black liverpool march march irish sisters convicted poisoning murdering person liverpool lancashire england suspected deaths women collected burial society type life insurance death eventually found committing murders obtain insurance money evaded police time sisters eventually caught convicted murders hanged day prison modern investigation crime raised possibility known believed investigators larger conspiracy murder profit network black convictions obtained alleged conspiracy members sisters deaths early 1880s unmarried sisters catherine ran house street liverpool household final months consisted sisters catherine son john families carrier daughter mary daughter margaret previously healthy died suddenly december death raise particular comment catherine collected worth roughly pounds burial society registered interred shortly romance sprung margaret pair married october year thomas daughter mary died months wedding short illness burial society collected death time january died burial collected catherine face neighbourhood gossip death rate home catherine margaret thomas moved household street street september member household fall mysteriously ill stomach pains severe doctor called doctor attributed illness related drinking cheap whiskey prescribed oil died days illness days later doctor contacted asked provide death certificate death investigation death apparent raised questions attending doctor brother patrick surprised hear brother strong good general health succumbed easily illness discovered brother different burial societies left widow profit pursued matter authorities examination ordered body surprise arrived home perform examination wake held hearing autopsy performed fled home autopsy body carried evidence poisoning found organs showed traces quantities indicating poisoning taken place days evidence home including bottle containing mystery white substance market pocket worn margaret examined poison expert verified presence dust margaret pocket solution containing unusual bottle arrested immediately catherine moving boarding house avoid police nearly week taken custody october sisters formally charged murder orders bodies previously deceased members household issued clear mechanism death bodies showed evidence minimal deterioration quality associated poisoning traces found remains investigators initially assumed poison victims come rat poison common rat poison failed forced come new theory unlikely sisters able acquire usual method visiting chemist route open doctors eventually discovered common time contained water solution substantially identical including found bottle residence obtained aftermath time arrest catherine claimed solicitor murders sisters committed isolated provided list seven deaths claimed murders related burial society fraud list women murders provided insurance alleged conspiracy list alleged conspirators deaths contained accomplice agents groups provided deaths named alleged obtained needed according crime ring beginning murder mentally handicapped teenager ryan obtained poison evans administered evans personally receive insurance death implications dealings boy father women alleged involved conspiracy appear accounts suspicious deaths period example linked insurance policies deaths groups involved women seen visiting died shortly deaths case insurance company supervisor requested meet course issuing insurance greeted home woman presented thomas later realised seeing deceased testimony contradictory obvious facts conspiracy case despite close links insurance murder victims identification conspiracy police arrested woman ultimately decided additional deaths likely murder difficult prove committed especially considering primary evidence women provided reason attempt responsibility crimes result tried crime murdering despite continuing suspicion investigating parties deaths household ones murderers sisters trial trial prosecutors implicated sisters deaths household officially charged offer provide evidence conspirators prosecution exchange refused sisters found guilty sentenced hanged sentence carried march prison sisters attended roman catholic priest deaths witnessed reported thousand people media contemporary accounts sisters referred disciple reference use poison tales known modern accounts sisters television series deadly women focused cooperative aspect crimes poison aspect tend refer black black liverpool particularly reference allegation sisters larger murder ring wax placed executions
Black Widows of Liverpool