COPPER Crime Contest: Solve A Real 1860s Murder Mystery—And Win An iPad

While today's news are filled with shocking crimes with awful details, they are as grisly and lurid as they were in the 19th century. Starting this Sunday, August 19, BBC America's intense new crime drama, COPPER, delves into the underworld of 1860s New York with Detective Kevin Corcoran examining the evil that lurks in Five Points and beyond. Today, through August 21, we're giving you a chance to exercise your skills of detection and win a new iPad (32GB) with Retina Display, a season pass to watch COPPER and a sweet reproduction 1864 NYC map, by solving an actual 19th century mystery—details below!

From Brooklyn Daily Eagle articles in 1864

We're changing the names of the characters and not giving specific locations—Detective Corcoran didn't have Google back then! Then give your best answer, via the form below, for your chance to win. (Gothamist LLC contest rules apply.)

One October day, a boatman in the East River found a cloth bundle near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It turned out to be the upper part of a man's recently mutilated but still-clothed body, wrapped in an enameled cloth and tied with a weight, in an attempt to sink it. Six days later, a group of boys fishing off a Manhattan wharf found another package: Tied with the same kind of string and in the same kind of cloth, the package contained the torso to the thighs. The next day, further out in Brooklyn, a package containing the thighs was found. In the next week, two more packages emerged on the shores of Brooklyn: One with the lower limbs and booted feet and another with the head.

It turned out the victim was a Civil War soldier, "John Smith", who had been granted a leave in January but overstayed it. A government official emerged who said that he had contacted Smith's wife, who claimed she hadn't seen him for over a year, but Smith's brother said he saw the victim shortly before his death in Fort Green Park. The brother described encouraging a very drunken Smith to re-enlist. However, Smith never made it back to his regiment and was spotted—a night before his body was found—in saloons and other dens of vice near Mercer and Green Streets.

COPPER Crime Contest Details

The contest begins at 12 p.m. EST on August 14, 2012 and runs through 11:59 a.m. EST on August 21, 2012 (the "Contest Window.") Only entries that are actually made during the Contest Window will be eligible. Only one entry per person. One winner, chosen at random* and with the correct answer on August 21, 2012, will receive the following prizes:

• A 32 GB iPad with Retina display;
• A framed reproduction 1864 map of New York City (16" x 25" size, plus matting); and
• A season pass to watch COPPER on iTunes or Amazon.

Relive the real bad old days with BBC America's COPPER. Watch the premiere of the riveting new crime series from Academy Award®-winner Barry Levinson and Emmy® Award-winner Tom Fontana on Sunday, August 19, at 10/9c, only on BBC America. For more updates on the series, be sure to like COPPER on Facebook and follow COPPER on Twitter.