“Jolly Jane” Toppan: Angel of Mercy (Part 1)
Morbid2 Touko 2024

“Jolly Jane” Toppan: Angel of Mercy (Part 1)

When Jane Toppan began training to be a nurse at Cambridge Hospital in 1885, she was bright, eager, and well-liked by her peers and seemed to form easy bonds with the oldest and most vulnerable patients. What no one knew at the time was, once Jane managed to get time alone with her patients, she began conducting medical experiments by injecting them with various drugs and even going so far as to get into bed with them to hold them close to her as they died from the overdoses she’d administered.


Thank you to the amazing Dave White of Bring me the Axe Podcast for research!


References

Boston Globe. 1902. "Agree that she's insane." Boston Globe, April 6: 1.

—. 1901. "Alden P. Davis' death due to another cause." Boston Globe, November 21: 1.

—. 1901. "Hint to watch Miss Toppan." Boston Globe, October 31: 5.

—. 1901. "Inquiry is under way." Boston Globe, August 31: 1.

—. 1902. "Is Miss Toppan sane." Boston Globe, March 26: 1.

—. 1904. "Jane Toppan an imbecile." Boston Globe, July 10: 6.

—. 1902. "Jane Toppan insane, found not guilty." Boston Globe, June 24: 1.

—. 1938. "Jane Toppan, poisoner of 31, dies in hospital at age pf 81." Boston Globe, August 18: 1.

—. 1901. "Marriage and money." Boston Globe, November 1: 1.

—. 1901. "Murder by poison." Boston Globe, October 31: 1.

—. 1901. "No cause for suspicion." Boston Globe, November 4: 2.

Lowell Historical Society. 2022. Lowell’s ties to “Jolly” Jane, Massachusetts’ Female Serial Killer. October 29. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://www.lowellhistoricalsociety.org/lowells-ties-to-jolly-jane-massachusetts-female-serial-killer/.

New York Times. 1904. "Jane Toppan, an extraordinary case of moral insanity." New York Times, October 23: A2.

—. 1938. "Miss Jane Toppan, 84, Mass poisoner, dies." New York Times, August 18: 15.

Schechter, Harold. 2012. Fatal: The Poisonous Life of a Female Serial Killer. New York, NY: Pocket Books.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jaksot(819)

Melissa Ann Shepard: The Internet Black Widow

Melissa Ann Shepard: The Internet Black Widow

In the news cycle, an elderly woman attempting to poison her husband would have garnered a pretty small amount of attention from the press, then faded away when a larger story came along. But it didn’...

23 Helmi 1h 1min

Amusement Park Disasters: Independent Parks

Amusement Park Disasters: Independent Parks

Since the late nineteenth century, amusement parks have been providing countless hours of enjoyment for people all around the world. Often driven by the latest technology and advances in mechanical en...

19 Helmi 51min

Mommy and Clyde: The Crimes of Sante and Kenny Kimes

Mommy and Clyde: The Crimes of Sante and Kenny Kimes

In the summer of 1998, eighty-two-year-old New York socialite Irene Silverman disappeared from her Manhattan townhouse without a trace. Silverman’s friends were immediately concerned, as it was comple...

16 Helmi 1h 7min

Dennis Nilsen: The Kindly Killer (Part 3)

Dennis Nilsen: The Kindly Killer (Part 3)

(Part 3 of 3) On the morning of February 8, 1983, a plumber working in London’s Muswell Hill neighbor opened a drainage cover behind a Cranley Gardens apartment building and made a horrific discovery—...

12 Helmi 58min

Dennis Nilsen: The Kindly Killer (Part 2)

Dennis Nilsen: The Kindly Killer (Part 2)

Part 2 of 3) On the morning of February 8, 1983, a plumber working in London’s Muswell Hill neighbor opened a drainage cover behind a Cranley Gardens apartment building and made a horrific discovery—t...

9 Helmi 1h 1min

Dennis Nilsen: The Kindly Killer (Part 1)

Dennis Nilsen: The Kindly Killer (Part 1)

On the morning of February 8, 1983, a plumber working in London’s Muswell Hill neighbor opened a drainage cover behind a Cranley Gardens apartment building and made a horrific discovery—the drain was ...

5 Helmi 54min

The “Hitman” Murders

The “Hitman” Murders

In the early hours of March 3, 1993, someone snuck into the Maryland home of Millie Horn, where she lived with her disabled eight-year-old son, Trevor, and his nurse, Janice Saunders. After shooting b...

2 Helmi 1h 7min

January Bonus Episode: New Moon

January Bonus Episode: New Moon

Weirdos!! It's here! the second deep dive into the twisted world of the Twilight Saga! Grab your brown-tinted filters and emotional support glitter, because Ash and Alaina are back in Forks for a full...

30 Tammi 2h 39min

Suosittua kategoriassa Komedia

nikotellen
antin-matka
tuplakaak
anni-jaajo
olipa-kerran-otsikko
ihan-oikeesti
rss-saarinen-shoy
antin-palautepalvelu
antin-elokuvakerho
puurojengi
rss-kaheli
rss-nikotellen
ela-viitti
kasper-ja-mikko-suomen-suosituin-podcast
rss-napy
rss-kuukka-vehvilainen-hartlin
everypodi
mysteeripodcast
rss-tuhannes-podcast
naakkavalta