The Nan Patterson Case

By: Newman Levy

Narrated by: Karen Commins, Drew Commins

Was it murder, or suicide? The Nan Patterson Case is a gripping true crime narrative that revisits one of the most sensational court cases of early 20th-century America.

In 1904, Nan Patterson, a former chorus girl in the tour troupe of the hit Broadway show Florodora was the lover of gambler and bookmaker Caesar Young. Married, and crowded by both women, Young was to leave for Europe the day when he was shot (or shot himself) while riding with Nan in a New York City hansom cab. The scandal sent shockwaves through the tabloids, captivating the nation with its blend of high society intrigue, show-business glamour, and courtroom drama. Newman Levy, the son of Patterson's defense attorney, meticulously reconstructs the events leading up to Young's death, the highly publicized trials, and the public's fascination with Patterson's demeanor and beauty.

Drawing on court records, press accounts, and personal correspondence, Levy examines not only the facts of the case but the cultural forces — misogyny, celebrity, and class — that shaped its outcome. A compelling work of historical true crime, The Nan Patterson Case is both a riveting mystery and a window into the moral and media landscape of Gilded Age America.

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