THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF WALWORTH: A TALE OF MADNESS AND
MURDER IN GILDED AGE AMERICA provides a scintillating view
of the events that led to the destruction of one of the
most distinguished families of the nineteenth century. The
author brings the sensational murder to life by including a
detailed view of the impressive Walworth and Hardin
genealogies and then transitioning to the arrest of Frank
Hardin Walworth. Although the evidence against Frank seems
solid, only by reading his family history can readers truly
understand what made this murder so controversial to
nineteenth-century Americans.
Frank Walworth had warned his father to stay away from his
mother, Ellen. Before embarking on a long journey across
Europe with his uncle, Frank decides to pay one last visit
to his father in order to make sure he will not be a threat
to his mother while he is away. But Frank's fateful visit
results in murder and Frank's arrest. Mansfield Walworth is
shot in Frank's hotel room after Mansfield responds to
Frank's invitation to visit him. Once the shots were fired,
Frank confessed his deed to a hotel clerk and sent a
telegram to his uncle asking him to look after his mother.
But Frank's trial would evolve into a battle against the
Walworth family's influence by the prosecution, and the
defense would bring to light a long hidden family secret in
the hopes of saving Frank: the taint of madness in the
Walworth family.
During Frank's trial, the pathetic life of Mansfield
Walworth would be splashed across newspapers across the
country. Mansfield's vicious arguments with his wife,
Ellen, would lead to repeated separations and physical
abuse. The defense for Frank Hardin Walworth would provide
a series of threatening letters Mansfield wrote his wife.
Considered a failure by his legendary father, Reuben Hyde
Walworth, Mansfield would find a scapegoat in his wife.
Mansfield's utter failure as an attorney and later as a
mediocre novelist would add to the bitterness that would
slowly consume him. When Mansfield is left only a few minor
trinkets in his father's will, he dedicates his existence
to tormenting his wife, who he blames for his father's
alienation.
Frank's defense rests on the threatening letters sent by
Mansfield. It is hoped that the jury will see that Frank
was only attempting to protect his mother, who Mansfield
repeatedly threatened to kill for years. Frank's lawyers
aim to prove that Mansfield was a tormented and dangerous
man who may have murdered his wife had Frank not
intervened, while the prosecution dismisses the letters as
the ignorant words of a bitter man dwelling in his own
misery.
Geoffrey O'Brien writes his history with pizzazz and makes
the Walworth family history as fascinating as the trial of
Frank Walworth. Readers who like a lot of flesh on their
characters will appreciate the author's idea to include an
in dept history of the Chancellor, Clarence Walworth, and
the rest of the family. O'Brien vividly resurrects a
historical murder case and writes the trial of Frank
Walworth as exhilarating page-turner. THE FALL OF THE
HOUSE OF WALWORTH: A TALE OF MADNESS AND MURDER IN GILDED
AGE AMERICA makes good reading for history buffs or anyone
looking for a compelling novel about dark family secrets.
The Walworth family was the very symbol of virtue and
distinction for decades, rising to prominence as part of the
splendor of New York’s aristocracy. When Frank Walworth
travels to New York to “settle a family difficulty” by
shooting his father at point blank range, his family must
reveal their inner demons in a spectacular trial to save him
from execution. The resulting testimony exposes a legacy of
mania and abuse, and the stately reputation of the family
crumbles in a Gothic drama which the New York Tribune called
“sensational to the last degree.”
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