Bio

Bridget Durgan was born in County Sligo, Ireland, in 1845. Her family was described as respectable.

She said an employer’s son seduced her. After that, she was paid to leave the area. She sailed to New York and found work as a housekeeper.

Her mistress ordered her out of the house when the tryst left her pregnant. Bridget gave birth in a charity hospital. After that, she worked for a few months in a slum brothel.

One night the police raided the brothel. Bridget evaded arrest by vaulting over a fence. She fled to Brooklyn and returned to domestic service.

She later worked for a Mrs. Horning. The two soon hated each other. Mrs. Horning called her “a devilish infernal slut” and fired her.

After leaving Mrs. Horning, Bridget went to Newmarket, New Jersey. There she found a position in the house of Dr. and Mrs. Coriel. The Coriels had a baby named Mamey who was fond of her.

Murder Story

Bridget Durgan was born in 1845. On February 26, 1867, in Newmarket, New Jersey, she killed one person. The victim was Mary Ellen Coriel, the doctor's wife. Durgan stabbed Mrs. Coriel with a knife. She then set the house on fire. Durgan took the couple's baby and went to a neighbor's home, saying robbers had attacked. She was arrested the same day. A jury found her guilty and a judge sentenced her to hang. She was executed in the New Brunswick, New Jersey jail yard on August 30, 1867. Durgan left a confession that was published by a reverend after her death. The case was described as an act of revenge for a lifetime of abuse and injustice.