How did serial murderer Martha Needle almost get away with murder in 19thC Australia?
Added: (Tue Feb 26 2019)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
How did serial murderer Martha Needle almost get away with murder in 19thC Australia?
Book Release: The Secret Art of Poisoning: The True Crimes of Martha Needle, The Richmond Poisoner
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 26th February 2019, 3pm
Book Information:
At the end of the 19th century, Martha Needle became known as ‘The Black Widow’ of the Richmond poisoning case after secretly poisoning her husband and children.
The Black Widow was a media sensation in her day, as infamous as Ned Kelly (sharing the same lawyer). After poisoning her husband and two of her children, Needle became obsessed with the kind-hearted son of a Danish immigrant and began picking off his brothers one by one. Reported as far afield as the New York Times, Martha’s story was front page news in Australia, edging out many stories of the day that remain in the public consciousness today. And yet very few remember Martha Needle’s name. Stranger still, a generation later Martha Needle’s nephew Alexander Lee seemed to follow in his aunt’s footsteps when he poisoned his wife and three of his children.
What strange quirk of fate led these two relatives connected through family to commit virtually the same crime? And was their fate at the end of a rope the true end of the story?
This story explores these crimes and the social and historical context surrounding them.
About the author:
Dr Samantha Battams is an Associate Professor (academic status) in public health, consultant and author of historical non-fiction books. She has published academic articles and books in the fields of public health, social policy and sociology. She has a passion for history and has also co-authored a work of history with Les Parsons and Malcolm Riley (The Red Devil: The Story of South Australian Aviation Pioneer Captain Harry Butler, Wakefield Press, forthcoming 2019).
Author Quotation: “Martha Needle was considered a psychological enigma at the time of her crimes, and 125 years after her death mystery still surrounds the case. Sorting out fact from sensational stories of the woman dubbed a ‘She Devil’ was no easy task. Through researching this book I reflected upon how far we have come in the past 125 years regarding the treatment of children, family violence, portrayals of women in society, trial by media and understandings of mental health, as Martha Needle was able to put treating Doctors under the spotlight in court.”
The book is available NOW with details as follows:
ISBN EPUB: 9780648372806 POD: 9780648372813 Available: Booktopia, Amazon, Dymocks (SA)
Contact Details – Dr Samantha Battams, 0432344810, @BattamsSamantha website: https://samanthabattams.wixsite.com/author
For review copies, please email the author: samanthabattams@gmail.com
Launch: The book will be launched during SA History Week at Carclew (ballroom), Jeffcott St, North Adelaide (1.45pm) on the 28th April 2019.
Twitter hashtags: #MarthaNeedle #SecretArtofPoisoning #truecrime #newrelease