'Assault in the The daily morning journal and courier (New Haven), 1880-1900'

My exhibit explores how assault was reported in the Morning Journal and Courier of New Haven, Connecticut, between 1880 and 1900.

The Morning Journal and Courier, started in 1848 but grew to prominence in 1875 under John Bennett Carrington, Sr. It boasted a circulation of about 600 copies daily in 1880. Twenty years later circulation was up to 800. In its early years the newspaper had four pages with nine columns per issue. However, in 1900, it became 8–12 pages. Advertising claimed the first and last pages during the time span I researched. Most of the news, including reports of assaults appeared on pages two and three. By 1900, the paper had changed with greater coverage and more pages but kept its plain style. It never gets very sensationalist, even when the crimes are violent or socially controversial.

Assault stories ranged from 32 to 349 words with an average of 157. Stories at a local level often were descriptive, while cases from outside the state were generally briefer and drawn from other newspapers. An example is a 1880 story about a man hailing from Marblehead, Massachusetts, who won a family's trust so that he could get lodging in their home but eventually assaulted a young woman living there. I found many cases of domestic assault during the 1880s, but very few when I got to around 1900. Only 20% of the cases I reviewd are from out of state.