Alice Mitchell

Alice Jessie Mitchell (November 26, 1872 – March 31, 1898) was an American woman who gained notoriety for the murder of her lover, Freda Ward. On January 23, 1892, the 19-year-old Mitchell cut the throat of Ward, then 17 years old. Mitchell was subsequently found insane by means of a jury inquisition and placed in a psychiatric hospital until her death in 1898.

Early life Alice Mitchell was born in 1872 to George and Isabella Mitchell. Alice was never interested in the toys that young girls were interested in. She was interested in playing on the swing in her yard, and playing both baseball and football. Alice had four siblings: her older brothers Robert and Frank, her eldest sister Mattie and her older sister Addie. She was closest with her brother Frank. Together, they played with marbles and practiced shooting with a rifle. Alice also liked horses and helped take care of her father's horse. Her mother tried to teach her sewing and needlework, but Alice never enjoyed doing this work nor was ever able to learn how. Alice was not interested in boys as a child as most girls her age were. In fact, as she grew older, she was sometimes rude to young men. from her pocket and slashed Freda across her face. Jo tried to protect Freda by attacking Alice with an umbrella, but the attack was not successful. Angered by the umbrella, Alice sliced Jo's collarbone. Freda, bleeding and disoriented, was finally killed by Alice with a deep slice across her throat. After killing Freda, Alice went back to the wagon and told Lillie Johnson what she had done and expressed a desire to kill herself. Lillie said she should go home to her mother and confess instead, which they did. Later, both she and Alice were arrested. Lillie was suspected of knowing Alice's plans ahead of time but did nothing to prevent it. Lillie was released on bond but Alice had to remain in jail.

Alice was tried that summer and declared "presently insane," meaning that she was insane before the murder. According to her own testimony, Alice killed Freda because if they could not get married, then there was no reason for either of them to live and no one should marry Freda if she could not. All charges were dropped against Lillie Johnson and Alice was ordered to Western State Hospital for the Insane located at Bolivar, Tennessee. She died there in 1898. The case was headlined as "A Very Unnatural Crime" across the country. The case influenced the popular literature of the era which began to depict lesbians as "murderous" and "masculine". One identity that came to be thought of lesbians was the "mannish lesbian" creating dialogue of gender expression. In the courtroom, Alice Mitchell was presented as "insane" by her attorneys and her trial was not tried in criminal court but for questioning of lunacy.