George Chapman (murderer)
| George Chapman | |
|---|---|
Illustration of George Chapman from a newspaper
|
|
| Born |
Seweryn Antonowicz Kłosowski 14 December 1865 Nagórna, Congress Poland |
| Died | 7 April 1903 (aged 37) HM Prison Wandsworth, London, England, UK |
| Cause of death | Hanging |
| Other names | Ludwig Schloski |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 3 |
|
Span of killings
|
1897–1902 |
| Country | England |
|
Date apprehended
|
1903 |
George Chapman (14 December 1865 – 7 April 1903) was a Polish serial killer known as the Borough Poisoner. Born Seweryn Antonowicz Kłosowski in Congress Poland, he moved as an adult to England, where he committed his crimes. He was convicted and executed after poisoning three women, but is remembered today mostly because some police officers suspected him of being the notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper.
Chapman was born in the village of Nagórna, (now part of Koło), in the Warsaw Governorate of Congress Poland. According to a certificate found in his personal effects after his arrest, he was apprenticed at age 14 to a senior surgeon, Moshko (Mosze) Rappaport, in Zwoleń, whom he assisted in procedures such as the application of leeches for blood-letting. He then enrolled on a course in practical surgery at the Warsaw Praga Hospital. This course was very brief, lasting from October 1885 to January 1886 (attested to by another certificate in his possession) but he continued to serve as a nurse, or doctor's assistant in Warsaw until December 1886. He later left Poland for London, though the time he arrived at London has never been reliably ascertained. Witness testimony at his trial seems to indicate that he emigrated to London in 1888. During his stay in the East End he had married a young Polish girl, Lucie Badewski in 1889 and had two children with her and soon afterwards was confronted because of this by his original Polish wife.
Chapman took at least four mistresses, who posed as his wife. Three were poisoned to death by him. They were Mary Isabella Spink (1858 - 25 December 1897), Bessie Taylor (died 14 February 1901) and Maud Marsh (died 22 October 1902). He administered the compound tartar-emetic to each of them, having purchased it from a chemist in Hastings, Sussex. Rich in the metallic element antimony, improper usage of tartar-emetic causes a painful death with symptoms similar to arsenic poisoning.
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Wikipedia