by Tori Telfer
39Grandma, you rat!: Gastonia Gazette, “Grandma, You Rat!” November 30, 1954.
38Melissa Ann Shepard: Quotes taken from the Guardian, “Canada’s Black Widow,” March 25, 2016, and the Daily Mail, “The Many Faces of Canada’s ‘Internet Black Widow,’” March 19, 2016.
39When they get short in the kitchen: This quote was reported widely; the press loved it. The Edwardsville Intelligencer, “News Quotes,” May 13, 1957.
39Maybe they would give me the electric chair: Panama City News-Herald, “Widow Rejects Life in Prison,” May 13, 1957.
Chapter 3: The Worst Woman on Earth
43The Worst Woman on Earth: New York Times, “LIZZIE HALLIDAY DEAD; Guilty of Five Murders and Described as ‘Worst Woman on Earth,’” June 29, 1918.
43Peculiar influence: Harrisburg Daily Independent, “Murder Is a Mania with Her,” September 11,1893.
44Perfectly sane: Algona Upper Des Moines, “Young Yet a Fiend,” July 15, 1891.
45She was inclined so much to quarreling: Blumer, G. Alder, “The Halliday Case,” Brooklyn Medical Journal 9: 169.
45Repulsive face: New York Times, “Distrusted Mrs. Halliday,” September 12, 1893.
45Naturally ugly: Blumer, “The Halliday Case,” 167.
46I am afraid of her: Ibid., 168.
46What’s the use of living: Ibid., 166.
46Pounded his first wife to death: New York, NY, The World, “A Woman without a Heart,” November 5, 1893.
47My boy is now about twelve years old: Ibid.
47Goodbye, if I shouldn’t see you again: New York Times, “The Halliday Murder Case,” September 7, 1893.
48Cut his heart’s blood out: Plainfield, N.J., The Daily Press, “Mrs. Halliday’s Trial,” June 20, 1894.
48Sneak look: Middletown Daily Argus, “Lizzie Halliday’s Trial,” June 20, 1894.
49Badly decomposed: Lebanon Daily News, “Watching Her Closely,” September 8, 1893.
49Deafening shriek: New York Times, “Mrs. Halliday in Jail,” September 9, 1893.
50Moodily and lost in thought: New York Times, “Mrs. Halliday Not Insane,” September 12, 1893.
50Widespread abuse of the insanity plea: Chicago Tribune, “To Stop the Insanity Dodge,” April 21, 1898.
50Public delusion: Transactions of the Medical Society of the State of New York, 1895, 241.
50Successful Woman Adventuresses: Nellie Bly’s interviews with Lizzie can be read in “A Woman Without a Heart,” The World, November 5, 1893, and “Lizzie Borgia,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 5, 1893.
53I thought I would cut myself to see if I would bleed: Sun and the Erie County Independent, “Cut Her Throat This Time,” December 15, 1893.
53Did not take the usual precautions: Middletown Daily Argus, “Trial.”
54Wild as a hawk: New York, NY, Evening World, “A Wierd Murderess [sic],” June 20, 1894.
54Nineteen skunks/she is shamming: New York, NY, Evening World, “Was Like a Tigress,” June 21, 1894.
54Wild beast or a monster: New York, NY, Sun, “Mrs. Halliday Convicted,” June 22, 1894.
54Exterminating the prisoner: Middletown Daily Argus, “Trial.”
54Deserved no friends: New York, NY, Sun, “Convicted.”
55Cussedness: Middletown Times-Press, “More Mystery,” September 11, 1893.
55Excessive menstrual flow: Observations on Lizzie’s state appear in Ransom, J. B., “Shall Insane Criminals Be Imprisoned or Put to Death?” Transactions of the Medical Society of the State of New York, 1895, 233.
56He broke a spine of my ribs: Blumer, “The Halliday Case,” 163.
56Demand of an excited and clamorous public: Ransom, “Insane Criminals,” 235.
56Power to choose: Blumer, “The Halliday Case,” 173.
57Quiet, industrious, and contented: Middletown Daily Argus, “Lizzie Halliday Getting Better,” August 21, 1895.
57Become sane: Washington Bee, “Mrs. Halliday Tries Again,” September 7, 1895.
58Thrilling war drama: York, PA, Gazette, “Exciting War Play,” November 6, 1898.
60She tried to leave me: French Broad Hustler, “Mad Murderess Kills Girl Nurse,” October 4, 1906.
61Wild mental condition: Middletown Times-Press, “More Mystery,” September 11, 1893.
61Young and comely member: Leavenworth Times, “The Gipsy Fiend,” October 1, 1893.
61Do they think I am an elephant?: Middletown Times-Press, “More about Mrs. Halliday,” December 4, 1893.
Chapter 4: Devil in the Shape of a Saint
65Devil in the Shape of a Saint: “A True Relation of Four Most Barbarous and Cruel Murders Committed in Leicester-shire by Elizabeth Ridgway” (London: George Croom, 1684).
65I have cause for ever to praise God: Josselin, Ralph, and Ernest Hockliffe, The Diary of the Rev. Ralph Josselin, 1616–1683 (London: Offices of the Society, 1908).
66Religious Maid: Croom, “A True Relation.”
66Indifferently inclined: Newton, John, A True Relation of the Fact, Trial, Carriage and Death of Ridgeway (London: Richard Chiswell, 1684).
66Thomas Ridgeway: The George Croom pamphlet gives his name as William, but since Newton talked to Elizabeth in person, I’m more inclined to believe his account.
67Dogged, sullen Humour: Croom, “A True Relation.”
67White mercury: Newton says it was white arsenic. Newton, “Fact, Trial, Carriage.”
67So free: Croom, “A True Relation.”
67Season him some Draught: Ibid.
68Seeming mutual Love: Newton, “Fact, Trial, Carriage.”
68Frustrated of her expectations: Ibid.
69Converted her despair: Ibid.
69Great Torment: Ibid.
70Gentleman of great Judgment and Prudence: Ibid.
71Burst out at Nose and Mouth: Croom, “A True Relation.”
71Tender people: Newton, “Fact, Trial, Carriage.”
71Newton visited Elizabeth in jail: Ibid. All subsequent quotes from Elizabeth to Newton, or from Newton about Elizabeth, were taken from Newton’s recounting of the experience.
75Centuries later, researchers would divide female psychopaths into two broad categories: Perri, Frank S. and Lichtenwald, Terrance G., “The Last Frontier: Myths and the Female Psychopathic Killer,” Forensic Examiner (Summer 2010): 50–67.
76She must die: Croom, “A True Relation.”
76In contemplation of approaching Death and Judgment: Newton, “Fact, Trial, Carriage.”
77Familiar Spirit: Croom, “A True Relation.”
77Read and Pray: Ibid.
76Barbarous Example: Ibid.
Chapter 5: Vipers
81Vipers: This was one of the many bestial nicknames the sisters received from the press. Lopez, Shaun T., “Madams, Murders, and the Media,” in Re-Envisioning Egypt 1919–1952 (Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2005), 384.
82Where are the police?: Abaza’s quote was originally published in al-Ahram Weekly, November 25, 1920, and appeared again in Yunan Labib Rizk’s “The Women Killers,” al-Ahram Weekly, June 17–23, 1999.
82Raya would join her: The best source on the sisters’ early lives is found in Issa, Salah, Rijal Raya wa Sekina: Sira Ijtima’yyahwa Siyasiyyah (Cairo: Dar al-Ahmadi, 2002).
83Ten to fifteen glasses of wine: Takla, Nefertiti, “Murder in Alexandria: The Gender, Sexual and Class Politics of Criminality in Egypt, 1914–1921,” PhD diss. UCLA, 146.
84Feeble-minded, lustful, hot-tempered, and vengeful: Ibid., 26.
85She always had money in her pocket: Issa, Rijal Raya wa Sekina, 468.
85Sakina made extra cash: Ibid., 168.
85That trauma: Ibid., 111–2.
86Underground brothels: Takla, Nefertiti, “Murder in Alexandria: The Gender, Sexual and Class Politics of Criminality in Egypt, 1914–1921,” UCLA Center for Study of Women, March 21, 2016, accessed April 1, 2016, csw.ucla .edu/2016/03/21/murder-alexandria-gender-sexual-class -politics-criminality-egypt-1914–1921/.
86V
ery value of said bodies: Takla, PhD diss., 79.
87Manual labor: Ibid., 103.
88Paralyzing the entire country’s economy: Botman, Selma, Egypt from Independence to Revolution: 1919–1952 (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1991), 100.
89Where was the police: al-Lataif al-Musawara, November 29, 1920, via “The Centenary of Raya and Sakina,” Community Times, February 11, 2015, accessed February 5, 2017, communitytimes.me/the-centenary-of-raya-and-sakina/. I was unable to locate the title of the original article.
90Raya, who may have been the decision maker of the group: This is what Issa postulates. Issa, Rijal Raya wa Sekina, 468.
91Killing system: Al-Ahram Weekly, “The Women Killers,” June 17–23, 1999.
92By and within the lower class: Lopez, “Madams, Murders, and the Media,” 373.
92Ever published photos of criminals: Al-Ahram Weekly, “The Women Killers,” June 17–23, 1999.
92Newspaper boys on every street: Al-Haqa’iq, November 21, 1920, via Lopez, “Madams, Murders, and the Media,” 389. I was unable to locate the title of the original article.
93What is the force that compelled these women: Editorial in Al-Umma, November 21, 1920, via Lopez, “Madams, Murders, and the Media,” 385.
93Weak souls: Editorial in Al-Haqa’iq, December 20, 1920, via Lopez, “Madams, Murders, and the Media,” 385.
93Blackened the forehead: Abaza, al-Ahram Weekly.
93Greed and pursuit of pleasure: Lopez, “Madams, Murders, and the Media,” 384.
94Lured in on sightseeing trips: Appleton, WI, Post-Crescent, “50 Murder Mysteries Cleared by Confession,” February 19, 1921.
94Vipers, tigers, snakes, and wolves: Lopez, “Madams, Murders, and the Media,” 384.
94There is no escape for you: From a cartoon published in al-Rashid, December 9, 1920.
94Raya, you are not human: Editorial in al-Rashid, printed in Lopez, “Madams, Murders, and the Media,” 384.
94People dashed over: Al-Ahram Weekly, “The Women Killers,” June 17–23, 1999.
94There is not one person asking for a drop of mercy: Al-Muqattam, “The Trial of Raya and Sakina and Their Accomplices,” May 11, 1921.
95Firstly, women’s crimes generally demand: Al-Ahram Weekly, “The Women Killers,” June 17–23, 1999.
96When I asked Sakina about it: Ibid.
96Sever these two corrupt members from the nation: Al-Baṣīr, “Qadayyat Raya wi Sakina,”May 11, 1921, via Takla, PhD diss., 182.
96Fifteen minutes of sheer pandemonium: Al-Ahram Weekly, “The Women Killers,” June 17–23, 1999.
97Toughen up . . . stand at the scaffold: The newspaper quotes from and about Sakina’s final monologue are all found in Takla, PhD diss., 191–192.
97Rage of women: Boyle, Stephanie, “Gender and Calamity in the British Empire,” in Gender and the Representation of Evil, ed. Lynne Fallwell and Keira V. Williams (New York, NY: Routledge, 2017), 94.
97Where were the police?: Ibid., 90.
96Insensitivity, by its very nature: Al-Ahram Weekly, “The Women Killers,” June 17–23, 1999.
97Tourists trudge around al-Labbān: A blog post on the site Community Times has a few quotes from current residents of the neighborhood, some of whom express “shame” about this infamy. See “The Centenary of Raya and Sakina,” Community Times, February 11, 2015, accessed February 5, 2017, communitytimes.me/the-centenary-of-raya-and-sakina/.
97Raya and Sakina will find her: Haaretz, “Sisters without Mercy: Behind Egypt’s Most Infamous Murder Case,” December 27, 2014.
Chapter 6: The Wretched Woman
101Wretched Woman: Leeds Mercury, “Execution of Mary Ann Cotton,” March 25, 1873.
101At least nine were convicted: Crosby, Sara Lynn, Poisonous Muse: The Female Poisoner and the Framing of Popular Authorship in Jacksonian America (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2016), 11.
102Fine dark eyes: Appleton, Arthur, Mary Ann Cotton: Her Story and Trial (London: Michael Joseph, 1973), 48.
102Days of joy: From Mary Ann Cotton’s correspondence in jail. These letters appear in both Appleton, Her Story and Trial, and Wilson, David, Mary Ann Cotton: Britain’s First Female Serial Killer (Hampshire, UK: Waterside Press, 2012).
104Snapped: Whitehead, Tony, Mary Ann Cotton, Dead, but Not Forgotten (London: T. Whitehead, 2000). This is a theory set forward by Tony Whitehead, who was perhaps overly sympathetic to Mary Ann.
104Used the terms “typhus” and “typhoid” interchangeably: Wilson, Britain’s First, 64.
105Well proportioned and muscular: Appleton, Her Story and Trial, 56. This is Appleton citing an uncited original source.
105Some biographers wonder: Mary Ann’s voracious sexual appetite was a recurring theme of Appleton’s. She definitely used sex to achieve what she wanted, but speculating about her sex drive feels voyeuristic.
105This sort of speculation: See Chapter 13 of this book on the Angel Makers of Nagyrév.
106Three of the children were rolling about in bed: Appleton, Her Story and Trial, 60.
107At the time, he would not let his mind dwell: Ibid., 61.
107No home for me: From Mary Ann Cotton’s correspondence in jail. These letters appear in both Appleton, Her Story and Trial, and Wilson, Britain’s First.
108Lusty sailor: Appleton, Her Story and Trial, 63.
110Weak-stomached: Ibid., 76.
110Who shall I fetch?: Ibid., 41.
110It is no fever I have: Wilson, Britain’s First, 91.
113Delicate and prepossessing beauty: Appleton, Her Story and Trial, 32.
114Making its limbs writhe: Wilson, Britain’s First, 128.
114Thare to defende mee: Flanders, Judith, The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime (London: HarperPress, 2011), 390.
114Lyies that has been told: From Mary Ann Cotton’s correspondence in jail. These letters appear in both Appleton, Her Story and Trial, and Wilson, Britain’s First.
115Rubbing its gums with soap: Berwick Advertiser, “Execution of Mary Ann Cotton,” March 28, 1873.
114Doomed wretch: Wilson, Britain’s First, 151, citing the Newcastle Courant.
114The announcement of her execution: Burnley Advertiser, “Execution of Mary Ann Cotton,” March 29, 1873.
Chapter 7: The Tormentor
119The Tormentor: This phrase was hung around Darya’s neck during her public punishment in 1768. NOTE: Unless indicated, all subsequent material is taken from G. I. Studenkin, “Saltychikha” (Rus. «Салтычиха»), Russian Antiquity Journal 10 (1874), trans. Rostislav and Alyona Tkachenko (2016).
120She never learned how to read: Studenkin notes that various papers concerning the sale of serfs and land are signed by her priest or her son, not by Darya herself.
121Russia was approaching: Montefiore, Simon Sebag, Prince of Princes: The Life of Potemkin (New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2001), 20.
122The proprietors sell their peasants: Imperial ukáz of April 15, 1721.
122Weren’t allowed to actually kill the serfs: Montefiore, Prince of Princes, 21.
122Iron collars, chains: Catherine II and Anthony, Katharine Susan, Memoirs of Catherine the Great (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927).
122Insubordination: Wallace, Sir Donald Mackenzie, Russia, Volume 1 (London, New York: Cassell and Company, 1912), 263.
123Mines of Nerchinsk for life: Imperial ukáz from Catherine II on August 22, 1767.
129Exhaustive and logical theory of the lunatic: Chesterton, G. K., Orthodoxy (New York: Lohn Lane, 1909), 42, 32.
132All punishments by which the human body: Massie, Robert K., Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (New York: Random House, 2011), 347.
133Not of this world: This phrase appears in a couple of rather sketchy online accounts of Darya, but I haven’t been able to locate it in any primary or secondary sources. My guess is that the report comes from one of the many old Russian-language documents about the case that are,
frustratingly, forever out of my grasp until someone translates them.
134Virtually ignored the existence of serfdom: Freeze, Gregory L., “The Orthodox Church and Serfdom in Prereform Russia,” Slavic Review 48, no. 3 (1989): 361–87.
134No branch of Christianity: Pipes, Richard, Russia under the Old Regime (London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1974), 245.
133Saltychikha: My translator, Rostislav Tkachenko, notes, “‘Saltychikha’ does not sound like an aristocrat’s name—it’s more rude, ‘village-like,’ vulgar. When a woman is called ‘dya-chikha’ or ‘Salty-chikha,’ it conveys an image of a simple, crude woman—not beautiful, not smart, and not aristocratic. Just a ‘normal’ person, like other people. So, for Saltykova and her friends, the name would sound derogatory, something that did not correspond to their status as landlords.”
133Completely godless soul: These epithets appeared in Catherine’s imperial verdict of October 2, 1768.
Chapter 8: Iceberg Anna
137Iceberg Anna: This was the nickname given to Anna Hahn by Karin Walsh, a reporter for the Chicago Daily Times.
138One of the greatest doctors in the world: Franklin, Diana Britt, The Good-bye Door: The Incredible True Story of the First Female Serial Killer to Die in the Chair (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2006), 189.
138It was the kind of love: These quotes are taken from Anna’s twenty-page confession, which appeared in newspapers starting on December 19, 1938. Her confession appears in full in Franklin, The Good-bye Door, 213–24.
139I could no longer stand those things: Cincinnati Enquirer, “Anna Hahn’s Death Cell Confession! Four Cincinnati Murders Are Laid Bare,” December 19, 1938.
139The little pleasure that I have gotten: Ibid.
139Pretty blonde: Cincinnati Enquirer, “Blonde Is Linked with Another Poisoning; Indicted on Charges of Murdering Two,” August 17, 1937.
140More than able to take care of her own financial needs: Ibid.
140He was nice to me: Cincinnati Enquirer, “Death Cell Confession!”
141Hunter . . . gatherer: Harrison, Marissa A., Erin A. Murphy, Lavina Y. Ho, Thomas G. Bowers, and Claire V. Flaherty, “Female Serial Killers in the United States: Means, Motives, and Makings,” Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology 26, no. 3 (2015): 383–406.