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Just finished the book "Did She Kill Him?" by Kate Colquhoun about the trial of Florence Maybrick who was found guilty of murdering her husband James by giving him arsenic. I really enjoyed the book. My personal view is that Florence was not guilty of the crime and that the verdict was a huge miscarriage of justice. A great look at the rather sordid underbelly of Victorian marriage and society. The author goes off on tangents now and then regarding feminism and the role of women but all in all a really good book and I definitely recommend it. I didn't realize that her trial was sort of the O.J. Simpson trial of its time.
Nothing really Ripper related in the book. James Maybrick certainly doesn't come off too well in it. A hypochondriac addicted to self medication including arsenic. Had at least one mistress and slapped Florence around on at least one occasion.
If Maybrick was the Ripper there is at least some poetic justice in that doctors performed an autopsy on his body shortly after death in his own bedroom. Later his body was dug up from his grave and further tests were performed on it.
c.d.
Nothing really Ripper related in the book. James Maybrick certainly doesn't come off too well in it. A hypochondriac addicted to self medication including arsenic. Had at least one mistress and slapped Florence around on at least one occasion.
If Maybrick was the Ripper there is at least some poetic justice in that doctors performed an autopsy on his body shortly after death in his own bedroom. Later his body was dug up from his grave and further tests were performed on it.
c.d.
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