Edward Ernest Black

Edward Ernest Black was convicted of the murder of his 50-year-old wife Annie Black and sentenced to death.

He poisoned her with arsenic at Tregonissey, Cornwall on 11 November 1921.

Edward Black had been an insurance agent.

They married in 1914, Annie Black being about 18 years older than Edward Black.

Annie Black had kept a confectioner and tobacconist's shop in Tregonissey, St Austell and they had lived there together.

Annie Black had had a 17-year-old daughter, apparently illegitimaate, who also lived with them. In her depositions, but not at the trial, the daughter said that Edward Black had had intercourse with her from the age of about 15 up until her mother became ill.

She said that Edward Black and her mother got on well, but that there were quarrels about money. It seems that Edward Black had drawn about £20 of Annie Black's money that he was going to put into gas shares, but never did.

However, it was found that Edward Black had two policies for about £25 each on Annie Black's life and that there had been a third for the same amount on his step-daughter's life.

At the time Edward Black had been in financial straits, and in addition to the murder he was indicted at the Assizes for obtaining about £100 by false pretences from various persons, the charges extending over the years 1919 to 1921.

His insurance comapny also dismissed him from their employ on 3 November 1921.

On 29 October 1921 Edward Black bought 2 ounces of arsenic from a chemist in St Austell, saying that he wanted it to poison rats. He had refused to have the ordinary rat poisons, saying that he had been advised to try arsenic.  The purchased was remembered by both the chemist and his asssitent, who knew him well, and he also signed the purchase book.

Edward Black denied having made the purchase, however, the police report stated that there could be no doubt whatever about it.

On the morning of 31 October 1921 Edward Black made tea for his wife at breakfast and an hour later she developed all theusual symptoms of arsenical poisoning.

The doctor that Edward Black called in diagnosed gastritis or epidemic diarrhoea and prescribed the usual medicine.

Thereafter Edward Black appeared to have done all he could to prevent neighbours from seeing or assisting in nursing Annie Black.

He also gave her her medicine, but she often complained that it burned her throat and she would vomit immediately afterwards. However, when a neighbour, who had insisted on seeing Annie Black gave her medicine, she didn't complain of the burning sensation and didn't vomit.

Edward Black later told neighbours that the doctor had said that the valves in Annie Black's heart were all gone and that she could not live long. However, the doctor denied saying anyrthing of the kind.

Annie Black continued to be very ill until 8 November 1921, however Edward Black absconded that evening.

Annie Black improved a little on 9 November but relapsed on 10 November and died on 11 November 1921.

Edward Black was soon after arrested on 21 November 1921 in Liverpool at a hotel he had been staying at. When the police went there the door to his room had to be forced, and he was found to have attempted suicide by cutting his throat with a penknife. however, he completely recovered.

On analysis of Annie Black's body, 1/17th of a grain of arsenic was found in the organs, pointing on computation to 1/6th of a grain in the whole body.

After hearing the results of the analysis, the doctor that had attended her said that he was confident that Annie Black had died from arsenical poisoning.

One doctor said that he thought that a total of 2 grains had been administered.

It was noted that the comparatively small quantity found in her body could be accounted for the violent vomiting and purging, as well as by the fact that after Edward Black disappeared on 8 November that there had been an interval of 3 or 4 days before her death, during which she had not swallowed arsenic.

The other doctor noted that Annie Black had been suffering from a slight kidney disease, but noted however that that need not have caused her death for years, although it might have lessened her power of resistance to the poison and might have contributed to her relapse after the administration of arsenic had ceased.

An examination of a large number of bottles found in the house that had contained medicines etc, found that in three cases, namely a bismuth mixture, some ointment and some tooth powder, there were minute traces of arsenic. However, it was noted that the traces were merely instances of the arsenical impurities that were found in such preparations, and that even if the bismuth etc had been taken by Annie Black very large quantities, it could not have accounted for anything like the 1/17th of a grain that was found in her organs.

It was also noted that a Red Cross manual was found in the house with two pages turned down, one being at a description of the stomach and the other at a description of the symptoms of various poisons, including arsenic.

Edward Black was tried at the Cornwall Assizes on 1 February 1922 and sentenced to death. He appealed on the grounds that there was an entire absence of a suggested motive, as well as the fact that there was only a minute quantity of arsenic found in her body and that the suggestion that the arsenic discovered could have been accounted for by food and medicine she had taken was not put to the jury.

However, at the appeal, the Crown noted that Edward Black had told the chemist that he had wanted the arsenic for killing rats, but that there were no rats on his premises, and it had not been suggested at the trial that he had used it for that purpose and he had never accounted for what he had done with the poison and had even denied purchasing it.

However, the appeal was dismissed and Edward Black was executed at Exeter prison on 24 march 1922.