wit:

Albert Burden Hoage aged 9 years the 15th of November last. Rosalie Imogene Hoage aged 7 years the 23rd day of July last. Frances Alma Hoage aged 5 years the 21st of September last & Eliza Jane Hoage aged 7 months.

(The italics above is the part of the petition that Polly filled in herself. Frances is included despite the fact she was already dead.)

***

Bread and Butter The Murders of Polly Frisch is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

The list to the other A-Z bloggers is here.
If your user name in comments doesn't lead to your A-Z blog, leave the URL so I can find you!
 

Here's how to do a clickable link to your blog in comments:
< a href="http://historysleuth.blogspot.com/">History Sleuth's Writings - Blogging A-Z</a >
Just replace my stuff with yours and take the space out between the < a and a >
(Had to put a space in or you would see a link instead of code. :)
Keep it in a note on your desktop so you can copy & keep hitting paste at every blog instead of retyping. 
 

Read More

R is for ROSALIE Hoag

An excerpt from Bread and Butter The Murders of Polly Frisch. 

A 19th century murder.

The Hoag(e) family plot. Alabama Center Cemetery. Alabama, NY.

At two o’clock in the afternoon, after Polly picked up Frances and Rosalie, they returned to the farm. While Albert turned out the horses Polly went into the kitchen to make the children some bread and butter.

Albert was not present while the food was being prepared. In Rosalie’s own testimony she said, “After we got home mother gave us some bread and butter. Albert was not there when she gave it to us, he was outdoors.”

Albert came into the kitchen where his two sisters were eating at the table. In reference to the bread and butter Albert said, “They were not small pieces. Frances ate hers all up. Rosalie ate part of hers and laid the rest on the table. Frances ate that afterwards. Mother did not give me any bread and butter; never did that I know of.”

Rosalie had agreed with this saying, “She ate hers, I ate part of mine, Franky [Frances’ nickname] took what I had left and ate it. We went out to play after eating the bread and butter.”

A short time later, while the children were outside playing, the girls suddenly became ill and began vomiting. Seven-year-old Rosalie, who had only eaten part of her bread, was sick for only a short time. Frances, on the other hand, become violently ill.

***

Bread and Butter The Murders of Polly Frisch is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

The list to the other A-Z bloggers is here.
If your user name in comments doesn't lead to your A-Z blog, leave the URL so I can find you!
 

Here's how to do a clickable link to your blog in comments:
< a href="http://historysleuth.blogspot.com/">History Sleuth's Writings - Blogging A-Z</a >
Just replace my stuff with yours and take the space out between the < a and a >
(Had to put a space in or you would see a link instead of code. :)
Keep it in a note on your desktop so you can copy & keep hitting paste at every blog instead of retyping. 
 

(My apologies for the delay in my posting. I had book issues yesterday that monopolized my time.)

Read More

Bread and Butter 11

Tombstone of Henry Hoag(e) - Alabama Center Cemetery, Alabama, NY

SETUP: Henry is now dead and Polly is moving on with her plans to get Matthew Bardwell back in the shoe shop. But then there is the matter of the children ...

AND NOW THE SNIPPET:

In a conversation she had with Mrs. Barber, Polly reflected back on one of their earlier talks concerning the fortune tellers prophesy of the deaths in her family.

Mrs. Barber stated, “Polly asked me, ‘What did I tell you! There has been one.’ The child [Frances] was then sick.”

Mrs. Barber was referring to the month of August after Henry’s death. Polly’s comment to Mrs. Barber, “There has been one,” foretells that according to the fortuneteller, there was still another death to happen. Thus, the fate of one of her children is subtlety revealed.

We can even assume, since Frances was recently sick after the death of her father as Mrs. Barber states, she would be the first to suffer the same fate as Henry thereby fulfilling the fortuneteller’s prophesy. The fortune given by Miss Orton that day in November would prove to be Polly’s stroke of luck and the catalyst for her plans.

***

 

In 1856, in the rural town of Alabama, NY one woman's family suffered from multiple unexplained deaths. The town folk grew suspicious of the now remarried Polly Frisch. An investigation commenced, bodies were exhumed, an affair—exposed. Polly would be arrested for the murders of her first husband and daughters. Her fourteen-year-old son would testify against her. If found guilty, the punishment for such a crime was the gallows. Bread & Butter is the true story of Polly Frisch who poisoned her family with arsenic and the five trials it took to convict her.

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

**** 

The above excerpt is from Bread & Butter: The Murders of Polly Frisch, an 1850s true crime co-authored with my friend, Ellen Bachorski in 2000. We re-released it into the modern world of POD in both soft and hard covers, and soon for Nook, Kindle, etc. with a new cover, fresh edits and new info. It should go live on Kindle some time this afternoon.

Polly Frisch on Amazon.

Read More

L is for LUNATIC

A lunatic was the term used to describe someone of an "unsound mind" in the 19th century. Polly Frisch's mother, Eliza Franklin would be declared so in 1879. Below is an excerpt from Bread & Butter The Murders of Polly Frisch.

Sadly, on the 1st of May in 1879, Charles Noble filed a petition to have Eliza Franklin declared of unsound mind—in the terms of the day, a lunatic. The youngest daughter, Emily Hayes, had been taking care of Eliza up to this point. Charles named Julia Maybach as Eliza’s guardian. Charles Noble, who was the husband of Schubel’s sister Sarah, was also the executor of Schubel’s estate. Because he handled the estate on behalf of Schubel’s wife Eliza, he felt it necessary to appoint someone on her behalf. Once again an inquest would be held at the Alabama Hotel, now owned by Charles Clark, for a member of the Franklin/Hoag family.

From reading the affidavits of the inquest it did not sound like Eliza was insane, but was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Although they were nearing the turn of the century, and some advances were made in medical science, they still did not know this illness existed.

***

Bread & Butter hardcovers went live last week, and the paperbacks over the weekend on Amazon. E-books coming soon!

The list to the other A-Z bloggers is here.
If your user name in comments doesn't lead to your A-Z blog, leave the URL so I can find you!
 

Here's how to do a clickable link to your blog in comments:
< a href="http://historysleuth.blogspot.com/">History Sleuth's Writings - Blogging A-Z</a >
Just replace my stuff with yours and take the space out between the < a and a >
(Had to put a space in or you would see a link instead of code. :)
Keep it in a note on your desktop so you can copy & keep hitting paste at every blog instead of retyping. 

Read More