Blackest Bird opens on July 26, 1841 at midnight. A man, somewhat reluctantly and with a twinge of guilt, dumps Mary's dead body into the Hudson River. The killer audibly cries out, teeming with guilt as he wonders what have I done? "Oh Mary!" (Rose 11). Therefore, the killer knows Mary, and was likely either in love with her or a close companion. He could even be her relative.
Detective Jacob Hays is sixty-nine years old and in no mood to retire. He has long served the city of New York, as high constable. Known as Old Hays, he is obsessed with crime, and especially solving them. The murder of the as-of-yet unknown Mary captures his attention. When he realizes that the body belongs not just to any Mary, but to Mary Rogers, Old Hays knows he's got a huge story on his hands. Mary Rogers is the locally famous socialite known around town as the "Beautiful Cigar Girl," and thus she is immortalized in the papers. Rogers was well loved, and she fraternized with the city's literary luminaries including James Fennimore Cooper, Washington Irving, Charles Dickens, Charles Adams, and Edgar Allen Poe.
Edgar Allen Poe figures prominently in The Blackest Bird. At first, he is just the morose writer who publishes reviews of others' writing, and who exposes the darker underbelly of the publishing industry. Poe's denouncement of unjust publishing laws and the overall corruption of the industry is what leads publisher Harper to try and frame Poe. Harper's testimony is not the only reason why Poe becomes a suspect in the murder of Mary Rogers. Although it appears Poe is likely to be innocent, he acts suspiciously throughout the novel and gets Old Hays' attention. After all, Poe knew Mary well and later writes a tribute short story that he publishes in a magazine.
Moreover, the author...
Colt and Tommy Coleman, in prison. John C. Colt is on death row for the murder of Charles Adams, yet another writer and publisher. The motive for the murder of Adams by Colt remains unknown, but Colt is the brother of the man who invented the already famous Colt revolver. On the other side of death row is Tommy Coleman, the Irish head of a street gang known as the Forty Little Thieves. Tommy is on death row, for the murder of his wife daughter, and another little girl. Tommy insists upon his innocence, and Hays pokes into his story a little bit. Tommy Coleman claims that his wife's lover was the one who went on the killing spree.
Poe draws even more attention to himself when he boldly publishes a short story about the murder of Mary Rogers. The story mirror's Poe's own morose nature. Poe is depressed, an addict, and does little to convince Hays of either his innocence or his guilt. Poe is also later spotted at a local cemetery, spying on shadowy grave robbers. Hays notes that he seems alarmingly comfortable in the gothic setting. Poe's semi-fictionalized account of Mary's murder is dark and powerful, and Old Hays cannot help but pay attention. Poe's poem "The Raven" also surfaces. Who actually killed Mary Rogers remains to be seen, as Old Hays tries to dig up valuable clues. In the meantime, other street gangs wreak havoc on the city, especially in its poorest areas like the Five Points. Gangs like the Dead Rabbits and the Shirttails compete with the Forty Little Thieves for petty territorial grabs. Ultimately, Poe is exonerated but he dies a sad, untimely, but characteristic death.
Historical Analysis
At novel's opening, the murder has already been completed; "the deed is done," (Rose 11). The killer supposedly dumps…
