The Disquieting Death of Emma Gill: Abortion, Death, and Concealment in Victorian New England

Summary

In 1898, a group of schoolboys in Bridgeport, Connecticut, discovered gruesome packages under a bridge holding the dismembered remains of a young woman.

Finding that the dead woman had just undergone an abortion, prosecutors raced to establish her identity and assign blame for her death. Suspicion fell on Nancy Guilford, half of a married pair of “doctors” well known to police throughout New England.

A fascinated public followed the suspect’s intercontinental flight from justice, with many rooting for the fugitive. The Disquieting Death of Emma Gill takes a close look not only at the Guilfords but also at the cultural shifts and social compacts that allowed their practice to flourish while abortion was both illegal and unregulated.

Focusing on the women at the heart of the story—both victim and perpetrator— Marcia Biederman reexamines this slice of history through a feminist lens and reminds us of the very real lives at stake when a woman’s body and choices are controlled by others.