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Name: |
Catherine Wilson |
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AKA: |
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D.O.B. |
1822 |
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Kill
Total: |
9 |
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Kill
date: |
1853
- 1862 |
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Kill
Place: |
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Status: |
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Occupation: |
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Victim: |
Dixon
Mrs
Soames |
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D.O.B. |
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Court: |
The Old Bailey |
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Judge: |
Mr Baron
Bramwell |
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Prosecution: |
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Defence: |
Montagu
Williams, Q.C.
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Second
Trial
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Court: |
The Old Bailey |
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Judge: |
Mr Justice
Byles |
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Prosecution: |
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Defence: |
Montagu
Williams, Q.C.
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FACTFILE
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Between 1853 - 1862 Wilson befriended wealthy individuals to
an extent where they would leave their worldly possessions
to her in their will. Claiming to be a nurse, she
infiltrated at the very core of the upper class society. It
is not clear if she really was a nurse, but she equipped
herself well, and if not was certainly a clever imposter.
First operating her skills in Spalding, Lincolnshire, and
then moving on to Kirkby, Cumbria. Wilson was close to
becoming unstuck on one occasion. After killing her husband,
the local doctor wanted to carry out a post-mortem, Wilson
complained and pleaded, saying her husband always had a fear
of being cut up after his death. After a dramatic effort
Wilson succeeded in convincing the doctors, and Dixon, the
husband, was buried with haste, within months Wilson had
moved on to her next victim.
By 1862 Wilson was a live-in nurse for Mr. & Mrs.
Connell, maybe Wilson was losing her touch, maybe she was
becoming complacent or simply impatient. No sooner had Sarah
Connell made out a will in Wilson's favour than she started
to administer large doses of poison to her, after taking a
mouthful of herbal tea the patient screamed and spat it out.
Taken to the sick room and given a soothing broth Mrs.
Connell again screamed and spat out the foul mixture, by the
time Mr. Connell reached the room the fatal mixture had
started to burn a hole in the floor. This fatal drink had
later been found to contain large amounts of sulphuric acid
!. Wilson fled to London, but was soon captured, she claimed
that the acid was the fault of the pharmacist who made up
the medicines for Mrs. Connell, the murder charge was
subsequently dropped. The police had begun investigations
into Catherine Wilson, and after exhuming bodies of former
patients she was eventually cornered. She was charged with
the attempted murder of Mrs. Connell and faced a further
charge of murder for the death of a former patient Mrs.
Soames, a further seven charges were also brought, she
denied all charges.
At the initial
trial, to the amazement of all the jury found her not
guilty.
As she left the
dock, she was immediately re-arrested.
25th
September 1862, a second trial, Despite the denials she
was found guilty of the the murder of Mrs Soames.
20th October 1862, Catherine Wilson was hanged
outside Newgate prison, by William Calcraft, the
hanging attracted a crowd of over 20,000 people.
Wilson was the
last woman to be publicly hanged in London
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