In February 1933, Nellie Ayers, a door-to-door saleswoman, peddling fudge, was welcomed into the Peabody home of Jessie Costello, her husband, Fire Captain William Costello, and their three children. After a few minutes of speaking with Nellie, Jessie agreed to buy a pound of fudge and excused herself to retrieve her purse. Moments later, Jessie returned to where Nellie was waiting, hysterically screaming that her husband was dead on the bathroom floor. Jessie sent Nellie away without payment, stating that she was unable to think of sweets at such a difficult time.
As William’s sudden death was questioned, Jessie told of her husband’s recent bouts of indigestion and a heart attack, attributing his death to heart failure. Despite Jessie’s claims, William’s friends insisted that an investigative autopsy be performed, and police interceded to halt William’s funeral to obtain his body.
Toxicology reports showed the presence of potassium cyanide and oxalic acid in William’s organs. Since William’s death could no longer be attributed to natural causes, police began investigating recent purchases of the chemicals at local pharmacies. A pharmacist claimed to have sold Jessie cyanide, the night before her husband’s death, stating that he warned her about the deadly poison. She supposedly replied, “You call that poison?” Going on to say that a neighbor had suggested them for cleaning. This mixture was later found combined into a paste inside a coffee can at the Costello home. When questioned, Jessie stated she used the paste to clean the home’s copper boiler. Traces of the compound were present on the basement's boiler.
On March 17, 1933, Jessie Costello was arrested for the murder of her husband. Thus, beginning one of the most captivating trials the pre-television world would ever see.
An all-male jury was selected, and the trial of Jessie Costello was held in a courthouse on Federal Street in Salem. Reporters lined up to cover the latest court cases and quickly became enamored with Jessie, who was dubbed “the smiling widow.” Many newspapers referred to her good looks and charm, describing her as a “glamorous siren” and “buxom prima donna.”
Inside the courtroom, Jessie dismissed accusations of guilt with a nonchalance uncommon to trials of murder. Jessie claimed her husband died by suicide, citing his ailing health and constant indigestion as a cause for his unhappiness.
Following newspaper reports, the courthouse became surrounded by onlookers, hoping to catch a glimpse of the newest celebrity. Jessie received over 500 love letters daily, as well as a regular delivery of roses from the trial’s bailiff. It is even rumored that the jury pooled their money to buy “the smiling widow” a box of chocolates.
However, Jessie already had an admirer. A married, police officer, named Edward J. McMahon. In court, McMahon told of an affair he had with Jessie before William’s death. He implied Jesse was an outgoing, flapper, trapped as a housewife in a dull marriage. He described their affair in explicitly to the court. Newspapers refused to print McMahon’s testimony as they thought it too crude, but one publication decided to print the details in discrete little red booklets, which immediately sold out. Ed McMahon was dubbed “the kiss and tell cop” and became the trial’s villain. Jessie adamantly denied the affair, saying that any relationship she did have with McMahon was purely “spiritual.”
Despite mounting evidence against her, Jessie Costello was acquitted of the murder after less than two hours of deliberation. Edmund Pearson, a journalist at the time, was quoted as saying “[the jury was] as helpless as twelve rabbits under the influence of those glittering ophidian eyes.”
Jessie’s celebrity, however, did not end with the court proceedings. She was quickly offered contracts on Broadway and began receiving requests to tell her life story. She hired a theatrical agent and was asked to perform screen tests for Hollywood studios. During this time, she turned down a $20,000 contract to appear in a 10-week burlesque show, believing it was beneath her. She purchased new clothes and vacationed as a celebrity. Her short-lived fame soon ended however when the Hollywood censors blacklisted her for benefiting off the death of her husband. Studios begrudgingly followed suit and withdrew all offers to work with Jessie. In a last attempt to maintain status, she approached the burlesque houses that she had previously turned down but found that they too were no longer interested.
In 1936, Jessie and her children were evicted from the home she shared with her husband on Fay Avenue after lapsing on the home’s mortgage payments. Unable to find work, Jessie became a hostess at a Boston tavern and later moved her family to New Hampshire. She remained certain she would find fame again, turning down marriage proposals from enamored fans.
Jessie Costello died on March 15, 1971. Her funeral was attended by nearly 200 mourners. She is buried beside her parents in Peabody at Cedar Grove Cemetery.
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Jessie Costello Photographs and Ephemera
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