Lydia Sherman
The Queen Poisoner.

John Wayne Gacy

John Christie 

Edward Gein

Fritz Haarmann

Jack The Ripper

Lydia Sherman

Bibliography

Webliography

The Great Debate

The story begins in the early 1860's. Lydia was married to, ironically enough, a Policeman named Edward Struck.  Edward and Lydia Struck had six children, and according to Lydia it had all become too much. 

Lydia decided to put an end to any more pregnancy's.  She went to the chemist and purchased some Rat Poison.  Then, feeling she could perhaps make some money out of her venture, insured her husband's life for a modest sum. 

The murder worked, her husband died quickly and nobody suspected a thing.  So Lydia went on to insure and murder all six of her children, leaving her rich and free.  Lydia was quite a skilled actress, for no one ever thought of her as being anything else than a poor widow. 

In 1868, Lydia married Dennis Hurlbrut, a fairly rich farmer from New Haven, Connecticut.  It was said by some that he was senile.  By the beginning of 1870 Lydia was not only a widow again, but had squandered most of the late Dennis's estate. 

In April 1870 Lydia took a job as housekeeper to Nelson Sherman, who having already lost his wife, needed someone to look after his baby son and fourteen year old daughter. 

Lydia and Nelson grew close, and finally, he agreed to marry her.  To show her gratitude Lydia poisoned, with arsenic, his son and daughter.  Neslon Sherman was grief stricken at the loss of his children.  He succumbed to a poisoned hot chocolate drink on the 12 May 1871. 

This time however Lydia was not so lucky.  The local doctor, Dr Beardsly, became suspicious and ordered a second opinion, and then a third.  Dr Beardsly's suspicions of poisoning by arsenic were proved correct when the bodies of the Sherman children were exhumed. 

Dr Beardsly informed the police, but Lydia had already fled to New York.  The police ordered Mrs Sherman's extradition back to Connecticut to face trial. 

Lydia Sherman was convicted of second degree murder - due to most of the evidence being circumstantial.  She was sentenced to life imprisonment.  Lydia Sherman died in Prison on 16 May 1878.