Poor You!
Imagine walking the cobbled streets of Victorian London. Your mind tumbling with thoughts on how you can feed your family, move to a better house, buy that pocket watch that’s been glinting from the jewellers window every time you hurry past to your clerks job at the local printers.
Aunt Tilly promised she has bequeathed her house near Bath to you in the event of her passing. But Aunt Tilly is in good health. It feels like a horrid duty to visit Aunt Tilly rather than a pleasure. A plan seeps into your mind. Murder!
Poison!
Poisons are advertised and endorsed in every newspaper across the country. Vermin are rife in built up areas of the city and Cyanide is a common ingredient in wallpapers, pigments, prints. You have seen the horrific effects of strychnine and cyanide on rats poisoned in the streets, convulsing, frothing at the mouth, each death a drawn out painful experience.
Do you wish that on Aunt Tilly? Maybe not?
The children are fond of her dogs so you would need to make sure they didn’t eat any food laced with the poison.
You remember that Emery’s advertise a ‘Magic Beetle Poison’ giving ‘certain death to Blackbeetles, Cockroaches, Crickets, Rats and Mice’ ‘without danger to household pets’. (1) You laugh as you realise that would be no good to do away with stout Aunt Tilly despite the advantage of the advertised free delivery!
Arsenic and old cakes
Arsenic was once the poison of choice for would be murders. With no taste or colour it could easily be confused with food poisoning until the Arsenic Act of 1851 lead to it being dyed indigo!
You walk into the chemist prepared to buy whatever you legally can as you remember the notorious Brighton attempted poisoning case back in 1871.
Christina Edwards became enamoured of the local Doctor and began sending parcels of ‘cakes, sweets and sweetmeats’ to houses nearby.The cakes were wrapped seperately, one with the note ‘A few home-made cakes for the children: those done up are flavoured on purpose for your-self to enjoy. You will guess who this is from. I can’t mystify you I fear. I hope this will arrive in time for you to-night, while the eatables are fresh’ (2) Such audacity and style! She even obtained the prescription by a forged order from another chemist!
What’s your choice?
At the counter your reverie is interrupted by a familiar voice. Lady Lucy! You know her reputation as an amateur yet highly effective detective in the theatres near your office.
You have a dilemma! Carry out your deadly plan? Buy the children new clothes and Christmas gifts? Or walk from the shop perpetually impoverished yet spiritually and morally at peace?
You decide!
Sources:
(1) Orkney Herald, and Weekly Advertiser and Gazette for the Orkney & Zetland Islands - Tuesday 23 April 1867
(2) Westmorland Gazette - Saturday 26 August 1871
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