Speaking Ill of the Dead: Jerks in Connecticut History

by Ray Bendici

Overview

The lives of notorious bad guys, perpetrators of mischief, visionary--if misunderstood--thinkers, and other colorful antiheroes, jerks, and evil doers from history all get their due in the short essays featured in these enlightening, informative books. Speaking Ill of the Dead: Jerks in Connecticut History features fifteen short biographies of nefarious characters, from Benedict Arnold to P.T. Barnum.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762789559
Publisher:	Globe Pequot Press
Publication date:	09/18/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Ray Bendici is associate editor at Connecticut Magazine, where he has covered the state in depth for over a decade, including through his monthly "Sunday Drive" and "Being There" columns. He also runs DamnedCT.com, which is dedicated to all that's odd, unexplained, unusual and curious in Connecticut.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments v

Introduction vi

Chapter 1 Benedict Arnold: From Hero to Traitor to Scourge 1

Chapter 2 George Metesky: Angry Jerk with a Short Fuse 17

Chapter 3 Lydia Sherman: Connecticut's Own Black Widow 33

Chapter 4 Julius Schacknow: Self-Made Prophet, Savior, and God 48

Chapter 5 Uncas: Last (and Likely Worst) of the Mohicans 61

Chapter 6 Rev. Samuel A. Peters: Exiled Loyalist and "Victim of Pseudomania" 77

Chapter 7 Anastase A. Vonsiatsky: Fascist Jerk in the Time of Hitler 92

Chapter 8 Amy Archer-Gilligan: The True Story behind Arsenic and Old Lace 107

Chapter 9 P. T. Barnum: Prince of the Humbugs 121

Chapter 10 Philip Musica: Multiple Identities, One Jerk 135

Chapter 11 Samuel Colt: The Jerk Who Won the West 150

Chapter 12 Hannah Hovey: The Wicked Witch of Monroe 164

Chapter 13 Rev. Herbert H. Hayden: Minister Turned Murderer 175

Chapter 14 Salvatore "Midge Renault" Annunziato: A "Made" Jerk 189

Chapter 15 William Stuart: The (Allegedly) Most Celebrated Jerk in Connecticut History 204

Bibliography 219

Index 226

About the Author 232

Editorial Reviews

"Ray Bendici's genuine and unending fascination with the strange underbelly of Connecticut makes him the perfect writer for this subject. He tells each jerk's story in a way that will keep you reading and learning even as you want to cover your eyes in horror."
 —Charles A. Monagan, editor of Connecticut Magazine and author of Connecticut Icons

"Few writers are able to capture the cynicism and honest humor often found in the most bizarre crimes and circumstances, while, at the same time, spinning a great yarn, keeping the pages turning, and allowing the facts to drive the story. Ray Bendici has mastered this. .. in a captivatingly fresh narrative that will help you easily spot all the jerks in your life. A remarkably candid and especially sarcastic book, addictive and fascinating."
 —M. William Phelps, national bestselling author and star of Investigation Discovery's Dark Minds

From the Publisher