At the turn of the twentieth century, a pattern of unusual deaths began to surface, when three unrelated women were found drowned in their bathtubs, following a fit or a feinting. The cases seemed unconnected, scattered across towns and surnames, until the similarities grew too precise to ignore. At the center of the widening suspicion was a man named George Joseph Smith, though very few actually knew him by that name until reports of his crimes began to filter into the newspapers, and purely by chance, people around the country began connecting the dots.

SOURCES

Robins, Jane (2010) The Magnificent Spilsbury & The Case of the Brides in the Bath. F. A. Thorpe, Leicestershire, UK.

Kentish Express (1912) Drowned In A Bath. Kentish Express, Sat 20 July 1912, p5. Kent, UK.

Weekly Dispatch (1914) Bride’s Death In Bath. Weekly Dispatch, Sun 27 Dec 1914, p13. London, UK.

Coleraine Chronicle (1915) The Execution of Smith. Coleraine Chronicle, Sat 21 Aug 1915, p4. Londonderry, UK.

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George Joseph Smith: The Case of the Brides in the Bath