Poison Romance and Poison Mysteries

by C. J. S. Thompson

PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION

In response to the wishes of many who read this work when it appeared in serial form, it is now reproduced with much additional matter, which I hope may prove of value to those interested in the fascinating subject of poisons and the study of toxicology. It has been my endeavour to collect, in the following pages, the scattered fragments of historic and romantic lore connected with poisons from the earliest period, and to recount the stories of some notable "poison mysteries" of ancient and modern times. I am indebted to the works of Dr. Wynter Blyth for many facts concerning the poisons of antiquity.

C. J. S. T.

1899

PREFACE TO NEW EDITION

In presenting a new edition of this work to my readers, the opportunity has been taken to introduce several new chapters, one of which deals with the "poison mystery" which recently aroused such widespread interest in the United States. In response to suggestions, detailed accounts of the "Horsford case" and the "Lambeth poison mysteries" have also been added.

C. J. S. T.

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CONTENTS

CHAP.		PAGE
I	Poisons of Antiquity	[11]
II	Poisons and Superstition	[21]
III	Royal and Historic Poisoners	[26]
IV	Professional Poisoners	[34]
V	Poisoning Plots	[43]
VI	Concerning Arsenic	[45]
VII	The Strange Case of Madame Lafarge	[49]
VIII	The Case of Madeline Smith	[53]
IX	The Maybrick Case	[55]
X	About Aconite and Hemlock	[60]
XI	The Case of Dr. Lamson	[63]
XII	The Bravo Mystery	[65]
XIII	The Case of Dr. Pritchard	[70]
XIV	The Pimlico Mystery	[75]
XV	The Rugeley Mystery	[80]
XVI	Opium Eating and Smoking—Mescal Buttons	[85]
XVII	Hashish and Hashish Eaters	[90]
XVIII	Tobacco Lore	[95]
XIX	Poison Habits	[99]
XX	Poisons in Fiction	[103]
XXI	The Lambeth Poison Mysteries	[110]
XXII	The Horsford Case	[114]
XXIII	The Great American Poison Mystery	[117]
XXIV	Some Curious Methods Employed by Secret Poisoners	[121]