Episode 561: “Jolly Jane” Toppan: Angel of Mercy (Part 2)
Morbid
Morbid Network | Wondery
4.5 • 95.3K Ratings
🗓️ 6 May 2024
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Considered among the first (and certainly the most prolific) American female serial killers and so-called angels of mercy, Jane Toppan’s killing spree went unnoticed for more than fifteen years, as she transitioned from one hospital to another, leaving an unprecedented trail of carnage in her wake. Jane was finally arrested in 1901, after killing the entire family of a man for whom she’d been hired to provide care. The arrest and trial were a sensation, as murder and cruelty were a direct contradiction of the norms and standards long relied upon to define American womanhood.
Thank you to the amazing Dave White of Bring me the Axe Podcast for research!
References
Boston Globe. 1902. "Agree that she's insane." Boston Globe, April 6: 1.
—. 1901. "Alden P. Davis' death due to another cause." Boston Globe, November 21: 1.
—. 1901. "Hint to watch Miss Toppan." Boston Globe, October 31: 5.
—. 1901. "Inquiry is under way." Boston Globe, August 31: 1.
—. 1902. "Is Miss Toppan sane." Boston Globe, March 26: 1.
—. 1904. "Jane Toppan an imbecile." Boston Globe, July 10: 6.
—. 1902. "Jane Toppan insane, found not guilty." Boston Globe, June 24: 1.
—. 1938. "Jane Toppan, poisoner of 31, dies in hospital at age pf 81." Boston Globe, August 18: 1.
—. 1901. "Marriage and money." Boston Globe, November 1: 1.
—. 1901. "Murder by poison." Boston Globe, October 31: 1.
—. 1901. "No cause for suspicion." Boston Globe, November 4: 2.
Lowell Historical Society. 2022. Lowell’s ties to “Jolly” Jane, Massachusetts’ Female Serial Killer. October 29. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://www.lowellhistoricalsociety.org/lowells-ties-to-jolly-jane-massachusetts-female-serial-killer/.
New York Times. 1904. "Jane Toppan, an extraordinary case of moral insanity." New York Times, October 23: A2.
—. 1938. "Miss Jane Toppan, 84, Mass poisoner, dies." New York Times, August 18: 15.
Schechter, Harold. 2012. Fatal: The Poisonous Life of a Female Serial Killer. New York, NY: Pocket Books.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Wundery Plus subscribers can listen to morbid early and add free. |
| 0:03.2 | Join Wundery Plus in the Wundery App or on Apple Podcasts. |
| 0:07.9 | You're listening to a morbid network podcast. |
| 0:14.0 | Hey, weirdos, I'm Ash. |
| 0:16.0 | And I'm Elena. |
| 0:17.0 | And this is psychological damage. |
| 0:20.0 | This absolutely is like getting it's morbid. with a little dash of psychological damage I would say say. Well, it is. |
| 0:44.0 | This is part two of Jane Toppen, who is known as Jolly Jane. |
| 0:48.0 | She doesn't live up to that name, though. |
| 0:51.0 | That's one of those nicknames that you're like yeah okay yeah I can't think of like any |
| 0:56.0 | other person to compare it to but I know exactly what you mean but oh no I'm making |
| 1:00.0 | sound sorry yeah we're chaotic right now but you you love us for that and we love you back. |
| 1:05.2 | But in part one I mean she was unhinged. |
| 1:09.8 | Yeah. |
| 1:10.8 | That's not even the word. |
| 1:12.1 | To say the least. |
| 1:13.6 | Yeah, she ended up killing her own sister |
| 1:16.0 | and delighting in it. |
| 1:17.6 | And then trying to go fuck her man. |
| 1:19.3 | Trying to go fuck her man, she's not even done with that. |
| 1:22.0 | So she didn't, she hasn't even given that up. I had a feeling because then she |
| 1:24.8 | fucking killed then she killed the the helper that her brother-in-law had hired to |
... |
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