KEY CHARACTERS IN THE STORY

Rose Ambler - Born around 1860, Rose Ambler was one of nine children and the daughter of wealthy and respected ship owner, Captain Nathan Clark ¹; she lived in Stratford, Connecticut and was murdered there as well. At the time of her death, Rose was 23 years old and very beautiful ¹. She had been married to Mr. Norman Ambler for under a year, but she had divorced him due to ‘unfair treatment’; the couple shared a three-year-old daughter ¹. During her marriage, Rose engaged in an extramarital affair with Mr. William Lewis. It was shown that Ambler was aware of the affair and after the couple divorced, Rose moved back in with her parents and endeavored upon a relationship and then became engaged to Mr. Lewis.

 

William Lewis - A distant cousin of Norman Ambler’s, Lewis served as a handyman of sorts for the Amblers while the couple was still married and lived with them at their home. Lewis was a talented salesman; Norman Ambler raised vegetables that Lewis would then sell in nearby, Bridgeport. ² While Lewis was performing the household chores, Rose began to accompany him. Rose became infatuated with him and began an affair while she was still married. This caused rumors to circulate around town and Lewis moved into his mother’s home. After she was divorced, Rose visited Lewis at his mother’s house openly and would often walk home to her father’s house late at night. ²

 

Norman Ambler – Just like all of her other suitors, Norman vied for Rose’s attention. Norman was a wealthy man, whose father had gotten rich off war contracts from the government. After just a month or two of beginning a relationship, the two had wed. The newspapers painted this occurrence in a manner that implied Rose married him out of boredom or as a way to spite her ex-boyfriend who had been away at sea for too long; despite hearing that her ex was alive and well at sea, Rose did not want to wait around any longer. The woman who was being interviewed for this story stated, “She had not yet learned that patience was among the first of virtues…and she determined in a willful woman’s way to show the little world…that [her ex-boyfriend’s] treatment could not humble or embarrass her.” ³ Norman raised vegetables for a living, and was described by papers to be a “happy-go-lucky fellow,” known to drink sometimes but did not let this habit stop him from bragging about his physical prowess. He was also described to not have a bad disposition, but to be easily influenced by his associates. Norman was reported to not pay adequate attention to Rose, which the public blames for their divorce. ⁴ Four years before Rose’s murder, the couple had a daughter together, but this daughter was hardly mentioned in newspapers. ⁵ During the two’s marriage, Rose was reported to occasionally ride out in Lewis’s carriage with him late at night, which angered Norman. He still was careless and most likely did not pay enough attention to her, but he seemed to still love the woman. After Rose left Norman’s house to go back to live with her father, Norman was soon served divorce papers, which infuriated him. He made no answer to the summons and the divorce was soon granted. After this took place, he was left alone with his widowed mother and his daughter and was reported to go on increasingly frequent drinking binges. ⁴ Five years after Rose’s death, Norman was struck by the Washington express and was killed on March 5, 1888. ⁶

 

Nathan “Nate” Clark – Rose’s father, Nathan Clark, was a hardworking fisherman and was highly esteemed by the community. He had nine children in total; the newspapers noted how his daughters were remarkable for their beauty while his sons were commended for being “industrious,” “sober,” and “respectable.” ⁷ After Norman and Rose separated, Rose went back to live with her father in his house, which was two miles from Lewis’s mansion. She lived in his house until her death. The night of her murder, Nate was reported to be “scuddling the waters of Vineyard sound,” as his daughter walked home in the dark.⁴ When he was informed that his daughter had been killed, he cried out, “My God, my Rose murdered,” and fainted when he was still on his boat. ⁷

 

Professor White of Yale Medical School – Professor White played a key role in examining the evidence in this case. With his close examinations, he was able to determine that the carriage cushions belonging to Lewis did not, in fact, have traces of blood on them. ⁸ He also was able to determine that the matter found underneath Rose’s fingernails was human skin, hair, and blood. His testimony exonerated several suspects, including Boston White. ⁹

Preston Hodges – Hodges played a key role as a witness in this case. Hodges lived within 70 rods (a rod is equal to about 16 and a half feet in U.S. modern customary units) of Rose Ambler’s father. Hodges was a retired man, who was most likely rather wealthy, as he owned a beautiful farm. The summer of Rose’s death, his two daughters, Mrs. Isbell and Mrs. Mary Merril, were staying with him. Mrs. Mary Merril’s husband, who suffered from heart palpitations, was also staying in the house with him. On the night of Rose’s murder, Mr. Merrill was awakened by a shrill scream and it startled him to get his heart beating, but he, Mrs. Isbell, and Mr. Hodges all took it for the scream of an owl when it happened at 11:45 pm. After the inmates of the house were informed of Rose’s death, they knew that it had to have been the cries of the girl, not an owl. The next morning, Charles Mason, a farmer’s boy who worked for Hodges, discovered Rose’s body, just 200 feet away from Hodges’ dwelling. ⁷

 

Reverend Dr. Houghton – As a clergyman, Reverend Dr. Houghton believed it was his duty to preach the truth and use the Christian pulpit to try to convince a suspected person – in this case, William Lewis. He aimed to facilitate the “saving of souls” by doing so, preaching about the case in several of his sermons. He played a large role in the progression of the case by creating a great deal of sensation throughout the public, although he claimed that was not his intention. Houghton analyzed Lewis from a moral perspective, detailing his relations with Rose and the infidelity that took place when she was still married to Norman. ¹⁰