October 2, 2023 • 24 mins
We're pulling apart Arthur Jackson's spotlight-hogging tales and taking a closer look at the sensationalized press coverage of the murder of Melvin Clark, Jr. The existence of 'the set', a rumored partner-swapping club, adds another twisted layer to this complex story. As we sift through newfound evidence, including a bundle of blood-stained clothing, we begin to question whose narrative is the reality. Former Chief of Police John F. Hethermen even ran a parallel investigation, adding more intrigue. We wrap up with a glimpse into Lorraine's life post-release, where she faced the challenge of a new identity amidst legal complications.
For images related to the cases, check out the Instagram.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Uh hello.
This is Julia, and murder isbad Music.
Playing the End of the Story byJulia.
You know the charactersLorraine Clark, mel Clark and
(00:24):
Arthur Jackson.
Mel went missing, presumed ofhis own volition, right after a
huge fight with his wife,lorraine.
For an entire year prior tothat, lorraine and Arthur had
been carrying on an affair, andnow that Lorraine had confessed
to Mel's murder and been in theAlign Light, arthur was
(00:47):
seemingly jealous, because whathe does next puts the spotlight
squarely on him.
Let's set the scene.
A big movie in 1954 was the Fastand the Furious.
No, vin Diesel is not that old.
This one had John Ireland andDorothy Malone.
The whole franchise is veryloosely based off of this film.
(01:10):
People are also gettinginoculated against polio with
the Jonas Salk vaccine, andcolored televisions are starting
to be sold.
1954, it was also the year ofBrown v the Board of Education,
when racial segregation ofchildren in public schools was
declared unconstitutional.
(01:31):
No dip.
So after Arthur spouts the taleof him and Lorraine, complete
with lurid details, chief ofPolice Edmund McLaughlin kicked
him out of the police station.
Arthur then went to reportersto complain that no one really
appreciated what a great loverhe was.
(01:53):
He went on to talk aboutLorraine, saying that he might
even want to marry her now sinceshe's free in a sort of way.
Arthur told of his double dateswith the Clarks when they first
met.
He said how he and Lorraineoccasionally went out but mostly
(02:15):
stayed in, and how at least sixcouples in Lorraine's social
set participated in openadultery.
This is the only context theset is used.
If you remember from the firstpart of this series, the towns
of Amesbury and Newburyport wereabuzz with rumors of a
(02:37):
partner-swapping club called theset.
But as is with most sensationalstories, it seems like the
details have beensensationalized.
It was just a group ofLorraine's friends and if they
did anything likepartner-swapping that would fall
under the category of theirbusiness and would not
(02:58):
necessarily be pertinent toMel's murder.
But in the 1950s a woman's pietywas tantamount to evidence of
innocence.
Around this time a lettersigned the 10 mothers implored
that action be taken to clean upthe Amesbury immorality and put
(03:19):
an end to these wife-swappingparties.
The mother of whom, I wonderLorraine also took a lie
detector which led an officer tosay Her answers as registered
by the machine led us to believeshe should be questioned more
pointedly.
I don't know what that means,but it definitely doesn't sound
(03:43):
like a slam dunk for theprosecution or the defense.
Up until this point most of thestory had only been covered by
local towns, boston and a fewblurbs in the New York Daily
News.
But now that Arthur had startedtalking to the media, newspapers
all over the country startedcovering the case.
(04:03):
The dramatized article I foundin the March 1959 issue of
Cosmopolitan said that thenewspapers called Arthur Jackson
a blabbermouth, kiss and tell aboastful bow and lover boy.
To this Arthur said man, youdon't know what this case has
(04:24):
done for me.
I can hardly fight the girlsoff.
Sorry, I should have done awarning of gagging sounds,
because that's all you're goingto get with Arthur Jackson.
Arthur also put out his versionof events, which was that
Lorraine tried calling himaround 3 am but he was in bed
thrusting with another woman whoconfirmed his alibi.
(04:47):
But officers hardly bought that, especially when Merrimack
Police Chief Morris Carey saidthat they found a bundle of
bloodied clothing which matchedthe clothes described by Arthur
a sheet, a pillowcase and awoman's hairbrush.
Police are now saying that theyknow that two other people
(05:09):
helped Arthur and one ofLorraine's family members.
Then Arthur had the audacity toask for his car back because
the police had impounded it tocheck for evidence.
Chief McLaughlin kicked him outagain and said I don't want to
(05:30):
see him.
No only time.
Me and Chief McLaughlin agree.
Lorraine's mother, alberta Eaton, visited her at the Salem Jail
and convinced her that she isinnocent in all of this and
should fight to prove it.
I really genuinely think thatLorraine held so much guilt for
(05:56):
having carried on an affair thatshe thought it was just to be
punished for his murder.
But I do not believe that sheactually murdered him.
But what do I know?
What do I know?
Lorraine said that she believedshe was innocent and would tell
all of the nitty grittiesduring her trial.
(06:18):
Someone else questioningLorraine's guilt was former
Chief of Police John FHeatherman, who just so happened
to be the Clark's neighbor atLake Attotash.
The 65-year-old was conductinga parallel investigation because
he wasn't satisfied with thecurrent circumstantial evidence.
(06:40):
But anything he found he turneddirectly over to the District
Attorney's Office.
Another part of Lorraine'sconfession was released a few
days before what would have beenher and Mel's 10th wedding
anniversary on July 8, 1954.
Lorraine said she hated Melbitterly because he was an
(07:03):
over-enthusiastic mate who hadnever shown any regard for her
own feelings.
He acted only to satisfyhimself and forced indignities
upon her.
This woman went throughsomething.
I'm not saying murder is okay,but someone get her story.
The next day, a woman namedSally Waxman from Brooklyn
(07:26):
offered her opinion on thesituation, which was featured in
New York's Daily News.
She said that Lorraine's sexlife should be left out of it.
Quote as for those kiss andtell jerks she ran around with,
why don't they either shut up ordrop dead?
Thank you, sally.
Thank you.
(07:46):
In the same week, 23-year-oldwidow Constance Keane came
forward and said that ArthurJackson told her that he had
killed Mel Clark Jr back onApril 10th.
Originally Arthur wasn't named,though he had even asked
another couple to be his alibi.
Constance repeated what Arthurhad told her.
(08:09):
Mel had come home early andfound Arthur with Lorraine.
Mel grabbed one of his guns andsaid you've beaten me at
everything, even with my wife,but you won't get the best of me
anymore.
Arthur told Lorraine to leave,which she did.
The men struggled, mel gettingshot.
(08:30):
In the process, mel broke abottle which Arthur grabbed and
stabbed into Mel's chest.
Mel fled and Arthur threw aniron pipe at him.
It hit him at the base of hisneck and Mel fell dead.
Arthur wrapped Mel in his navycoat before he and Lorraine
(08:50):
disposed of the body.
Arthur, of course, retractedthis version of events when
officers questioned him InSeptember, a closed grand jury
hearing was presided over byJudge Charles Fairhurst.
Mel's mother, blanche Clark,told reporters that she didn't
believe that Lorraine was guilty.
(09:11):
District Attorney Hugh Craigwas aided by his son, assistant
District Attorney Donald Craig.
Also in attendance at thecourthouse was one of the women
accused of being the part of theset, lorraine's friend Nancy
Blood.
But she wasn't there forLorraine's hearing.
She was there for her owndivorce proceedings.
(09:32):
On September 17th the grandjury indicted Lorraine Clark on
first degree murder charges andher trial was set for November
29th.
Two weeks later Arthur wasindicted on four counts of
adultery with Lorraine and twocounts of adultery with another
woman.
He had been estranged from hiswife, shirley Jackson, since the
(09:56):
previous summer, but she wasfinally bringing divorce actions
against Arthur for cruel andabusive treatment.
She told reporters that shedidn't know he was going around
on her.
She was leaving him on accountof the abuse.
On November 29, 1954, the muchanticipated trial of Lorraine
(10:17):
Clark started.
Five hundred people throngedaround the outside of the
courthouse.
Judge Fairhurst entered theroom and brought it into session
and as soon as he sat down,lorraine's attorney, c Francis
Leary, stood and said over mywishes, my client pleads guilty
(10:41):
to second degree murder.
Lorraine was found guilty ofsecondary murder at twelve
sixteen pm, seven months afterMel Clark Jr had been murdered.
She was sentenced to life withthe possibility of parole after
fifteen years.
In talking about the otherpossible people involved, one
(11:02):
writer said it was still thewoman who paid.
Lorraine joined two other lifersat the women's reformatory in
Framingham.
Twenty-six year old MildredMcDonald had shot the little
sister of her ex-boyfriend, maryDeRocco.
Mildred had been steady withthis man for three years until
(11:24):
he up and married another person.
Mary teased Mildred about howhappy he was with his new wife
and Mildred shot her.
And then there was sixty yearold Victoria Lefevre, who
admitted to poisoning her thirdhusband but was suspected of
murdering her first two husbandsas well.
(11:44):
When asked why she pleadedguilty, lorraine said I want to
protect my mother and father, mrand Mrs Clark, and most of all
I want to protect my three smallchildren from any more of the
shameful notoriety that hasattended this case throughout
the nation.
After sentencing, her firstquestion was when can I see my
(12:08):
children?
The kids had been told thattheir mother was in a hospital.
She didn't want them to see herbehind bars.
The women's reformatory thatshe would be at did not have
bars, though, so she was lookingforward to finally visiting
with them.
The next day, arthur Jackson wasbrought before Judge Fairhurst.
Arthur called Lorraineemotionally immature and that he
(12:32):
taught her how to love.
He also said that he went aftermarried women because they're
prettier and I like the danger.
But when it seemed things werenot going his way, the
23-year-old bawled and whined.
At one point he stood up in themiddle and pointed at Judith
(12:53):
Whitcock, saying what about theother charge?
Why don't we talk about that?
She's here in the courtroom now.
Judith was the other woman hewas charged with committing
adultery with.
She was never charged, thankgoodness.
The chief of police, along withother high-ranking officers,
testified to every gross thinghe ever bragged about.
(13:14):
Da Craig said he wasresponsible, if not directly,
then indirectly, for the deathof Melvin Clark Jr.
Arthur broke down into yoursaying Maybe.
I kissed her once or twice.
He pleaded, but that was all.
Judge Fairhurst said I don'tbelieve you.
In reference to the conduct ofthis man, he can take a large
(13:38):
measure of the responsibilityfor wrecking that family.
That girl is going to be doingpenance for a long time.
I feel he should do penance fora long time and that is what is
going to happen to him.
The judge then handed down themaximum three one-year sentences
for three counts of adultery tobe served consecutively.
(14:02):
The next year, da Craig got agold watch for the official
detective award given away by aradio show.
The trial of Lurin Clark for themurder of her husband, mel
Clark Jr, was listed as thefifth biggest story of 1954,
which doesn't seem as high assomething so sensationalized.
(14:24):
Later on, I also found out thatin 2010, computer programmer
William Tunstall-Pedot made aprogram to identify the most
boring day in the world.
Do you know what day?
It came back with?
April 11, 1954.
I suppose in the grand schemeof world history in the 20th
(14:49):
century, one death, even amurder, isn't as interesting as
we make it out to be.
In 1955, reporter for theBoston traveler, jack O'Shea,
started to dive deeper into theClark case.
The police and districtattorney's office seemed
absolutely certain that at leasttwo, and probably three people
(15:11):
were involved that night inApril, when speaking to Arthur
Jackson's attorney, arthurBullanger, he was surprised to
hear that Jackson wantedBullanger to pass along his
version of events, which hadchanged yet again Now.
He said that Lurin was ringinghis doorbell to his apartment at
2.30 that morning of April 11thand just said well, it's
(15:36):
happened.
After explaining about themurder, arthur Jackson went to
the cottage, covered Mel's bodyin a trench coat and tied
weights around him.
He sat in between Lurin and thebody as Lurin drove to the
Rocks Village Bridge.
They dumped the body and wentback to clean.
Arthur then gathered theincriminating evidence into a
(15:58):
bundle and tossed it into PlugPond in Haverhill where he was
living, including the 25 caliberpistol that was used In 1956,
they tried to indict ArthurJackson for murder.
Lorraine was speaking out sayingthat Arthur was the killer and
that it was his clothes in thebundle of incriminating evidence
(16:21):
.
She said I was sick of coveringup the mess now that I wasn't
protected.
I didn't care if he got awaywith it so long as what I had
done didn't come out, but hedidn't protect me.
We would have rather been knownas a murderer than an adulterer
.
Lorraine said that Arthur hadstopped by for a drink with the
(16:45):
clerks and had said someunsavory things about Lorraine.
When Mel said he didn't likethe way he was speaking about
her, the men started to fight.
Mel drew a weapon and Arthurwas able to get it from him and
shoot.
Lorraine helped dispose of thebody and clean up Before they
dumped Mel's body in theMerrimack River.
(17:06):
Arthur used an ice pick to pokeseveral holes in Mel's chest to
ensure his body sank.
Detectives never really sortedout the weapons.
They thought for a while thata.22 caliber pistol was used,
but they presented a.32 caliberweapon to Lorraine and said it
(17:27):
was the murder weapon.
Arthur said it was a.25 caliberweapon in reality and the stab
wounds are attributed to an icepick for the longest time, until
they pull a knitting needlefrom the river.
Then they start to say thatLorraine shot her husband and in
a fury also stabbed him in theheart with one of her knitting
(17:48):
needles.
Lorraine described gloves thatArthur had been wearing that
night.
One of them had a tear on theindex finger and had been
stitched.
And sure enough, when Plugpondwas searched they found a glove
matching that description, alongwith a torn piece of shirt.
The woman who had told policeArthur was with her during the
(18:12):
murder came forward and said shehad lied.
Arthur had approached her andcoaxed her into being his alibi.
On May 25, 1956, with all thatevidence, a grand jury refused
to indict Arthur Jackson.
They then asked if he'll tryagain To get an indictment.
(18:34):
Da Craig said the case isclosed.
I have a confession.
Arthur was released in January1957.
Following his release, allother indictments that had been
prepared by the DA's officepertaining to the Clark case
were dropped.
This started a weird rivalrybetween the DA and the attorney
(18:57):
general, george Fingold, whobelieved others should have been
held responsible for Mel'smurder In July of 1957, people
get up in arms over certainaspects of the women's
reformatory in Framingham, andby people I mean a couple
Republican representatives.
There were rumors that Lorrainegot special treatment, like
(19:19):
Sunday drives and weekendfurloughs.
Matron Margaret O'Keefe andprison psychologist Dr Miriam
Van Waters correct the recordand stand up for the work they
did at the reformatory.
In the winters there's a houseon the grounds that Lorraine
used to visit her children.
In the spring they drove to apavilion also on the grounds.
(19:42):
The workers at the reformatorycalled the 178 women.
They housed students and theytruly believed they were working
to reform them.
It was an immaculately cleanfacility.
The women were allowed to wearwhatever they wanted and they
got paid 15 to 30 cents a dayfor whatever jobs they did and
(20:05):
they would put on performancesof different plays and operas
for each other.
Matron O'Keefe said thatLorraine was the finest girl
they had, a natural leaderTalking about how she wrote to
her children once a week.
Social worker Pauline Orrellsaid she makes a point to only
talk about the pleasant thingsthe reformatory gardens and the
(20:27):
animals.
She went on to say Mrs Clark isan intelligent girl but more
than that, she has a specialbrand of courage.
In the face of great tragedyshe has always managed to keep
cheerful.
Lorraine worked in theeducation office helping other
women learn to read and write,as well as in the greenhouses.
(20:51):
Lorraine began her bid forcommutation of her sentence in
1960.
In October she presented apetition signed by several
people, including Mel's parents.
Chief of police EdmundMcLaughlin said she had withheld
the complete truth.
Mel Clark Sr retorted.
Now that the chief has seen fitto bring out part of the story,
(21:15):
I think he should tell it all.
I've always felt she didn't doit alone and I'm still convinced
of it.
Lorraine tried again inSeptember of 1961, but was
denied again.
In December 1962, lorrainefinally won a hearing for the
possibility of a shortersentence and ability to be
(21:35):
released on parole as soon aspossible.
Her mother, alberta, had gottenover 200 signatures on a
petition for release.
On April 10th 1963, exactly nineyears to the day after Mel
Clark Jr was murdered, lorraineClark was released on parole and
(21:56):
was able to share Easter Sundaywith her family.
As she left, the women at thereformatory waved goodbye and
wished her good luck.
Lorraine was handed a checkwith her earnings after eight
years.
It was $330.96, which is around$3,300 in today's money.
She told matron Betty ColesmithI can't thank you enough.
(22:20):
I'll write often.
I am a better person for cominghere.
Lorraine then joined her parentsand two teenage daughters in
the car and drove off, followedby her attorney and her teenage
son, to the house that Mel'sparents had provided for the
whole family to live in and theywere able to get a job and they
(22:44):
kind of just went on with theirnormal lives.
Lorraine was in a couplearticles.
She got to go to her daughter'sgraduation.
Shortly after her release thetownspeople kind of put out an
article telling all outsidereporters to just leave Lorraine
alone.
She was involved in like acourt case because somebody
(23:10):
stole one of her rings and shewas also given a warning for
drinking and hanging out withthe wrong kinds of people.
But you know, at some point shedid get married or change her
name.
I couldn't find out, but in herobituary in 2021, when she died
(23:31):
late into her 90s, she had adifferent name and that's it.
That's the whole shebang.
If you're interested in seeingimages related to this episode,
head over to the Instagram atMurder Is Bad podcast.
Thank you for listening to thisseries.
Take care of each other andremember murder is bad, god
(24:04):
bless.
Uh hello.
This is Julia, and murder isbad Music.
Playing the End of the Story byJulia.
You know the charactersLorraine Clark, mel Clark and
(00:24):
Arthur Jackson.
Mel went missing, presumed ofhis own volition, right after a
huge fight with his wife,lorraine.
For an entire year prior tothat, lorraine and Arthur had
been carrying on an affair, andnow that Lorraine had confessed
to Mel's murder and been in theAlign Light, arthur was
(00:47):
seemingly jealous, because whathe does next puts the spotlight
squarely on him.
Let's set the scene.
A big movie in 1954 was the Fastand the Furious.
No, vin Diesel is not that old.
This one had John Ireland andDorothy Malone.
The whole franchise is veryloosely based off of this film.
(01:10):
People are also gettinginoculated against polio with
the Jonas Salk vaccine, andcolored televisions are starting
to be sold.
1954, it was also the year ofBrown v the Board of Education,
when racial segregation ofchildren in public schools was
declared unconstitutional.
(01:31):
No dip.
So after Arthur spouts the taleof him and Lorraine, complete
with lurid details, chief ofPolice Edmund McLaughlin kicked
him out of the police station.
Arthur then went to reportersto complain that no one really
appreciated what a great loverhe was.
(01:53):
He went on to talk aboutLorraine, saying that he might
even want to marry her now sinceshe's free in a sort of way.
Arthur told of his double dateswith the Clarks when they first
met.
He said how he and Lorraineoccasionally went out but mostly
(02:15):
stayed in, and how at least sixcouples in Lorraine's social
set participated in openadultery.
This is the only context theset is used.
If you remember from the firstpart of this series, the towns
of Amesbury and Newburyport wereabuzz with rumors of a
(02:37):
partner-swapping club called theset.
But as is with most sensationalstories, it seems like the
details have beensensationalized.
It was just a group ofLorraine's friends and if they
did anything likepartner-swapping that would fall
under the category of theirbusiness and would not
(02:58):
necessarily be pertinent toMel's murder.
But in the 1950s a woman's pietywas tantamount to evidence of
innocence.
Around this time a lettersigned the 10 mothers implored
that action be taken to clean upthe Amesbury immorality and put
(03:19):
an end to these wife-swappingparties.
The mother of whom, I wonderLorraine also took a lie
detector which led an officer tosay Her answers as registered
by the machine led us to believeshe should be questioned more
pointedly.
I don't know what that means,but it definitely doesn't sound
(03:43):
like a slam dunk for theprosecution or the defense.
Up until this point most of thestory had only been covered by
local towns, boston and a fewblurbs in the New York Daily
News.
But now that Arthur had startedtalking to the media, newspapers
all over the country startedcovering the case.
(04:03):
The dramatized article I foundin the March 1959 issue of
Cosmopolitan said that thenewspapers called Arthur Jackson
a blabbermouth, kiss and tell aboastful bow and lover boy.
To this Arthur said man, youdon't know what this case has
(04:24):
done for me.
I can hardly fight the girlsoff.
Sorry, I should have done awarning of gagging sounds,
because that's all you're goingto get with Arthur Jackson.
Arthur also put out his versionof events, which was that
Lorraine tried calling himaround 3 am but he was in bed
thrusting with another woman whoconfirmed his alibi.
(04:47):
But officers hardly bought that, especially when Merrimack
Police Chief Morris Carey saidthat they found a bundle of
bloodied clothing which matchedthe clothes described by Arthur
a sheet, a pillowcase and awoman's hairbrush.
Police are now saying that theyknow that two other people
(05:09):
helped Arthur and one ofLorraine's family members.
Then Arthur had the audacity toask for his car back because
the police had impounded it tocheck for evidence.
Chief McLaughlin kicked him outagain and said I don't want to
(05:30):
see him.
No only time.
Me and Chief McLaughlin agree.
Lorraine's mother, alberta Eaton, visited her at the Salem Jail
and convinced her that she isinnocent in all of this and
should fight to prove it.
I really genuinely think thatLorraine held so much guilt for
(05:56):
having carried on an affair thatshe thought it was just to be
punished for his murder.
But I do not believe that sheactually murdered him.
But what do I know?
What do I know?
Lorraine said that she believedshe was innocent and would tell
all of the nitty grittiesduring her trial.
(06:18):
Someone else questioningLorraine's guilt was former
Chief of Police John FHeatherman, who just so happened
to be the Clark's neighbor atLake Attotash.
The 65-year-old was conductinga parallel investigation because
he wasn't satisfied with thecurrent circumstantial evidence.
(06:40):
But anything he found he turneddirectly over to the District
Attorney's Office.
Another part of Lorraine'sconfession was released a few
days before what would have beenher and Mel's 10th wedding
anniversary on July 8, 1954.
Lorraine said she hated Melbitterly because he was an
(07:03):
over-enthusiastic mate who hadnever shown any regard for her
own feelings.
He acted only to satisfyhimself and forced indignities
upon her.
This woman went throughsomething.
I'm not saying murder is okay,but someone get her story.
The next day, a woman namedSally Waxman from Brooklyn
(07:26):
offered her opinion on thesituation, which was featured in
New York's Daily News.
She said that Lorraine's sexlife should be left out of it.
Quote as for those kiss andtell jerks she ran around with,
why don't they either shut up ordrop dead?
Thank you, sally.
Thank you.
(07:46):
In the same week, 23-year-oldwidow Constance Keane came
forward and said that ArthurJackson told her that he had
killed Mel Clark Jr back onApril 10th.
Originally Arthur wasn't named,though he had even asked
another couple to be his alibi.
Constance repeated what Arthurhad told her.
(08:09):
Mel had come home early andfound Arthur with Lorraine.
Mel grabbed one of his guns andsaid you've beaten me at
everything, even with my wife,but you won't get the best of me
anymore.
Arthur told Lorraine to leave,which she did.
The men struggled, mel gettingshot.
(08:30):
In the process, mel broke abottle which Arthur grabbed and
stabbed into Mel's chest.
Mel fled and Arthur threw aniron pipe at him.
It hit him at the base of hisneck and Mel fell dead.
Arthur wrapped Mel in his navycoat before he and Lorraine
(08:50):
disposed of the body.
Arthur, of course, retractedthis version of events when
officers questioned him InSeptember, a closed grand jury
hearing was presided over byJudge Charles Fairhurst.
Mel's mother, blanche Clark,told reporters that she didn't
believe that Lorraine was guilty.
(09:11):
District Attorney Hugh Craigwas aided by his son, assistant
District Attorney Donald Craig.
Also in attendance at thecourthouse was one of the women
accused of being the part of theset, lorraine's friend Nancy
Blood.
But she wasn't there forLorraine's hearing.
She was there for her owndivorce proceedings.
(09:32):
On September 17th the grandjury indicted Lorraine Clark on
first degree murder charges andher trial was set for November
29th.
Two weeks later Arthur wasindicted on four counts of
adultery with Lorraine and twocounts of adultery with another
woman.
He had been estranged from hiswife, shirley Jackson, since the
(09:56):
previous summer, but she wasfinally bringing divorce actions
against Arthur for cruel andabusive treatment.
She told reporters that shedidn't know he was going around
on her.
She was leaving him on accountof the abuse.
On November 29, 1954, the muchanticipated trial of Lorraine
(10:17):
Clark started.
Five hundred people throngedaround the outside of the
courthouse.
Judge Fairhurst entered theroom and brought it into session
and as soon as he sat down,lorraine's attorney, c Francis
Leary, stood and said over mywishes, my client pleads guilty
(10:41):
to second degree murder.
Lorraine was found guilty ofsecondary murder at twelve
sixteen pm, seven months afterMel Clark Jr had been murdered.
She was sentenced to life withthe possibility of parole after
fifteen years.
In talking about the otherpossible people involved, one
(11:02):
writer said it was still thewoman who paid.
Lorraine joined two other lifersat the women's reformatory in
Framingham.
Twenty-six year old MildredMcDonald had shot the little
sister of her ex-boyfriend, maryDeRocco.
Mildred had been steady withthis man for three years until
(11:24):
he up and married another person.
Mary teased Mildred about howhappy he was with his new wife
and Mildred shot her.
And then there was sixty yearold Victoria Lefevre, who
admitted to poisoning her thirdhusband but was suspected of
murdering her first two husbandsas well.
(11:44):
When asked why she pleadedguilty, lorraine said I want to
protect my mother and father, mrand Mrs Clark, and most of all
I want to protect my three smallchildren from any more of the
shameful notoriety that hasattended this case throughout
the nation.
After sentencing, her firstquestion was when can I see my
(12:08):
children?
The kids had been told thattheir mother was in a hospital.
She didn't want them to see herbehind bars.
The women's reformatory thatshe would be at did not have
bars, though, so she was lookingforward to finally visiting
with them.
The next day, arthur Jackson wasbrought before Judge Fairhurst.
Arthur called Lorraineemotionally immature and that he
(12:32):
taught her how to love.
He also said that he went aftermarried women because they're
prettier and I like the danger.
But when it seemed things werenot going his way, the
23-year-old bawled and whined.
At one point he stood up in themiddle and pointed at Judith
(12:53):
Whitcock, saying what about theother charge?
Why don't we talk about that?
She's here in the courtroom now.
Judith was the other woman hewas charged with committing
adultery with.
She was never charged, thankgoodness.
The chief of police, along withother high-ranking officers,
testified to every gross thinghe ever bragged about.
(13:14):
Da Craig said he wasresponsible, if not directly,
then indirectly, for the deathof Melvin Clark Jr.
Arthur broke down into yoursaying Maybe.
I kissed her once or twice.
He pleaded, but that was all.
Judge Fairhurst said I don'tbelieve you.
In reference to the conduct ofthis man, he can take a large
(13:38):
measure of the responsibilityfor wrecking that family.
That girl is going to be doingpenance for a long time.
I feel he should do penance fora long time and that is what is
going to happen to him.
The judge then handed down themaximum three one-year sentences
for three counts of adultery tobe served consecutively.
(14:02):
The next year, da Craig got agold watch for the official
detective award given away by aradio show.
The trial of Lurin Clark for themurder of her husband, mel
Clark Jr, was listed as thefifth biggest story of 1954,
which doesn't seem as high assomething so sensationalized.
(14:24):
Later on, I also found out thatin 2010, computer programmer
William Tunstall-Pedot made aprogram to identify the most
boring day in the world.
Do you know what day?
It came back with?
April 11, 1954.
I suppose in the grand schemeof world history in the 20th
(14:49):
century, one death, even amurder, isn't as interesting as
we make it out to be.
In 1955, reporter for theBoston traveler, jack O'Shea,
started to dive deeper into theClark case.
The police and districtattorney's office seemed
absolutely certain that at leasttwo, and probably three people
(15:11):
were involved that night inApril, when speaking to Arthur
Jackson's attorney, arthurBullanger, he was surprised to
hear that Jackson wantedBullanger to pass along his
version of events, which hadchanged yet again Now.
He said that Lurin was ringinghis doorbell to his apartment at
2.30 that morning of April 11thand just said well, it's
(15:36):
happened.
After explaining about themurder, arthur Jackson went to
the cottage, covered Mel's bodyin a trench coat and tied
weights around him.
He sat in between Lurin and thebody as Lurin drove to the
Rocks Village Bridge.
They dumped the body and wentback to clean.
Arthur then gathered theincriminating evidence into a
(15:58):
bundle and tossed it into PlugPond in Haverhill where he was
living, including the 25 caliberpistol that was used In 1956,
they tried to indict ArthurJackson for murder.
Lorraine was speaking out sayingthat Arthur was the killer and
that it was his clothes in thebundle of incriminating evidence
(16:21):
.
She said I was sick of coveringup the mess now that I wasn't
protected.
I didn't care if he got awaywith it so long as what I had
done didn't come out, but hedidn't protect me.
We would have rather been knownas a murderer than an adulterer
.
Lorraine said that Arthur hadstopped by for a drink with the
(16:45):
clerks and had said someunsavory things about Lorraine.
When Mel said he didn't likethe way he was speaking about
her, the men started to fight.
Mel drew a weapon and Arthurwas able to get it from him and
shoot.
Lorraine helped dispose of thebody and clean up Before they
dumped Mel's body in theMerrimack River.
(17:06):
Arthur used an ice pick to pokeseveral holes in Mel's chest to
ensure his body sank.
Detectives never really sortedout the weapons.
They thought for a while thata.22 caliber pistol was used,
but they presented a.32 caliberweapon to Lorraine and said it
(17:27):
was the murder weapon.
Arthur said it was a.25 caliberweapon in reality and the stab
wounds are attributed to an icepick for the longest time, until
they pull a knitting needlefrom the river.
Then they start to say thatLorraine shot her husband and in
a fury also stabbed him in theheart with one of her knitting
(17:48):
needles.
Lorraine described gloves thatArthur had been wearing that
night.
One of them had a tear on theindex finger and had been
stitched.
And sure enough, when Plugpondwas searched they found a glove
matching that description, alongwith a torn piece of shirt.
The woman who had told policeArthur was with her during the
(18:12):
murder came forward and said shehad lied.
Arthur had approached her andcoaxed her into being his alibi.
On May 25, 1956, with all thatevidence, a grand jury refused
to indict Arthur Jackson.
They then asked if he'll tryagain To get an indictment.
(18:34):
Da Craig said the case isclosed.
I have a confession.
Arthur was released in January1957.
Following his release, allother indictments that had been
prepared by the DA's officepertaining to the Clark case
were dropped.
This started a weird rivalrybetween the DA and the attorney
(18:57):
general, george Fingold, whobelieved others should have been
held responsible for Mel'smurder In July of 1957, people
get up in arms over certainaspects of the women's
reformatory in Framingham, andby people I mean a couple
Republican representatives.
There were rumors that Lorrainegot special treatment, like
(19:19):
Sunday drives and weekendfurloughs.
Matron Margaret O'Keefe andprison psychologist Dr Miriam
Van Waters correct the recordand stand up for the work they
did at the reformatory.
In the winters there's a houseon the grounds that Lorraine
used to visit her children.
In the spring they drove to apavilion also on the grounds.
(19:42):
The workers at the reformatorycalled the 178 women.
They housed students and theytruly believed they were working
to reform them.
It was an immaculately cleanfacility.
The women were allowed to wearwhatever they wanted and they
got paid 15 to 30 cents a dayfor whatever jobs they did and
(20:05):
they would put on performancesof different plays and operas
for each other.
Matron O'Keefe said thatLorraine was the finest girl
they had, a natural leaderTalking about how she wrote to
her children once a week.
Social worker Pauline Orrellsaid she makes a point to only
talk about the pleasant thingsthe reformatory gardens and the
(20:27):
animals.
She went on to say Mrs Clark isan intelligent girl but more
than that, she has a specialbrand of courage.
In the face of great tragedyshe has always managed to keep
cheerful.
Lorraine worked in theeducation office helping other
women learn to read and write,as well as in the greenhouses.
(20:51):
Lorraine began her bid forcommutation of her sentence in
1960.
In October she presented apetition signed by several
people, including Mel's parents.
Chief of police EdmundMcLaughlin said she had withheld
the complete truth.
Mel Clark Sr retorted.
Now that the chief has seen fitto bring out part of the story,
(21:15):
I think he should tell it all.
I've always felt she didn't doit alone and I'm still convinced
of it.
Lorraine tried again inSeptember of 1961, but was
denied again.
In December 1962, lorrainefinally won a hearing for the
possibility of a shortersentence and ability to be
(21:35):
released on parole as soon aspossible.
Her mother, alberta, had gottenover 200 signatures on a
petition for release.
On April 10th 1963, exactly nineyears to the day after Mel
Clark Jr was murdered, lorraineClark was released on parole and
(21:56):
was able to share Easter Sundaywith her family.
As she left, the women at thereformatory waved goodbye and
wished her good luck.
Lorraine was handed a checkwith her earnings after eight
years.
It was $330.96, which is around$3,300 in today's money.
She told matron Betty ColesmithI can't thank you enough.
(22:20):
I'll write often.
I am a better person for cominghere.
Lorraine then joined her parentsand two teenage daughters in
the car and drove off, followedby her attorney and her teenage
son, to the house that Mel'sparents had provided for the
whole family to live in and theywere able to get a job and they
(22:44):
kind of just went on with theirnormal lives.
Lorraine was in a couplearticles.
She got to go to her daughter'sgraduation.
Shortly after her release thetownspeople kind of put out an
article telling all outsidereporters to just leave Lorraine
alone.
She was involved in like acourt case because somebody
(23:10):
stole one of her rings and shewas also given a warning for
drinking and hanging out withthe wrong kinds of people.
But you know, at some point shedid get married or change her
name.
I couldn't find out, but in herobituary in 2021, when she died
(23:31):
late into her 90s, she had adifferent name and that's it.
That's the whole shebang.
If you're interested in seeingimages related to this episode,
head over to the Instagram atMurder Is Bad podcast.
Thank you for listening to thisseries.
Take care of each other andremember murder is bad, god
(24:04):
bless.
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