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| A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, Woodcut, Public Domain |
Poison was considered one of the simplest ways to commit a murder and this became an epidemic in Victorian times as the life insurance industry meant that doing away with an insured relative could be lucrative. It was only later, in the 1900s, that technology to prevent death by poison made poisoning more difficult. From the beginning of the 1800s onwards, arsenic was often used, although cyanide gained popularity towards the middle of the century,
On 11 June 1866 at Bedford Square, Helen Warder, aged 36, was murdered by her husband. Dr. Alfred Warder, aged 43, administered to his wife over a period of one month, quantities of aconite, which is also known as wolf's bane. A report of Helen's death appeared in the
Brighton Herald dated 11 July 1866, headed "Suspicious Death of a Physician's Wife in Brighton". Read more...
