Anna Maria Zwanziger, nee Shoenleben
Germany
Born: 7 August 1760
Died: 17 September 1811
Active: 1808 to 1809
Active: 1808 to 1809
Method of Disposal: Arsenic
Consequence: Beheading
Consequence: Beheading
Unfortunates:
- Frau Glaser (Justice Glaser’s wife)
- Justice Grohmann (employer)
- Frau Gebhard (Magistrate Gebhard’s wife)
- Baby Gebhard (Magistrate Gebhard’s child)
Fortunates:
- Several guests of Justice Glaser
- Two of Justice Grohmann’s servants
- Several servants of Justice Gebhard
Anna Shoenleben understood the value of a good husband. It was important to her that any prospective husband must hold respectable employment, be of good standing in the community, and be impeccable in dress and manner. She had grown up with considerable amount of wealth, and a woman of her particular means gets used to a certain standard of living.
Anna had been orphaned at the age of 5, but was taken in before too long by a wealthy benefactor who financed her schooling and ensured that her needs were met. By the age of 15, Anna was well educated and remarkably skilled in needlework.
It was around this time, her benefactor arranged for her a husband, a lawyer by the name of Zwanziger. Anna was unsure that her betrothed was a suitable match for her; he was a decade her senior and spent much of his time either buried in his work or a wine bottle. She was eventually convinced by her guardian to accept Zwanziger's proposal. The union lasted the better half of two decades, ending when Zwanziger's substance abuse got the better of him.
By the time Zwanziger had drunk himself to death, he’d squandered her entire inheritance and then some. Anna had never expected to have to work a day in her life. Now, because of the mountains of debt her late husband had left her, her only option was to find some form of employment.
Unfortunately, the only available work was domestic service. Ugh, cleaning toilets, dusting, mopping and sweeping. Not the future she had envisioned for herself as a young debutante. She knew she had no other choice. Time to get to work.
The work was menial and low paying. Eventually Anna had to resort to theft. She would steal jewellery and other finery from her employers, and then disappear before the items were missed. Her actions brought her to the attention of the police, and she stopped using her married name in order to avoid retribution. Anna often found herself homeless, without friends, only able to find work by using her maiden name.
The years went by. Now approaching her fiftieth year, Anna’s best years had clearly departed. She was no longer beautiful; some accounts likened her to a toad. She could now only see people for their usefulness in her own betterment, and she resented those in a better place than her. Nonetheless, her heart still craved that life she once knew. Her newest employer was Justice Glaser, and with him she finally believed she had found that life again.
Judge Glaser had recently separated from his wife. He had also been considering changing his will to disinherit Frau Glaser. Anna saw the potential in this circumstance; if she could reunite the two, and if something unfortunate should then happen to Frau Glaser, her husband would no doubt be in need of consoling. Anna would ensure that she was there to nurse him through his grief, which would then lead to the judge proposing marriage. Foolproof!
Frau Glaser indeed expired a few weeks later with a scrumptious home-cooked meal drizzled with arsenic. However, no matter how hard Anna tried, the stubborn Glaser simply would not ask for her hand. Even when a number of his guests became ill after a meal in his home, Glaser did not get the hint. In the end, Anna threw her hands up in exasperation. Clearly, her efforts to murder her way into this man’s heart were wasted. It was time to move on.
Anna had gained a place in the home of Justice Grohmann, who suffered from gout and was often confined to his bed. This time she had to be successful. He was a bachelor, so there would be no competing with anyone for his affections. She worked hard to show she was indispensible in his life, carrying out her daily chores with gusto and attending to him whenever he was bedridden.
Then he announced his forthcoming engagement to a local woman.
Then he announced his forthcoming engagement to a local woman.
Oh, for pity's sake! Anna muttered. She was getting annoyed by her continued bad luck, so in retaliation she lovingly cooked his favourite meal and garnished it with a liberal dose of her favorite poison. And since it seemed silly to waste such an opportunity and so much good food, she fed the leftovers to a couple of the servants. The servants were spared, however Judge Grohmann was not as lucky.
Anna had thus far been quite unlucky in her pursuits of a good husband. She knew a different approach was required. This time around, she was certain the circumstances were right. This time around, Anna had chosen Judge Gebhard, a man whose wife was already ill. Perfect!
Unfortunately, the wife was suspicious enough of the new housemaid to voice her concerns that she was being poisoned. Judge Gebhard could not conceive of such a thing and dismissed his wife’s fears. Frau Gebhard died, as expected, soon after. That just left the couple's only child, an 18 month old infant, who Anna was delighted to find out was fond of sweet biscuits. A few of these biscuits dipped in specially prepared milk, and the child was also easily dispatched.
Still, the trusting Judge was unconvinced. That is, until he began to feel a little queasy in the tummy himself. It was at about that point his convictions swayed a bit. Then he found some strange sediment in the bottom of his brandy glasses every night. The servants started complaining of the same stomach upsets. Slowly the penny dropped.
Judge Gebhard sent samples of every suspect edible foodstuff and liquid to the lab. The bodies of Frau Gebhard and her baby were also exhumed. When the results came back, it was found that a number of items had been contaminated with arsenic. The bodies were riddled with it. The investigators found that Anna had also been rather industrious before she'd decided once again it was time to move on. She’d gone to quite some trouble to create an alibi, even emptying all the salt shakers and the salt cellar and replacing the contents with pure arsenic. Evidently this was an attempt to exonerate herself by ensuring the poisoning would continue once she had left.
The authorities saw through this. Anna was captured at Bayreuth in 1809. Of course, the charges were ridiculous, completely trumped up! The very thought! Oh…these packages of white powder that you’ve found in my pockets? They’re spices. Yes, that’s it.
In light of the evidence found, Anna confessed. On the day of her date with the headsman’s sword, she was heard by the executioner to have said, “It is perhaps better for the community that I should die, as it would be impossible for me to give up the practice of poisoning people.”
To be honest, she was probably right. Germany would really need its compliment of judges in years to come. Nuremburg Trials, anyone?
