from the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame

Goshen, NY — Join us at the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame for a captivating lecture about New York’s first murder for hire, presented by local author and police detective Michael J. Worden.

The Murder of Richard Jennings: The True Story of New York’s First Murder for Hire, applies a modern investigation into an 1818 murder case.

Buffet dinner will start at six o’clock and after the meal, Michael J. Worden will discuss the macabre subject of the scandalous murder of Richard Jennings, the first murder for hire in New York that occurred right here in Orange County in the small village of Sugar Loaf.

The prosecution team, assisted by future president Martin Van Buren, led to two men facing the gallows and two men in prison. What caused good Orange County families to resort to murder? Was one of the murderers wrongfully imprisoned for 22 years? And how did one of the murderers end up with a monument in his honor? These questions and many more will be answered as well as the benefit of hearing new information that Michael has uncovered that’s not even in his book!

Tell your family and friends to mark their calendars for Wednesday (Oct. 29) from 6-8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for Harness Racing Museum members, $18 for non-members and include the buffet dinner with beverages and dessert. Due to the popularity of this series, tickets must be purchased by 3 p.m. Monday (Oct. 27); please call 845.294.6330 or e-mail education@harnessmuseum.com.

For further information about the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, the museum’s school programs, educational workshops or children’s birthday parties, please contact the Education Department at 845.294.6330 or e-mail education@harnessmuseum.com. Thanks to USTA support, the Museum is currently offering free admission for walk-in visitors and $4.00/person for group docent-guided tours, and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.