Michigan's strychnine saint
Subtitle: the curious case of Mrs. Mary McKnight
By: Tobin T. Buhk
Contributors: McKnight, Mary
Series: True crime
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Charleston, SC
Language: eng
Number of pages: 188
ISBN-13: 9781626192577
Subjects: Poisoning; Case studies; Murder; Women poisoners; TRUE CRIME / General
Description: "The spring of 1903 proved disastrous for the Murphy family. On April 22, the infant Ruth Murphy died in her crib. Within an hour, her mother, Gertrude, experienced a violent spasm before she, too, died. Ten days later, John Murphy followed his wife and child to the grave after suffering from a crippling convulsion. While neighbors whispered about a curse and physicians feared a contagious disease, Kalkaska County sheriff John W. Creighton and prosecuting attorney Ernest C. Smith searched for answers. As they probed deeper into the suspicious deaths, they uncovered a wicked web of intrigue. And at the center stood a widow in a black taffeta dress"--

"This is a spell-binding story of a startling crime set against the backdrop of early twentieth-century northwestern Michigan"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-188).