Talk:Richard P. Robinson

Early Life
Richard P. Robinson was 19 years old at the time of Helen Jewett’s murder. Originally from Connecticut he was the son of an upstanding and respectable family within the local community. He grew up as an average middle class American man (Anthony p. 488). He was known to be a swift and courteous child, but one that had a “fierce temper and resentful disposition” (Citation). His father died when he was 14, which prompted him to move to New York despite his mothers disapproval (Citation).

Once in New York Robinson found employment with an upstanding merchant named Joseph Hoxie, who was well known and well connected (Anthony p. 488). As a working middle class man, many tabloids through the trial labelled him as one of the many young clerks which “threatened the city’s class structure” (Anthony p.488). He dressed as most middle class men did, adorning a fitted suit, long coat and bowler hat (primary source – in Buck, 2017). In New York he was a regular frequenter of brothels, and by 15 began having mistresses which led him to be known in several houses as “pretty Frank” (Citation). Pkel0821 (talk) 03:54, 27 October 2022 (UTC)

Murder
This regular visiting of houses led him to meet and begin a relationship with Helen Jewett (Citation). As Robinson explored New York he began to meet more women of higher social standings. One such woman was Emma T, a young lady mentioned in Robinsons letters. The two would meet every evening, and Robinson became infatuated. He paid for her room and board in the same house as Helen Jewett, where she later fell ill and Jewett had to care for her (Citation: letter). It was during this time that Robinson and Jewett began their relationship, becoming closer over the weeks, where after Emma recovered she was sent to live with a family in the country (letter). The relationship between Jewett and Robinson was initially loving one, where in letters he explains that he loved her “with a wild boyish passion” (citation: letter). They continued this affair for an unknown time, where Robinson would visit Jewett in the brothel. However, after some time Jewett threatened to expose their relationship, where he intended to keep her as a mistress despite his relationship with Emma and Jewett wanted to keep him (Letter). He intended to break things off with Jewett “and the rest of the vile sisterhood” (Citation: letter). Where the night in question was when they were to meet and he would end the relationship and have a “first step in reformation” (Letter). Pkel0821 (talk) 03:55, 27 October 2022 (UTC)