The Woman Who Poisoned Her Boarders

 

Amy Archer-Gilligan ran a quiet boarding home in Newington, Connecticut, in the early 1900s. Most of her residents were elderly or vulnerable. She cooked their meals. She cared for them. She comforted them.

Then they began to die.

At first, the deaths were blamed on illness. Amy appeared devastated each time, accepting sympathy from neighbors and quietly collecting small insurance payouts and fees left behind by the deceased.

Authorities eventually noticed the pattern. Too many deaths. Too much money.

When bodies were exhumed, arsenic was found. Investigators traced the poison back to Amy’s kitchen.

In 1917, Amy Archer-Gilligan was convicted of murder. The exact number of victims was never determined. Estimates ranged from a handful to several dozen.

Her story later inspired the play Arsenic and Old Lace. The comedy was fictional. The poison was not.