Who Killed Sarah Stout? is a participatory exhibition in the Sharpless Gallery of Magill Library at Haverford College.

The trial of Spencer Cowper for the murder of Sarah Stout (a Quaker woman of unusual independence and wealth) is filled with scandal — rumored adultery, forged love letters, medical curiosities, accusations of suicide and political backstabbing. Cowper and his accused accomplices were acquitted.

The case has never been solved. This February 28th at 4:30pm it will be reopened and brought before the court of Public Opinion through an Exhibit in The Sharpless Gallery of Magill Library.

Using location-based gaming (think Clue) you will be able to visit the local pub, Glove and Dolphin, and overhear the late-night conversation of the defendants the night of Sarah’s death; or witness one of the first autopsies in the Stout’s Barn as doctors explored her exhumed remains for signs of adultery and ultimately cited foul play as cause of death. But there is a catch –17th Century companions (via a mobile device) will lead you through the various locations and primary source documents. After exploring the evidence and talking with notable characters, you will be asked to place a verdict.

On March 18th, we will announce guilty party on Judgment Day. So make sure to make your judgment before then, and remember: “The thing was done in the dark, therefore the Evidence cannot be so Plain as it otherwise might be.”