Christa Lehmann, nee Ambros
Germany

Born: 1922

Died: -

Active: 1952 to 1954

Method of Disposal: Poisoning with E605 (Parathion)

Consequence: Life Imprisonment

Unfortunates:

• Karl Lehmann (husband)
• Kathe Lehmann (mother-in-law)
• Valentin Lehmann (father-in-law)
• Annie Hamann (best friend)
• Annie’s dog

Fortunates:

• Eva Ruh (Annie Hamann’s mother)
• Several of Eva Ruh’s neighbours

Christa loved a good funeral. They brought family and friends together, the food was always delicious and plentiful, and best of all, black was such a slimming color. It was a nice feeling, too, when the guest of honour at such an event wasn’t someone Christa had particularly cared much for.

Truth be known, she didn’t really get along with a lot of people she knew. She hadn’t been given much reason to like anyone. Her father had turned away from everything but alcohol after her mother died in a mental institution. Christa was essentially left to look after herself from an early age.

Christa had hoped to find a decent man when she was old enough to marry. Instead she found Karl Lehmann, who was identical to her father in both looks and manner. Soon she realised that Karl was even more enamoured with the bottle than her father had been. As the novelty of marriage quickly wore off, Christa realised she had two sub-standard father figures in her life. Soon even the fun of adultery couldn’t fill her needs. Her husband was always drinking so much; if he had heard the rumours, he hid it well. Or used it as an excuse to further drown himself.

Christa now wished the drinking would do him in. But the years went by, and Karl stubbornly remained alive. She began to think that maybe the inevitable just needed a helping hand. She had been using a new pesticide in the garden, and had found it to be relatively effective in its intended purpose. Perhaps the same rule could be applied here. As it was colourless and odourless, Karl would not suspect. Whether it was alcohol or parathion, it’s all poison in the end.

It had also been a while since the last funeral she’d attended, and Christa would be glad to get out of the house for once.

By September 1952 Christa was a widow and had thought she would be free to come and go as she pleased. However, she still had some baggage left over from the marriage; her late husband’s mother and father. She had assumed that with Karl gone, Kathe and Valentin Lehmann would go on their way. However, by the New Year it was becoming clear that intervention would once again be required. Kathe obligingly expired in January of that year, and Valentin quite suddenly and unexpectedly toppled off his bicycle in the middle of Main Street the following September. He’d just left home, having enjoyed a dessert prepared by Christa.

Christa was pleased with the success of her plan. As a red-blooded woman with newfound freedom, she began to enjoy the company of a number of American soldiers. Through her associations with the soldiers she soon met a woman named Annie, who’d lost her own husband in the war. They became close friends. Annie’s mother Eva, with whom Annie was residing, was not happy with the friendship. She didn’t like Christa and would voice such an opinion loudly and with great regularity, as any mother worth her salt would. Christa was none too pleased about this, but endured for the sake of her friend for as long as she could.

Not for too long, though. Thinking Eva might be won over by a thoughtful gift, she one day presented the woman with a beautiful chocolate truffle. In post-war Germany, such delicacies were rare. As a good will gesture, some of Eva’s neighbours were also given the same treat. Christa made sure to present one of the truffles to Eva herself; she had prepared it especially.

Eva accepted the offering, but didn’t eat it straight away. Instead she placed it into the fridge for later. As it turned out, Eva would not get a chance to try the truffle. Annie came home from work and opened the fridge. A few minutes later, she was lying on the floor alongside her pet dog, who had rushed to gobble up some of the chocolate that fell from Annie’s grasp and suffered the same fate.

Unlike the others, Annie’s death couldn’t be so easily pinned on natural causes. The authorities took a long look at Christa, as they had concluded that the chocolate was involved. Initially she was dismissed as there seemed little reason for her to kill her best friend. However, similarities were drawn between Annie’s death and the death of her father-in-law, which had been just as sudden.

Exhumations abounded. Christa’s poison of choice was discovered in all of her dearly departed, as well as in Annie’s beloved dog. When pressed for an explanation, Christa eventually confessed. “I don’t suppose I should have done it. But with the exception of Annie, they were all nasty people.”

Despite the defence’s plea that Christa was ‘morally primitive,’ the jury’s verdict was guilty. Christa was sentenced to life, the highest sentence the judge was able to give. Christa spent the following 23 years in prison, periodically attempting suicide without much success. Presumably, Parathion was in short supply where she was incarcerated, and Christa had never been terribly adept at the more manual killing mechanisms. After she was released, authorities in their infinite wisdom surmised that the best course of action when dealing with Christa was to provide her with a new identity and send her merrily on her way.  Hmmm.

Christa’s own killings stopped at four people and a dog. However, the publicity of her case sparked great interest in her choice of poison. Indeed, a score of murders and dozens of suicides were carried out using Parathion. This quite possibly makes her the most prolific unintentional mass killer in recent memory. It just goes to prove that there are some things only the Germans can perfect.

Anna Maria Zwanziger, nee Shoenleben

Germany

Born: 7 August 1760

Died: 17 September 1811
Active: 1808 to 1809

Method of Disposal: Arsenic
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.

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?

Leonarda Cianciulli, aka The Soap-Maker of Correggio

Italy

Born: November 14, 1893

Died: October 15, 1970 (cerebral apoplexy)

Active: 1939 to 1940
Method of Disposal: Drugged, axed and used as a condiment
Consequence: Jail

Unfortunates:

• Faustina Setti (acquaintance)
• Francesca Soavi (acquaintance) 
• Virginia Cacioppo (acquaintance)

Leonarda Cianciulli was a resourceful woman. She knew how to make use of any leftovers, knew how to stretch a lira. It was the 30s, and money was tight. In those times, you made do.

Leonarda had good reason to be frugal. She had recently lost her home and all her worldly possessions in the Vulture Earthquake in 1930. She and her husband Raffaele cut their losses and moved to Correggio, where she started up her own business as a local fortune teller and self-appointed matchmaker for the local women. She soon became well known among the locals as a nice lady and a good neighbour.

During the course of her marriage, Leonarda was blessed with 17 pregnancies. Unfortunately, 3 resulted in miscarriages, and 10 died while they were still young. Leonarda was thus fiercely protective of the remaining 4 children. She would go to the ends of the earth to protect them, and would often consult with other fortune tellers and psychics to allay her fears that another child would be taken from her. Once when she was younger, she had been told that she would get married and have children, but that all her children would die. Leonarda would have none of it!

It was at about this time that her eldest and most favoured child, Giuseppe, became old enough to be conscripted. As it appeared Italy would indeed join the war effort and her son would be called up, Leonarda agonised over how she could protect him when he would be so far away. She again turned to the occult arts, employing ever darker means by which she could hold onto her remaining children.

It was at this time she had her epiphany: If another was to take the place of her son, this would balance everything and Giuseppe would not need to be taken from her. It just might work.

Leonarda had gotten to know quite a few people through her work. She knew what they wanted most dearly. Leonarda's mind wandered to her neighbour Faustina Setti, who desperately wished for a husband, and had come to her seeking help. Yes, Leonarda had told her, she would do her best to find one.

She spoke to Faustina, advising her that Leonarda had in fact found her a husband, but he was quite far away, in a town called Pola. She told Faustina to tell no one about her departure, but to write some letters and post cards which she could send later so that everyone would know she was fine. After the drug laced wine she'd served to her friend had done its work and Leonarda had done what was necessary to appease the higher power, she wondered whether there was a further use for what remained of her neighbour. She had been considering adding to her repertoire of skills, and had dabbled in soap making recently. She already had the caustic soda she had picked up just that morning at the market. And, well...waste not, want not!

With the caustic soda and the remains of Faustina, Leonarda soon had a compliment of soap products. To Leonarda's delight, she was also able to add some of the blood she'd saved to a mixture of flour, sugar, chocolate, milk and eggs. The blood added a wonderful crunchy texture to her patented tea cakes. Leonarda took great pride in serving the cakes to her friends and neighbours, watching as the cakes were quickly devoured.

It could have been that Leonarda felt that once the soap and tea cakes were gone, she needed to replenish the pantry. It could have been that she thought the fates might have blinked and missed her sacrificial offering. Or that she needed one life sacrificed for each of her surviving children. Whatever the reason, Leonarda was soon looking among her neighbours again for potential soap making and baking supplies. Francesca Soavi was another of her neighbours who had come to Leonarda, requesting help with attaining a new job. It just so happened that Leonarda had procured a position for her at another faraway location in Piacenza, at a girls' school. Leonarda thought it might be a nice surprise for Francesca to keep her new job a secret, so Francesca was to simply tell her kith and kin she was going away.

A quick drug-laced wine and a slip of her axe later, and Francesca was bubbling away nicely on stove, garnished with caustic soda. She was followed by Virginia Cacioppo, who had beseeched Leonarda to help her restart her opera career. Virginia, like the others, was sworn to secrecy about her impending trip away where she would work with a theatre director. Leonarda was especially pleased with her third sacrifice. After preparing Virginia in the pot, Leonarda added some cologne. She noted that the resulting soaps were particularly sweet, as were the tea cakes. Yes, that Virginia woman was really sweet!

However, consternations were stirring among Virginia's family members. Her sister-in-law had seen Virginia enter Leonarda's home, but had not seen her since. She took her concerns to the local constabulary who investigated her claims, finding a number of clues. Leonarda had not been as good at cleaning up after herself as she had been at cooking up a storm. When interviewed, Leonarda immediately admitted to everything. Denying everything might have undone all the cosmic good she had created with all her sacrifices.

Leonarda was given a thirty year jail term, along with three years in a criminal asylum. Leonarda survived her stint in jail, but once in the asylum she suffered a stroke from which she did not recover.

Leonarda had tried to secure her children's safety by offering the lives of others in place of her nearest and dearest. In the process she had managed to find a use for the leftovers. You could say many things about her, but you could never accuse Leonarda of being wasteful.

Dorothea Puente, nee Gray

United States of America

Born: 9 January 1929

Died: Not yet, unless you count the close call in September 2010
Active: 1982 to 1988
Method of Disposal: Drugged and buried in the garden
Consequence: Life Imprisonment

Unfortunates:

• Ruth Monroe (friend, business partner and tenant)
• Everson Gillmouth (fiance)
• Alvaro Montoya (tenant)
• Leona Carpenter (tenant)
• Dorothy Miller (tenant)
• Benjamin Fink (tenant)
• Betty Mae Palmer (tenant)
• James Gallop (tenant)
• Vera Faye Martin (tenant)

Fortunates:

• Malcolm McKenzie (tenant)
• John Terry (prospective tenant)
• Charles Willgues (prospective tenant)
• Homer Myers (tenant)

Dorothea Puente ran a good boarding home. Despite being in her 50s, she was still sprightly enough to care for the men and women who paid the $350 per month to enjoy her food and custom. The people for whom she cared were recovering from certain socially-awkward afflictions, and there didn't seem to be anyone in her tenants' immediate families available to look after them.

Occasionally a boarder would leave all of a sudden. They would get the urge to visit relatives in a faraway state, or simply drift away. This was most vexing, but propitiously there would always be one more unfortunate down-at-heel who needed a room on rather short notice. Dorothea thought it best not to mention anything when her tenants moved on, and faithfully collected their Government payments on their behalf so that a nice little nest egg would be available for them upon their eventual return.

Given how busy she had to have been, her neighbours would marvel at how she was able to find time to tend to her own needs. She was always well dressed, with her hair nicely styled. She also attended charity events, becoming quite the socialite in the process. It was hard to believe she even had the time!

While she ran the boarding house by herself, Dorothea had not always been single. She had once been engaged to a man called Everson Gillmouth. Unfortunately, the engagement would not come to fruition due to Everson leaving the house one day, never to return. Whatever could have happened to him? she would say. It must have been some comfort to her to now be surrounded by so many people. She would definitely never feel alone in such circumstances.

Eventually, some police came looking for one of her boarders, Alvaro Montoya, and asked to have a look around to see if there was any clues as to where he might have gone. Dorothea was only too pleased to allow them entry. There wasn't anything inside the house that piqued their interest, so they decided to check the back garden. Maybe he had buried something in the garden to indicate where he had gone. At the very least, overturning the soil would make gardening easier for Dorothea to handle. The police went to get the shovels from their vehicle, which they kept in the boot for just such an occasion.

How shocking it was to Dorothea, then, when bones and items of clothing were discovered under a few centimetres of soil. She was quite rattled, and had a sudden need for coffee at her local hotel. The police saw no issue with her leaving on her own, as all their manpower was needed with the dig, and she made her way out of the house.

Eventually, 5 bodies were unearthed. By now 4 hours had elapsed since Dorothea had left the house, and that was a long time for a coffee. Someone clearly should have gone with the lady to see she came to no harm.

As it turned out, Dorothea had become a bit confused as she made her way to the hotel for her much needed skinny-caramel-mocchaccino. She had somehow managed to catch two taxis and a bus, before realising she'd ended up in Los Angeles, which is quite a distance from her Sacramento home. It was clear she'd had a lapse in mental processing, which does happen to people as they age.

Once her head was clear, Dorothea felt it best to stay where she was. After all, there were so many people in her home, she should really stay out of their way and let them do their job. Besides, she had gotten herself into something of a bother last time she tried to help. One of her previous tenants, Malcolm McKenzie, had once become ill to the point of catatonia. She had been simply trying to find some medication to help him, by rifling through his belongings, but he had thought she was stealing from him and she had been sent to jail for 5 years for her efforts. Dorothea knew it was all just a misunderstanding, and it appeared the parole board thought the same, because she was allowed to go home 2 years early.

No, it was best to stay away from the Sacramento area completely.

While waiting out the day at a bar in Los Angeles, Dorothea struck up a conversation with a man called Charles Willigues. She was feeling better after the haze of confusion that had led her to Los Angeles, although for some reason she accidentally told him her name was Donna Johansson. She wasn't sure how long she would need to stay in this particular town, and was happy when Charles agreed to let her stay with him.

Charles indeed did like the lady, although she seemed oddly familiar. He didn't know why until he got back to his house and turned on the TV. At once he understood, and called the TV station, who in turn called the police.

Dorothea found herself charged in the deaths of 9 people, most of whom were her tenants. She was aghast! "Ok, I cashed their cheques...but I'm a good person!"

Dorothea felt she had to defend herself. Of course most of her tenants had no close relatives to speak of; she tended to end up with those in society every one else had given up on. And she only cashed the cheques so that the money would be there for use when it was needed.

Really, it wasn't as if everyone she came in contact with ended up under the rhododendron. Homer Myers had been one of the tenants who had decided not to take up Dorothea's offer to take over his finances, and he was perfectly alive and well. John Terry, another gentleman to whom Dorothea had offered a room, had politely declined and he was also still above ground.

Despite Dorothea's protestations, the prosecutors had a strong case. She had broken a previous parole condition, that she not associate with the elderly. When asked why she had continued to maintain a boarding house without notifying the relevant parties, she advised that the subject had never come up.

Dorothea had apparently been a note taker. Authorities had found a list that appeared to contain the first initials of all the victims, with a note of the amount each person was getting from their Government benefit. And when it was found that all the bodies contained varying amounts of drugs that had been prescribed to Dorothea herself, this served to seal her fate.

Dorothea was found guilty in the end of three of the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment, without the possibility of parole. One would have thought the part about parole went without saying.

Caroline Grills, nee Mickelson - Aunt Thally

Australia

Born: 1888 or 1890

Died: 1960 (Peritonitis from a ruptured gastic ulcer)

Active: 1947 to 1953
Method of Disposal: Thallium
Consequence: Life Imprisonment 

Unfortunates:

• Christina Louisa Adelaide Mickelson (step-mother)
• Angelina Thomas (family friend)
• John Lundgren (husband's brother-in-law)
• Mary-Ann Mickelson (sister-in-law)

Fortunates:

• Eveline Lundgren (sister-in-law and widow of John Lundgren)
• John Downey (Eveline Lundgren's son-in-law)
• Christine Downey (Eveline Lundgren's daughter)

There is nothing more comforting than a hot cup of tea, especially when a family member is feeling unwell.  Caroline Grills (also known as Aunt Thally) understood this, and was always on hand to provide endless cups of tea and cakes. She dutifully attended to each sick relative, making their imminent demise much more comfortable than it otherwise may have been.

Caroline was also an astute homemaker, and when she noticed her home becoming infested with vermin, she did what any self-respecting homemaker would do. She went straight to the local chemist and bought a substance called "Thallrat". It was an effective method of removing the rat problem temporarily, and there was a lot of the poison remaining. Eventually however, the rat problem would return, and she was soon tired of this.

Being that she lived in frugal times, Caroline naturally looked for more effective uses for the substance, whose main ingredient was thallium.

Her father had died not long beforehand, and he had bequeathed to her the family home in his will. There was just one catch. Her occupation of the home was reliant on the death of her stepmother, Christina Mickelson, because Christina had been given lifetime tenancy in the home as part of the same will. Unfortunately, it didn't look as though Christina would be obliging in that respect any time soon. It looked like Caroline would need to wait her turn.

Aha! This would kill two birds with one stone. She could put the excess thallium to good use, and upgrade to the family home at the same time.

So Caroline selflessly gave her time, visiting Christina at the house, and providing an endless supply of tea. On one such visit, Caroline decided to spice up the elevenses with some of the surplus Thallrat. Of course, she didn't tell Mrs Mickelson of the sneaky addition to her tea; that wouldn't have been proper. One does not speak of their kitchen secrets to others, lest they be copied.

In hindsight, the use of thallium to 'spice up' tea drinking wasn't such a secret after all. Caroline was in fact only one of 5 people who utilised this particular 'additive' for nefarious means.   

Soon the inevitable occurred, and Caroline, along with her husband Richard, quickly settled into her rightful place in the family home. Luckily for Caroline, Christina had been elderly, and when people become elderly their hair tends to fall out. As you well know. Ultimately, there was little surprise at her passing.

Because of her unwavering care and attention, Caroline's reputation as a caring benefactor of the infirm was strong among her peers.

Having adjusted to life in her new abode, Caroline's mind now turned to the idea of a 'home away from home'. As luck would have it a close family friend, Angelina Thomas, had declared on a number of occasions that her home in the Blue Mountains of Sydney would belong to Caroline and Richard upon Angelina's passing. Once again, Caroline saw to it that she visited Angelina on a regular basis, always taking with her homemade baked goods and of course, the Thallrat.

Now, with two houses to her name, Caroline was living the Australian dream. She had created a comfortable lifestyle for herself, but living the dream apparently left her with a lot of time on her hands, despite the large family of children and grandchildren to keep her busy. Her favorite pastime was to tend to those around her who were ill, but it seemed that unwell family members were thin on the ground after the deaths of Christina and Angelina. And Caroline still had so many doses of Thallrat, she didn't know what to do.

In short order, two more people were treated to Caroline's loving attention. John Lundgren, Richard's brother-in-law, fell ill and died while on holiday with the Grills'. Soon after, Mary-Ann Mickelham, Caroline's sister-in-law, succumbed to a similar illness. Both had developed sudden and unexplained cases of alopecia prior to their deaths, and Mary-Ann also went blind. It was all very perplexing.

Despite the possibility that the illness could be contagious, Caroline unwaveringly stayed by the side of each family member as they steadily grew worse. She even spoon fed Mary-Ann, in an effort to keep her strength up with soups and casseroles made with her own hand.

The now-widowed Eveline Lundgren, wife of the deceased John Lundgren, became increasingly worried when she began to exhibit the same symptoms as her spouse had. Once again, Caroline was on hand to make Eveline as comfortable as possible during this trying time. The cups of tea brought for her by Caroline were calming, especially after her sight failed. She eventually became so ill it was evident that confinement in hospital was in order. Once under the care of doctors, Eveline improved to the great relief of the family.

Eveline's daughter and son-in-law Christine and John Downey, on the other hand, were becoming concerned for different reasons. They were also both feeling unwell in the same fashion, and had partaken of the tea prepared by Caroline. Moreover, the local broadsheet had been carrying stories of people who had died recently. As it turned out, these people had exhibited the same symptoms as those close to Caroline. As it also turned out, the common result seemed to indicate murder was afoot.

As stated earlier, Caroline's secret ingredient was apparently no secret.

Now, it is not polite to point fingers. Well, unless some sort of proof can be found, after which time all bets are off. After Eveline came home from the hospital, Caroline resumed her palliative care. John noticed one day Caroline slipping something into his mother-in-law's tea. He managed to procure the drink, and gave it to police. Thallium was detected, not a moment too soon for the ailing Lundgren/Downey family. After exhumations and autopsies were finally done on a couple of Caroline's previous 'patients', she was unceremoniously charged with lots of terrible accusations. Oh, the shame!

Richard dutifully supported his wife throughout her ordeal. She was only charged, in the end, of attempting to do away with Eveline. Evidently, the judiciary and executive arms of justice must have figured that at her age, one successful charge alone would be sufficient to consider any result a life sentence.

Caroline's excuse, that she was just being nice, surprisingly didn't wash, and she was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.

While incarcerated, she endeared herself to others in such a way that she was affectionately renamed "Aunt Thally". One would assume, though, that any request made by her to work in any prison work area involved in the preparation of food or drink, would have been politely declined.

As though the police had been reading tea leaves themselves, the life sentence was exactly what Caroline got. In 1960, she was rushed to hospital, soonafter succumbing to complications after a ruptured gastric ulcer.

Links:

Aunt Thally

Midnight Creepers

http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/song_details/4182333

Introduction

It's a lovely day outside.  The washing's on the line.  The house has been swept clean of the morning dust and the children have been waved off to school.  What is there to do, until the next load finishes spinning in the machine and the roast is sufficiently marinaded in the refrigerator?


Could you put your feet up?  No, a woman's work is never done.  Shopping list?  Already done.  Well, maybe the only thing that is left is to head out into the garden and tend to those lovely roses, the ones that are the envy of the neighbourhood.  That special fertiliser, your own secret recipe, has to be what does it.


The woman is the unsung hero, without whom the ship that is this household would rather swiftly run aground on the rocks and capsize, swirling in a whirlpool and finally sinking, mercifully killing all souls on board.  Or circumstances similar to that.  Your family, the neighbours, even whole communities would founder without your existence.  You would not be able to deny the warm feeling inside that this role showers upon you as you go about your day as an unassuming goddess of the domestic variety.


However, everyone needs their down time.  You're human like everyone else.  Some women head out for a couple of hours of shopping, indulging in the pastime of walking into stores and systematically unfolding the display items.  Maybe Bingo would be your poison.  Let's face it, those four walls get cramped after a time, and there's a whole world out there that's yours for the taking (between the hours of 9 and 3, anyway).


You have noticed, while indulging in reading the morning paper over your cup of English Breakfast, that there's a certain lopsidedness to the attention given to particular news stories over others.  The exploits of certain members of society, who also indulge in their own little slices of heaven, appear to be considered newsworthy, while others are apparently not as interesting to the reading public.  This attention is lopsided, because the majority of those considered newsworthy are the husbands, fathers and fiances of the very community within which you are so very integral.


While much attention is lavished on the exploits of the men, it seems that women once again fade into the background.  Oh, every now and then a woman rises to the occasion with something magical.  Aunt Thally was a woman who finely honed her tea making skills, and had a penchant for serving her family and friends with tea and cakes laced with thallium.  In the end, she was quite well known for it.  Aileen Wournos was a woman who knew how to look after herself.  She also knew how to put a man in his place, whether that be the boot of a car, the side of a road, the embankment of a stream, the possibilities were endless.


Given what you have to do as a women to get the attention you deserve, you would be well within your rights to write a sternly worded letter to the Editor.


As you dust off the typewriter your grandmother left you in her will, this could be a perfect opportunity to break out those typing skills you learnt in Secretary School.  What better way to celebrate the coming of age of women, in what journalists insist is predominantly a male-oriented pasttime, than by documenting the stories of those who have gone before you?