The Twisted and Disturbing Case of Harriet Staunton
When a rich, vulnerable lady and a greedy rascal meet, murder is the outcome
Harriet Staunton, (née Richardson), was not a very pretty woman. At 35 years old she was large and ungainly, with droopy black eyes and a coarse complexion. In contrast to her dull appearance — or maybe because of it — Harriet liked brightly-colored clothes and large, extravagant jewelry.
She was also, as her mother put it, ‘simple-minded’: despite her parents’ best efforts (they spent a lot of time and quite a lot of money to give her an education), Harriet could barely read and write.
Her mother, Mrs. Butterfield, loved Harriet dearly and always made sure she was healthy, clean, and tidy: she also arranged for her to often visit relatives and go shopping, to keep her busy and entertained.
Harriet loved to get dressed up and took pride in her fashionable appearance — but left on her own for long she would forget to eat, bathe, or change her clothes.
Mrs. Butterfield had taught her daughter to dress well and behave properly in polite society, but this was not enough to prevent the cruel exploitation of her vulnerability: about a year before the events leading to her death took place, she tried to get Harriet certified a lunatic —…
