She smiled and twirled in front of the cameras, flowing through poses and alternating a serious gaze with a bright and beaming smile. She was wearing her signature black dress with a draped neckline and white piping — her second outfit of the shoot.
Between flashes she adjusted her hat and the Buddy Poppy pinned on her chest, a symbol for the sacrifice of the World War veterans like her husband. Though she said little in response to the photographers’ eager questions, it was clear Jessie Costello loved the attention.
A woman shouted from the window above, “They’ve had enough, Jessie, come on.”
But Jessie operated on her own terms. She let the camera shutters continue to click a while longer until finally she announced to the lot, “You’ve had more than enough.”
Jessie sashayed back towards the steps, scowling at the harsh gray stone walls that served as the backdrop for the impromptu photoshoot. She asked to go somewhere with flowers and trees, some nature to fill up the frame behind her, but Jessie’s request was shot down. Because Jessie Costello wasn’t a model or a starlet on the set of a photoshoot… Jessie Costello was an accused killer awaiting trial, facing the death penalty for the murder of her own husband.
When Captain William Costello was found unresponsive on his bathroom floor, the responding doctor assumed he suffered a heart attack. No sooner was the last flower laid at his tomb did the rumors begin to swirl. It seemed no one believed the Fire Captain died of anything natural. All eyes were on his wife, Mrs. Jessie Costello, who seemed to love the attention.
I’m Kylie Low and this is the story of William Costello and his wife, Jessie Costello, on Dark Downeast. Press play for the full episode.
Episode Source Material
- Fire Captain apparently died of natural causes, Fitchburg Sentinel, 20 Feb 1933
- News gathered last night, North Adams Transcript, 25 Feb 1933
- Feels Costello slain or suicide, Boston Globe, 25 Feb 1933
- To question widow in Costello death, Boston Globe, 27 Feb 1933, page 2
- Expert hand seen in poisoning case by Alfred J. Monahan, Boston Globe, 28 Feb 1933, page 2
- Widow’s illness laid to ordeal by Alfred J. Monahan, Boston Globe, 02 Mar 1933
- Acts today in Costello case, Boston Globe, 06 Mar 1933
- Father helps clear poison case angles by Alfred J. Monahan, Boston Globe, 08 Mar 1933
- Mrs. Costello faces quiz, Boston Globe, 09 Mar 1933
- Costello widow fails to appear by Alfred J. Monahan, Boston Globe, 10 Mar 1933
- Youngster’s body yields no clews, Boston Globe, 13 Mar 1933
- Widow must face trial for murder, North Adams Transcript, 18 Mar 1933
- Costello’s widow calmly waits arraignment by Alfred Monahan, Boston Globe, 18 Mar 1933
- Mrs. Costello says McMahon statement “tissue of lies”, Boston Globe, 22 Mar 1933
- Costello defense can’t get organs by Alfred J. Monahan, Boston Globe, 14 Apr 1933
- Mrs. Costello’s wish denied, Boston Globe, 05 June 1933
- The camera catches fleeting moods of the widow in poison case, Boston Globe, 05 Jun 1933
- Mrs. Costello poses at jail by Alfred J. Monahan, Boston Globe, 06 Jun 1933
- Mrs. Costello to go to trial on June 26, Boston Globe, 10 Jun 1933
- Commercial polish used at Costello’s fire station, Boston Globe, 20 Jul 1933
- Doctor admonished widow in hospital room of McMahon by Alfred J. Monahan, Boston Globe, 25 July 1933
- Theory Costello killed by poison in capsule form by Geoffrey Parsons Jr. Boston Globe, 28 Jul 1933
- Peabody druggist sold capsules to Jessie by Geoffrey Parsons Jr. Boston Globe, 01 Aug 1933
- Frequently in tears on stand by Geoffrey Parsons Jr. Boston Globe, 02 Aug 1933
- Jessie freed, returns to family by Alfred J. Monahan, Boston Globe, 16 Aug 1933
- Old Orchard Beach appearance, Fitchburg Sentinel, 22 Aug 1933
- Jessie Costello signs up for Vaudeville skit, Boston Globe, 19 Aug 1933