Poisoned History

Adelaide Bartlett was a young French woman living in England, who got into a love triangle with her husband and another man. When her husband turned up dead one day though, the whole arrangement fell apart and she suddenly became a murder suspect. Sources and Resources:“The impossible case of the Pimlico poisoning,” The CutPrice Guignol, https://thethreepennyguignol.com/2024/04/17/the-impossible-case-of-the-pimlico-poisoning/Farrell, M. “Adelaide Bartlett and the Pimlico Mystery,” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2542684/pdf/bmj00471-0054.pdfWikipedia

Dr. Edward Pritchard was a doctor (of sorts), viewed as a quack by many of his contemporaries, who decided that killing would solve all his problems most efficiently. He was right, for a little while at least.Sources and resources:Loney, G; How the Huan Crocodile met the Glasgow hangman for the last public execution in Scotland; Glasgow Live, 18Nov2018, https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/history/human-crocodile-execution-glasgow-history-11676137 Our Legal Heritage: The last man publicly hanged in Glasgow; Scottish Legal News, 31Aug2018, https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/our-legal-heritage-the-last-man-publicly-hanged-in-glasgow Grebar, Henry; What became of America’s water-cure towns? Bloomberg, 16Nov2015, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-16/the-legacy-of-america-s-water-cure-townsDiscover Saratoga, visitor information, https://www.discoversaratoga.org/things-to-do/attractions/mineral-springs/#:~:text=State%20Seal:%20A%20popular%20choice,has%20water%20rich%20in%20magnesiumVan Hoose, Anne; Edward William Pritchard: Gone? A killer in the Glasgow Photographic Society, https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/libraries/family-history/stories-and-blogs-from-the-mitchell/special-collections-blogs/edward-william-pritchard-gone Emsley, J., The Elements of Murder, Oxford University Press, 2006.The Anatomy Lab; Forensic Medicine, History of Medicine Museum; Forensic Medicine: The Case of Dr Pritchard, https://surgeonshallmuseums.wordpress.com/2020/05/22/forensic-medicine-the-case-of-dr-pritchard/ Our Records: the Glasgow Poisoner; Scotland’s People, https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/article/glasgow-poisoner Martin R, Lee VR. Antimony Toxicity. [Updated 2024 Sep 2]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK608003Chan TY. Aconite poisoning. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2009 Apr;47(4):279-85. doi: 10.1080/15563650902904407. PMID: 19514874. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19514874/ WikipediaThis podcast uses sound from Freesound.org:minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests.Cover art photos: public domain.

Thomas Neill Cream was a good-looking man about town in the late 1800s, who was poisoning many of the people he treated and blackmailing anyone he thought could afford to pay. He was eventually caught when the family of one of his victims denied that she could possibly have committed suicide as was suggested by a note she wrote. But that’s not the end of the story.Sources and Resources:Wilson Smith, A, Strychnine and Vomit: The Untold Story of Past US Addiction Treatments, Filter Magazine 8 September 2021, https://filtermag.org/strychnine-addiction-treatments/McLaren, A., Dr Cream’s Crimes were Just Part of the Problem, Chicago Tribune, 18 March 1993, https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/03/18/dr-creams-crimes-were-just-part-of-the-problem/Butts, Edward. "Thomas Neill Cream". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 15 December 2013, Historica Canada. thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/thomas-neill-cream. Accessed 09 November 2025.Murder by Gaslight, the Lambeth Poisoner, 29Aug2010. History of Shrewsbury, Quebec, Chapter III, LaChute 1835-1876, https://morrison13750.tripod.com/lachute/part3.pdfForan, J., The Evil Deeds of Dr. Cream. Canada’s History, https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/politics-law/the-evil-deeds-of-dr-creamMedical Murders Podcast: “’Lambeth Poisoner” Thomas Neill Cream, Part 2”WikipediaThis podcast uses sound from Freesound.org:minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests.Cover art photos: public domain.

Time for another fake crime episode!In this episode of Columbo, a restaurant owner is murdered by a restaurant critic who had been charging him for good reviews. Columbo suspects the writer from the start, but doesn’t have any proof yet. He hounds the restaurant writer, popping up everywhere, in an effort to wear him down. This show, if you’re not familiar with it, is a how-catch-em instead of a whodunit. The audience already knows from the opening scene who the murderer is, the fun is watching Columbo figure out who did it and find a way to prove their guilt.Sources and resources:Vittorio Rossi | The Columbo Wiki | Fandom https://share.google/Yr2jiOMoo1RElQIz0Yong YS, Quek LS, Lim EK, Ngo A. A case report of puffer fish poisoning in singapore. Case Rep Med. 2013;2013:206971. doi: 10.1155/2013/206971. Epub 2013 Dec 4. PMID: 24368916; PMCID: PMC3867830. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3867830/Internet movie database (IMDB)WikipediaThis podcast uses sound from Freesound.org:minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests.Image: This ⁠Wikipedia⁠ and ⁠Wikimedia Commons⁠ image is from the user ⁠Chris 73⁠ and is freely available at //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fugu_in_Tank.jpg under the ⁠creative commons cc-by-sa 3.0⁠ license.

Time for another fake crime episode!In this episode of Columbo, a restaurant owner is murdered by a restaurant critic who had been charging him for good reviews. Columbo suspects the writer from the start, but doesn’t have any proof yet. He hounds the restaurant writer, popping up everywhere, in an effort to wear him down. This show, if you’re not familiar with it, is a how-catch-em instead of a whodunit. The audience already knows from the opening scene who the murderer is, the fun is watching Columbo figure out who did it and find a way to prove their guilt.Sources and resources:Vittorio Rossi | The Columbo Wiki | Fandom https://share.google/Yr2jiOMoo1RElQIz0Yong YS, Quek LS, Lim EK, Ngo A. A case report of puffer fish poisoning in singapore. Case Rep Med. 2013;2013:206971. doi: 10.1155/2013/206971. Epub 2013 Dec 4. PMID: 24368916; PMCID: PMC3867830. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3867830/Internet movie database (IMDB)WikipediaThis podcast uses sound from Freesound.org:minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests.Image: This Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons image is from the user Chris 73 and is freely available at //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fugu_in_Tank.jpg under the creative commons cc-by-sa 3.0 license.

Robert Buchanan was a doctor in New York in the late 1800s who divorced his first wife in order to marry a brothel-owning woman from Newark, New Jersey. When she turned up dead, it seemed like it had been from natural causes, but his friends and acquaintances had some pointed questions and some suspicious letters to share with the police.Sources and resources:Peole v. Buchanan, Court of Appeals of the State of New York, Feb 26, 1895. https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914cf45add7b04934820597https://nyli.omeka.net/exhibits/show/celebrated-trials/murder-trials/buchanan-poisoning-trialBuchanan’s trial begun, New York Times, March 28, 1893, Page 9. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1893/03/28/109696522.html?pageNumber=9 https://openyls.law.yale.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.13051/7321/08_14YaleJL_Human177_2002_.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y, page 17.Robert Buchanan Trial: 1893, Encyclopedia.com, Law magazines, https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/robert-buchanan-trial-1893Food poisoning, Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/science/foodborne-illnessCadaverine, Pubchem, https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Cadaverine#section=OdorWikipediaThis podcast uses sound from Freesound.org:minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests.Cover art photos: drawing, public domain.

Jane Toppan, aka Jolly Jane, was a nurse in the late 19th century who cared for the elderly and also murdered at least 31 of them. She admitted to taking pleasure in watching them die and her deeds were drooled over by the public. William Randolph Hearst’s sensationalist newspapers had a field day with her.Sources andresources:WikipediaThe Clinton Morning Age, July 27, 1902,Page 3, https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6ncmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CgEGAAAAIBAJ&pg=4194%2C996821Jane Toppan “Jolly Jane,” serial killerresearched by E. Allen, A. Averil, E. Cook; 2005, Dept of Psychology, RadfordUniversity, Radford, VA. Accessed June 11, 2025. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Toppan,%20Jane%20-%202005.pdf“Jane Toppan is Dead,” Old Colony HistoryMuseum, accessed June 15, 2025. https://ochm.medium.com/jane-toppan-is-dead-be9888540c15Fontes, K., “Women of Taunton: SerialKiller Jane Toppan spent her final years at Taunton State Hospital” TauntonDaily Gazette, Oct 18, 2022. Accessed June 15, 2025. https://www.tauntongazette.com/story/news/history/2022/10/18/women-taunton-jane-toppan-serial-killer-and-poison-nurse/8209014001/In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History -Jane Toppan's Poisoning Murders, https://christophersetterlund.blogspot.com/2019/10/in-their-footsteps-cape-cod-history_31.html,accessed June 15, 2025.Lombardo, P., Image archiveon the American eugenics movement, Dolan DNA Learning Center, Cold SpringHarbor Laboratory, http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/html/eugenics/essay8text.html Accessed June 21, 2025Lowell’s ties to“Jolly” Jane, Massachusetts’ female serial killer, October 29, 2022, https://www.lowellhistoricalsociety.org/lowells-ties-to-jolly-jane-massachusetts-female-serial-killer/ Accessed June 15, 2025. This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org:minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensedunder CCBYNC 4.0All statements in this podcast represent the opinionsof the host and her guests.Cover art photos:  photo, public domain.

Georgi Markov was a Bulgarian writer (and chemist!) in the 1960s and 70s whose writings against the Soviet Union and Bulgaria got the attention of that government and led to his targeting for assassination. Sources and resources:Umbrella Assassin. PBS, Secrets of the Dead, Season 5, Episode 5, https://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/umbrella-assassin-background/1546/Georgi Markov refused to be silent about communism and paid with his life. Foundation for Economic Education, https://fee.org/articles/georgi-markov-refused-to-be-silent-about-communism-and-paid-with-his-life/35 years since murder of dissident Bulgarian writer Georgi Markov. Noinvite.com, Sofia News Agency, https://www.novinite.com/articles/153445/35+Years+since+Murder+of+Dissident+Bulgarian+Writer+Georgi+MarkovThe poison-tipped umbrella: the death of Georgi Markov in 1978 – archive, compiled by Richard Nelsson, The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/from-the-archive-blog/2020/sep/09/georgi-markov-killed-poisoned-umbrella-london-1978Ricin properties: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441948/#:~:text=Ricin%20is%20a%20naturally%20occurring,per%20kilogram%20can%20be%20lethal.This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org:minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests.Cover art photos: photo, public domain.

Graham Young was a psychopath chemist who killed or injured many people who he came in contact with. He was fascinated with chemistry, poisons, and the Nazis, and had a habit of poisoning co-workers who annoyed him...as well as co-workers and friends he liked. Sources and resources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_YoungBowden, Paul, Graham Young (1947-1990); the St Albans poisoner: his life and times, Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 17-24 1996 Supplement. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.132https://www.biography.com/crime/graham-youngGraham Young, the Bovingdon Poisoner, https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/nostalgia/crimelibrary/grahamyoung/thebovingdonpoisoner/Belladonna: https://go.drugbank.com/drugs/DB13913https://imss.org/2020/05/a-note-from-the-collections-from-assassinations-to-witches-brews-the-troubled-history-of-the-belladonna-plant/?srsltid=AfmBOoqSoJwNffXblU8NtxtSeGhuj-sNvK9AaMJgSbdeS45lGvf7Nq1PAntimony:Martin, R.; Lee, VR., Antimony Toxicity, NIH National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK608003/Thallium: Vearrier, D., Thallium Toxicity Clinical Presentation, Medscape https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/821465-clinical?form=fpfKemnic, TR; Coleman, M., Thallium Toxicity, National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513240/This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org:minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests.Cover art photos: public domain.

Marie Lafarge was a reluctant bride who was accused of murdering her husband in the late 1830s by poisoning him with arsenic. At the time the arsenic tests were often inconclusive, and murderers could get off by sowing doubt in the minds of jurors about the methods used for detection. But the Marsh test changed all that since was a much more definitive test for arsenic. The ups and downs of this case will amaze you.Sources and resources:Video of the Marsh test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKE18vfV314https://daily.jstor.org/the-arsenic-cake-of-madame-lafarge/http://scihi.org/marie-lafarge/https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lafarge-marie-1816-1852https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Lafargehttps://www.amusingplanet.com/2022/11/marie-lafarge-arsenic-poisoner.htmlhttps://www.historicalstatistics.org/Currencyconverter.htmlThis podcast uses sound from Freesound.org:minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests.Cover art photos: photo, public domain.

Part Two of two: Amy Archer’s reign of terror inside a nursing home in the early 1900s was the basis for the play and later the movie Arsenic and Old Lace. Amy took in boarders in a nursing home and systematically killed them over the course of about 6 years. It was owing to the attention and tenacious investigative reporting of a local reporter that she was eventually found out, but was she a cold-blooded killer, insane, or just a confused old lady? Show Notes Sources and resources: Wikipedia Amy Archer-Gilligan: Entrepreneurism Gone Wrong in Windsor, Windsor Historical Society, https://windsorhistoricalsociety.org/amy-archer-gilligan-entrepreneurism-gone-wrong-in-windsor/ The Devil’s Rooming House by M. William Phelps, Lyons Press, 2010. The Hartford Courant, Newspapers.com Arsenic and Old Lace, Warner Brothers 1944, directed by Frank Capra This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org: minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0 All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests. Cover art photos: photo, public domain.

Amy Archer’s reign of terror inside a nursing home in the early 1900s was the basis for the play and later the movie Arsenic and Old Lace. Amy took in boarders in a nursing home and systematically killed them over the course of about 6 years. It was owing to the attention and tenacious investigative reporting of a local reporter that she was eventually found out, but was she a cold-blooded killer, insane, or just a confused old lady? Show Notes Sources and resources: Wikipedia Amy Archer-Gilligan: Entrepreneurism Gone Wrong in Windsor, Windsor Historical Society, https://windsorhistoricalsociety.org/amy-archer-gilligan-entrepreneurism-gone-wrong-in-windsor/ The Devil’s Rooming House by M. William Phelps, Lyons Press, 2010. The Hartford Courant, Newspapers.com Arsenic and Old Lace, Warner Brothers 1944, directed by Frank Capra This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org: minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0 All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests. Cover art photos: photo, public domain.

Rasputin was a prominent figure in the Russian royal family just before the Russian revolution of 1917. The nobility felt that he had too much power over the czar and czarina, and wanted him gone. He was murdered by nobles in the basement of Prince Yusupov’s Moika palace, on December 30, 1916. Stories of his indestructible nature have been passed down over the generations, but what really happened? How did a peasant rise through the ranks to become the most important holy man in the royal family, and how did he really die? Sources and resources: Disclaimer: There are many myths and rumors about Rasputin. I have tried to find the most accurate information available, but historians disagree about many of the facts. Wikipedia “Rasputin” performed by Boney M., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16y1AkoZkmQ “Rasputin” lyrics: https://genius.com/Boney-m-rasputin-lyrics What really happened during the murder of Rasputin, Russia’s “mad monk?” 27 Dec 2016, Smithsonian Magazine, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-really-happened-during-murder-rasputin-russia-mad-monk-180961572/ The myth of Nicholas II’s indifference to the Khodynka tragedy, by Paul Gilbert, 23 August 2023, https://tsarnicholas.org/category/khodynka-tragedy/ Encyclopedia Brittannica, entry on Nicholas II, tsar of Russia, 23 Aug 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicholas-II-tsar-of-Russia Prince Felix Yusupov, the Aristocrat Who Murdered Rasputin, by E.R. Zarevich, The Archive, 15 Feb 2023, https://explorethearchive.com/felix-yusupov The Murder of Rasputin, posted by Heather Thomas, Library of Congress Blog, 13 October 2020, https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2020/10/the-murder-of-rasputin/#:~:text=On%20the%20night%20of%20December,and%20left%20him%20for%20dead Fuhrmann, Joseph T. (2013). Rasputin, the untold story (illustrated ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 978-1-118-17276-6.Rasputin: The Untold Story This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org: minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0 All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests. Cover art photos: photo, public domain.

Fiction Episode! This episode contains spoilers. In the novel Sparkling Cyanide, a young heiress dies unexpectedly from cyanide poisoning during a birthday dinner. Although the official verdict of an inquest is suicide brought on by depression after influenza, her husband and sister have their doubts. There are many suspects, all of whom could possibly have had it in for her, but determining who the murderer is, or even if there is a murderer, is difficult. Sources and resources: Wikipedia “Sparkling Cyanide” by Agatha Christie, 1945, G.P Putnam’s Sons, a member of Penguin Group. Previously published as “Remembered Death.” Centers for Disease Control, CDC.gov This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org: minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0 All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests. Cover art photos: photo, public domain.

Fiction Episode! This episode contains spoilers. In the novel Sparkling Cyanide, a young heiress dies unexpectedly from cyanide poisoning during a birthday dinner. Although the official verdict of an inquest is suicide brought on by depression after influenza, her husband and sister have their doubts. There are many suspects, all of whom could possibly have had it in for her, but determining who the murderer is, or even if there is a murderer, is difficult. Sources and resources: Wikipedia “Sparkling Cyanide” by Agatha Christie, 1945, G.P Putnam’s Sons, a member of Penguin Group. Previously published as “Remembered Death.” Centers for Disease Control, CDC.gov This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org: minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0 All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests. Cover art photos: photo, public domain.

Florence Bravo was a wealthy widow before she married Charles Bravo, a barrister in the 1860s and 70s in Victorian England who was angry that she wouldn’t share her inheritance with him. When Charles died, there were multiple people in his household who were suspects, because so many of them had a beef with him. This story was referred to in several Agatha Christie novels: Ordeal by Innocence, Elephants Can Remember, and The Clocks. This is Part Two, if you haven't listened to Part One, I strongly suggest you go back and do that. Sources and resources: Wikipedia SUDDEN DEATH OF MRS. BRAVO. (1878, November 7). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 10. Retrieved June 25, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13418211 Ruddick, James (2001). Death at the Priory: Love, Sex, and Murder in Victorian England. Atlantic Monthly Press. The lonely element antimony, https://chemistrytalk.org/antimony. Retrieved July 13, 2024. A lovely walking tour of Balham, the part about the Priory starts at about 19:25 in the video: https://youtu.be/3xBDcTuQB0I?si=TuFV5aRojs9diuj9 This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org: minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0 All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests. Cover art photos: Potassium antimony tartrate photo by The great cornholio, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8945627

Florence Bravo was a wealthy widow before she married Charles Bravo, a barrister in the 1860s and 70s in Victorian England who was angry that she wouldn’t share her inheritance with him. When Charles died, there were multiple people in his household who were suspects, because so many of them had a beef with him. This story was referred to in several Agatha Christie novels: Ordeal by Innocence, Elephants Can Remember, and The Clocks. So sorry to leave you hanging, but don’t worry…part two will come out in about 2 weeks. Sources and resources: Wikipedia SUDDEN DEATH OF MRS. BRAVO. (1878, November 7). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 10. Retrieved June 25, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13418211 Ruddick, James (2001). Death at the Priory: Love, Sex, and Murder in Victorian England. Atlantic Monthly Press. The lonely element antimony, https://chemistrytalk.org/antimony. Retrieved July 13, 2024. A lovely walking tour of Balham, the part about the Priory starts at about 19:25 in the video: https://youtu.be/3xBDcTuQB0I?si=TuFV5aRojs9diuj9 This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org: minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0 All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests. Cover art photos: photo, public domain.

Dr. William Palmer was a physician in the mid-1800s in England who was a little too fond of gambling. So fond, in fact, that he was willing to kill multiple relatives for the life insurance payouts he took out on them, sometimes without their knowledge. He is famous for Palmer’s Act, the law that later prevented someone from taking out life insurance on someone unless they could show they would suffer a financial loss if that person died. Show Notes: Sources and resources: Wikipedia The Elements of Murder by John Emsley “Palmer the poisoner,” Distillations Magazine, 3 October 2010, Science History Institute Museum and Library, https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/palmer-the-poisoner/ “Tale of the Rugeley poisoner described by Dickens as ‘greatest villain that ever stood in Old Bailey,’” Staffordshire Live News, 9 April 2022, https://www.staffordshire-live.co.uk/news/history/tale-rugeley-poisoner-described-dickens-6908677 “A trip to Rugeley,” 24 September 2017, https://helenbarrell.co.uk/a-trip-to-rugeley/ William Palmer’s trial transcript: https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/record/t18560514-490 This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org: minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0 All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests. Cover art photos: photo, public domain.

On April 28, 1908, in La Porte, Indiana, Belle Gunness’s house burned to the ground and four bodies were found inside, one of them headless. The victims were allegedly Belle Gunness and her three children. Was this a terrible accident, murder, or a faked death? What was subsequently found on the farm would give some answers but also generate more questions. Sources and resources: Wikipedia "United States Census, 1900", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS78-PBL : Thu Apr 11 20:19:17 UTC 2024), Entry for Mats Sorensen and Bella Sorensen, 1900. Belle Gunness biography, https://www.biography.com/crime/belle-gunness Legends of America: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/belle-gunness/ "Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1968", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7D5-P8V : Sun Mar 10 02:10:44 UTC 2024), Entry for Mads Christian Sorenson and Anna Bennedigte Brondorp, 09 Dec 1873. Photos of Esther Carlson and Belle Gunness: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=743741852681169&set=a.665700227151999 Video with images (warning: extremely gruesome images): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YLqgBk_eKw This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org: minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0 All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests. Cover art photos: photo, public domain.

At 2am on March 23, 1857, Emile L'Angelier came back to his boarding house in a terrible state, complaining of stomach pain. His landlady helped him inside and to bed. She was worried about him because he had had these symptoms off and on for the past few months. Later that morning he died, and letters from a wealthy young socialite were found in his room. Was this murder? Sources and resources: Wikipedia The Elements of Murder by John Emsley The Madeleine Smith Story, by Douglas MacGowan, The Crime Library, http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/women/madeleine/1.html Arsenic poisoning symptoms: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24727-arsenic-poisoning Trial of Miss Madeleine H. Smith, before the High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, June 30th to July 9th, 1857, for the alleged poisoning of M. Pierre Emile L’Angelier, at Glasgow: special verbatim report, with portraits and plans, by Anonymous, Edinburgh: D. Mathers, 1857. Hunt, Peter. The Madeleine Smith Affair. London: Carroll & Nicholson, 1950. Costume Cocktail website: https://www.costumecocktail.com/2016/10/27/madeleine-hamilton-smith-1850s/ Jesse, F. Tennyson. Trial of Madeleine Smith. Edinburgh and London: W. Hodge & Company Ltd., 1927. Morland, Nigel. That Nice Miss Smith. London: F. Muller, 1957. MacGowan, Douglas. Murder in Victorian Scotland. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org: minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0 Cover art photos: photo, public domain.