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All the United States New York State New York City Manhattan The Manhattan Well Murder

The Manhattan Well Murder

A dark, dank room in subterranean Manhattan was the site of a ghastly murder.

New York, New York

Added By
Michelle Legro
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The well inside COS   lampbane / Atlas Obscura User
Current 2021 in the Store   christiand1776 / Atlas Obscura User
The Well Today Inside The Clothing Store   Gabi Steinberg / Atlas Obscura User
  wherearewedude / Atlas Obscura User
In May 2022   jordank / Atlas Obscura User
  wherearewedude / Atlas Obscura User
March 2022   Helen Rose / Atlas Obscura User
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About

A sealed well underneath the COS clothing store in SoHo was the site of the 1799 murder of Gulielma Elmore Sands, who was strangled and dumped in the well on Spring St.

The accused murderer was Levi Weeks, a fellow boarder in a house on Greenwich Street, whom Sands had been secretly seeing. Weeks was masterfully defended in court by Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. As a result, the jury delivered an acquittal after just five minutes of deliberation.

Weeks, nevertheless, had to leave the city, as he was widely considered guilty.

The inside of the well is not open to the public, but it is sometimes accessible upon special request provided its status as one of the Travel Channel's "10 Most Haunted Places in America."

Related Tags

Memento Mori Wells

Community Contributors

Added By

Michelle

Edited By

Chassy, lampbane, scallender1969, jordank...

  • Chassy
  • lampbane
  • scallender1969
  • jordank
  • Gabi Steinberg
  • Helen Rose
  • christiand1776
  • wherearewedude

Published

February 3, 2012

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Sources
  • http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204644504576651252000172140.html
The Manhattan Well Murder
129 Spring St
New York, New York, 10012
United States
40.724047, -74.000399
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