The Poison Pen Letter: The Early 20th Century's Strangest Crime Wave

Curtis Evens for CrimeReads: 

Across the transatlantic world in the early decades of the twentieth century a terrible wave of poison attacks took place, cruelly claiming hordes of human victims. In contrast with the toxic chlorine, phosgene and mustard gases which armies put to such ghastly and inhuman use during the First World War, however, these particular poisons were not delivered via canisters and shells. 

Rather, the instrument through which these poisons inflicted their damage was the pen—the so-called “poison pen” (a term which encompassed as well that click-clacking symbol of modern business efficiency, the typewriter). For these poisons were words—words which, like weapons of war, could not only hurt but in some cases kill.

Read more from Curtis Evans about this early 20th century phenomenom and how it was adapted by crime writers of the era @ CrimeReads.  And for those interest, there is a lovely list of novels featuring the poison pen!