| Martha Needle | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1864 South Australia |
| Died | 1894 Old Melbourne Gaol |
| Alias(es) | Black widow of Richmond |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Status | Executed by hanging |
| Spouse | Henry Needle |
| Children | 3 all murdered |
Martha Needle was known for poisoning her husband, 3 children and future brother-in-law, and was hanged on 22 October 1894. Martha was convicted for the murder of Louis Juncken, brother of her fiance Otto Juncken, on 15 May 1894. Martha poisoned her family to collect insurance money. When the money ran out she would poison another one.
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Martha was born in South Australia in 1864. At 17 she married Henry Needle and soon afterwards gave birth to a daughter Mabel. The family move to the Melbourne suburb of Richmond.
On the 23rd of February 1885 little 3 year old Mabel Needle died after a short illness. Martha stated that she " seemed to fade ". Martha later collected 100 pounds life insurance on Mabel's death. Henry and Martha had another two daughters before Martha decided that the life insurance on Henry was too good to resist. Henry was insured for 200 pounds. She began to mix small amounts of arsenic with his food until he began to get painfully sick. Doctors were baffled and decided it was a liver complaint. Henry died on October 4, 1889.
Martha was arrested after serving an arsenic‑laced cup of tea to Herman Juncken. He was lucky that a physician, Dr Boyd, was visiting a patient in the vicinity and admiministered emergency treatment. This was the second time Dr Boyd had treated Hermann for these symptoms and the good doctor’s suspicions were confirmed when traces of arsenic were found in Hermann’s vomit. After talking with the police, a trap was set. Hermann visited Martha again, but after being served a cup of tea, literally “blew the whistle”, summoning the police, who arrived as Martha was struggling with Hermann to upset the incriminating brew, which was found to contain enough arsenic to kill five people.
Martha was the third of four women hanged at the Old Melbourne Gaol, where her death mask can be seen. The others were Elizabeth Scott (1863), Frances Knorr (1894) and Emma Williams (1895).