Richard Brinkley – a serial poisoner. 53 year old Richard Clifford Brinkley was a carpenter and a Free Mason who had befriended an elderly lady, 77 year old Johanna Blume. He persuaded her to sign up for a trip to the seaside and that way got her signature on a blank piece of paper. He then obtained the signatures of Henry Heard and Reginald Parker, who were to be the witnesses, by the same subterfuge. In fact the paper was a will leaving Mrs. Blume’s property in Fulham to him. Two days later, on the 19th of December 1906, Mrs. Blume died and Brinkley tried to claim the house. Her granddaughter who lived in the home contested the will. She went to a solicitor and Brinkley realised that they would want to interview the witnesses to the old lady’s signature. They would of course deny that they had witnessed a will or indeed that they had ever met Mrs. Blume. So he decided to eliminate them. On the night of Saturday the 20th of April 1907, Brinkley...