From The Oystercatcher of Southwark by Erica Colahan-Ruggieri Copywrite 2022 “O, Holy Night, hmm hmm…” Mary hummed as she helped Mollie into her little bed, tucking the blankets around her. “Pretty, Muter,” Mollie sighed, rubbing her eyes and reaching her chubby arms up to hug Mary’s neck. “I am the most blessed mother in the […]
by Erica Colahan-Ruggieri Copyright 2022 More than 125 years have passed, and MARY PARAGANO’s tragic voice has been silenced by history—until her great-granddaughter, BELLA, and a stranger named SOPHIE discover their family connection and finally unearth Mary’s story. Philadelphia, 1897—Disowned by her Catholic father, abandoned by her husband, JAKOB, and pursued by a jealous gangster, […]
Scene from the novel The Oystercatcher of Southwark by Erica Colahan-Ruggieri, Copyright 2022 Mary woke with a start, sensing something was wrong. Adrenaline shot through her system, and she sat bolt upright, nudging the children. “Wake up!” She hissed at her eldest daughter. “Mollie, get the baby. Sarah, wake up!” The train had stopped. Mary […]
Ensconced in the corner of the Philadelphia City Archives at Sixth and Spring Garden, Bella and Sophie hoped to find some record of Mary’s arrest. Or of her time spent in the House of Correction or the Almshouse, as reported in the article. An archivist named James helped them. He was an intelligent man with […]
A butterfly pinned into place. Mary felt like a butterfly specimen, pinned into place and kept under glass to be regarded by future specialists who would discuss her attributes even after she was dead and dried up. She may have once been beautiful and carefree, but then, in one moment—that exact moment when she was […]
Mom and I went down to South Philly to walk the path that Mary had walked. I wanted to place my hands on the bricks of her home—where she lived when she met Joseph in 1891, and her life turned upside down. South Philly probably hasn’t changed much since the day the police found her struggling […]
