A judge in 17th century Connecticut ruled on the thorniest of problems. Some of these included ruling on a piglet’s paternity, who was to blame for faulty shoes, and whether illicit sex had occurred on a boat sailing to Stamford.
While most of the rulings wouldn’t stand up in today’s court, our earliest settlers struggled to decide a fair price to pay under a harsh system. This hour, Connecticut Superior Court Judge Jon Blue shares some of the liveliest tales from our past, vividly described by court reporters not bound by modern day legalese.
A little later, we also hear an interview with journalist and author Martha Elliott. Elliott's book, The Man in the Monster, documents her complicated “friendship” with Connecticut serial killer Michael Ross.
GUESTS:
- Jon Blue - Judge of the Connecticut Superior Court and the author of The Case of the Piglet’s Paternity: Trials from the New Haven Colony, 1639-1663
- Martha Elliott - Journalist and author of The Man in the Monster: An Intimate Portrait of a Serial Killer
You can join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
John Dankosky, Catie Talarski, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
