Mary Jane Jackson (born 1836 – disappeared c. 1863) was an American serial killer, prostitute, and criminal active in New Orleans, Louisiana, from the 1840s to 1860s. She was nicknamed "Bricktop" due to her bright red hair.[1]
Mary Jane Jackson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mary Jane Jackson 1836 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Disappeared | c. 1863 (aged ~27) New Orleans, Louisiana, C.S. |
| Other names | "Bricktop" "Mary the Red"[2] "Red Mary"[3] Mary Rufus[3] |
| Conviction(s) | Manslaughter |
| Criminal penalty | 10 years imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 4 murders; 25 others survived[1] |
Span of crimes | 1856–1861 |
| Country | United States Confederate States |
| State(s) | Louisiana |
Date apprehended | 1859; 1861 |
Early life
editJackson was born in 1836 on Girod St. in New Orleans. She became a prostitute at the age of 13 and, at 14, the mistress of a local saloon owner. After he split with her three years later, she beat him to the point of hospitalization, leaving him with a broken nose and without an ear. After this, she bounced around different brothels, as she could not get along with other prostitutes.[1]
Murders
editJackson committed her first murder in 1856 at the age of 20, beating a man to death after he called her a "whore." The following year, she fatally stabbed a man nicknamed Long Charley (due to his height of almost 7 feet).[1]
On November 7, 1859, Jackson went to a saloon on Rampart St. with two other women, Ellen Collins and America Williams. After a blacksmith named Laurent Fleury,[4][5] who was seated nearby, asked her to stop cussing, she continued to do so louder out of spite. Laurent got up and slapped Jackson across the face, after which Jackson and the two other women stabbed him to death. When police arrived, they found Fleury's pants pocket and money in Jackson's possession. She was brought to Parish Prison but was released after an autopsy failed to establish Fleury's cause of death.[1]
While imprisoned, Jackson fell in love with a jailer, criminal, and fight manager named John Miller (b. 1829 in Gretna), who himself had murdered several people in New Orleans. After her release, they committed robberies together in the French Quarter.[1]
On the night of December 5, 1861, Miller told neighbors outside of their home in Gretna that Jackson "needed a thrashing" and went inside; the subsequent altercation ended with Miller being fatally stabbed. Jackson received a ten-year prison sentence for manslaughter, but was released nine months later, after George F. Shepley emptied the local prisons due to the ongoing American Civil War. After her release, Jackson left New Orleans and was never heard from again.[1][6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g McNamara, Joseph (May 17, 1992). "One Tough Temptress". Daily News. Retrieved August 30, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Charge of Murder". The Daily Delta. June 14, 1862. Retrieved August 30, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Bridget Fury". The Sunday Delta. June 15, 1862. Retrieved August 30, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Rampart Street Murder". The New Orleans Crescent. November 14, 1859. Retrieved August 30, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Local Intelligence". The Sunday Delta. November 13, 1859. Retrieved August 30, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fatal Affry [sic] Near New Orleans". Abingdon Democrat. December 20, 1861. Retrieved August 30, 2024 – via newspapers.com.