Nancy Farrer

Serial Killer

Nancy Farrer: The Cincinnati Arsenic Poisoner

Overview

Nancy Farrer was a nineteenth-century American nurse and domestic servant who was accused of poisoning several people in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her crimes occurred during 1851 and involved arsenic, a widely available poison that could initially produce symptoms resembling cholera or severe natural illness. Historical records identify four deaths that were confirmed through chemical examination to have been caused by arsenic. Farrer was convicted of murder in 1852, but the conviction was overturned because of problems with the trial. A later jury declared her to be of unsound mind, and she was committed to an asylum. Farrer was a woman, although some later summaries have incorrectly referred to her as male. Accounts from the period described her as quiet, obedient and apparently affectionate toward the people she nursed. These qualities allowed her to remain close to sick adults and children without immediately attracting suspicion. At the same time, witnesses recalled disturbing remarks in which she predicted deaths before they occurred or commented that people under her care frequently died.

The Poisoning of Mrs. Green

In July 1851, Farrer entered the Cincinnati home of a woman identified in surviving records only as Mrs. Green. She had been hired to care for Mrs. Green following the birth of a child. Farrer learned that Mrs. Green kept several hundred dollars beneath her pillow. Evidence presented later suggested that Farrer and another woman, Mrs. Bazley, discussed taking the money, although the money was removed before they could obtain it. Mrs. Green remained in good health until August 6, 1851, when she suddenly developed violent vomiting, burning in her throat and other symptoms associated with arsenic poisoning. Cincinnati had recently experienced cholera, so the illness was initially treated as a natural disease. Her symptoms repeatedly improved and returned, suggesting that she was receiving additional small doses of poison. Farrer prepared or handled the drinks given to her during this period. A visitor who drank water from a pitcher used for Mrs. Green also became seriously ill. The visitor survived. Mrs. Green's infant died approximately three weeks before its mother after displaying similar symptoms, although surviving records do not provide an exact date or confirm the infant as one of the four victims whose organs later tested positive for arsenic. Mrs. Green died in Cincinnati on October 3, 1851, after nearly two months of suffering. Her body was later exhumed, and arsenic was detected during chemical analysis. Investigators believed that Farrer had placed poison in the ice water repeatedly given to Mrs. Green. ...

Confirmed Victims: (0)

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