Author Talk: "A Gilded Age Tale of Murder and Madness"

With Kay Adams & Nancy Markey

True crime fans, join us to hear authors Kay Adams and Nancy Markey discuss their article, "A Gilded Age Tale of Murder and Madness"!

"In opulent seaside Newport, a wealthy and beloved Black businessman turns up dead. The prime suspect is his son-in-law, a dashing medical student set to become one of the country’s first Black surgeons. The resulting trial will tear the town in two."

Benjamin J. Burton’s fate was sealed when he reneged on his promise to pay a dowry to his ambitious new son-in-law, Allen Dorsey. Shortly thereafter, Burton is found dead on his kitchen floor with a gunshot wound to his head, and another to the heart, and a pistol by his side. He is quickly buried without a formal inquest. Rumors of foul play soon begin to circulate within the Newport, Rhode Island community. 

Although this overlooked and forgotten Black-on-Black murder occurred in 1885, it will resonate with twenty-first century readers for many reasons. Similar to today’s biased media coverage driving a political narrative, competing newspapers across the country used their vast influence to steer the opinions of their readers with regard to the Dorseys’ guilt or innocence. Society’s divisiveness in regard to the motives and subsequent efforts to successfully prosecute and convict perpetrators of violence against Black citizens is embedded in this country’s history. Ultimately, Burton’s murder was driven by Dorsey’s poverty, desperation, and his dream of a better life. These conditions are still present for many underrepresented members of society.

Nancy Pennington Markey and Kay Adams first met at Root Elementary School in their hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas. From their speech and debate days in high school, to becoming college roommates at Ole Miss, to both moving to Connecticut and starting their families there, Nancy and Kay have enjoyed a decades-long friendship that is still going strong today. Perhaps it was inevitable that, when the time was right, they would finally sit down and put into words some of the interesting stories they've long been enamored with, and end up loving every moment of the process. 

Nancy was raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas and is a graduate of Fayetteville High School. She went on to study at the University of Arkansas and the University of Mississippi, graduating from Ole Miss with a degree in History. Nancy spent the next few years as a flight attendant before obtaining her law degree in Massachusetts. She is a labor attorney and historian who enjoys researching and sharing fascinating stories of the lesser-known residents of Gilded Age Newport. Her essays, “Abney vs. Twombly, A Gilded Age Tale of David vs. Goliath,” and “Redemption Among Rubble” were winning entries in local writing contests and published in the Newport Life magazine. Nancy is married to Connecticut native Joseph Markey and is the mother to two sons, Jackson and Jonnie. She currently resides in Newport, Rhode Island.

Kay was born and raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas and is a graduate of Fayetteville High School. She attended the University of Mississippi and the University of Arkansas before relocating to Connecticut where she studied creative writing under author and essayist Scott Bradfield at the University of Connecticut. Kay spent 34 years working as an executive in the banking industry, retiring from her role as a Senior Vice President at the Bank of Arkansas in 2016. A lifelong voracious reader and creative writer, she is also a certified pastry chef, community volunteer, and continues to actively mentor her former associates. Kay is the mother to two daughters, Laura and Gracie, and makes her home in Rogers, Arkansas.

You may read or listen to the full article here: https://narratively.com/a-gilded-age-tale-of-murder-and-madness/

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