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Revision as of 05:40, 25 December 2013
| Bertha Gifford | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bertha Williams October 1872 |
| Died | August 20, 1951 |
| Cause of death | Natural |
| Criminal penalty | Committed to Mental Facility |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3-17 |
| Span of crimes | 1900s–1928 |
| Country | USA |
| State(s) | Missouri |
| Date apprehended | 1928 |
Bertha Gifford (October 1872 – August 20, 1951) was a farmwife in rural Catawissa, Missouri during the early 1900s who was accused of murdering 17 members of the local community. Some consider her to be America's second female serial killer, behind Jane Toppan.
Personal life
Bertha Alice Williams Graham Gifford was born in Grubville, Missouri, the daughter of William Poindexter Williams and his wife Matilda, née Lee. She was one of 10 children. She was married to Henry Graham and this union produced one daughter, Lila. Following Graham's death, she married Eugene Gifford and they had one child, James.
Crimes
In 1928, Gifford — known in her community for her cooking skills and caring for sick neighbors and relatives — was arrested at Eureka, Missouri and charged with the murders of three people. Following the exhumation and post mortem exams of Edward Brinley and Elmer and Lloyd Schamel whose bodies were found to contain large amounts of arsenic, Gifford was put on trial in Union, Missouri. Following the three-day trial, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to the Missouri State Hospital #4 (a mental institution) where she remained until her death in 1951.
Although counts vary, most historians and family members agree that Gifford actually killed at least 17 people over a period of 21 years.
References
- ^ "Missouri Deaths" (PDF). Missouri. 1910–1960. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) - Murphy, Kay (2008). Tainted Legacy: The Story of Alleged Serial Killer Bertha Gifford. PublishAmerica. ISBN 1-60563-803-X.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - "Mrs. W.P. Williams". The Western Star ( Coldwater, KS). 24 August 1923. Retrieved 24 April 2013. Obituary of Bertha Gifford's mother, as quoted on Rootsweb
- ^ Jefferson County Missouri marriage licenses
- Henry Graham obituary (Bertha Gifford’s first husband and supposed first victim)
- St. Louis Post Dispatch
- "Reflections on Farmington State Hospital". The Daily Journal (Flat River, Missouri). 24 April 1987. Retrieved 24 April 2013. as quoted on Rootsweb
External links
- Brief history of Morse Mill, Missouri
- Protection Cemetery, burial place of Bertha Gifford’s parents
- Burial place of Bertha Gifford and several of her victims
- People from St. Louis County, Missouri
- American female serial killers
- 1876 births
- 1951 deaths
- People acquitted by reason of insanity
- Prisoners who died in Missouri detention
- Serial killers who died in prison custody
- American people who died in prison custody
- 20th-century American criminals
- Criminals from Missouri