Delusions and Arsenic
Anna Zwanziger believed she was a catch, looking for love. When others didn’t fall head over heels for her, they were taken care of with a hefty dash of arsenic.
“Arsenic is my truest friend.” — Anna Zwanziger
Anna Zwanziger went on a year-long poisoning spree from 1808–1809 dispatching her employers or other members of their households with arsenic. She wasn’t clever in her business by any means, but it doesn’t make her any less disturbing than other female poisoners or serial killers of the age. Her motive wasn’t greed like most, but of all things it was love.
Anna Zwanziger was born in Nuremberg, Germany in 1760 as Anna Maria Schonleben. Not much is known about her early life, but the unfortunate Anna grew up poor and destitute. She was known to be ugly and repulsive, described as a “misshapen toad,” with a hump on her back and one leg shorter than the other.
When it came time for marriage, she was wed off to the first man who took interest in her taking the name “Zwanziger”. Unfortunately for Anna, this was not love, nor was it even a partnership. Her husband was a drunkard, disappearing for weeks on end squandering their money on booze. It is said that she worked as a prostitute to support the family as his alcoholism made him unemployable.
Her husband died, leaving her penniless. Yet, Anna still dreamed of something more — a life where she was loved and cared for. She began searching for work as a housekeeper in early 1808 believing that as a domestic servant, she could attract a more suitable mate. She would make someone fall in love with her by showing him that she was the ultimate caregiver, taking care of their every whim, providing them with the utmost comforts.
Her first prospect was a judge named Wolfgang Glaser. He was attractive, middle-aged. He was also married. This did not deter Anna, especially as the Glaser’s were currently separated. She devised a plan to get rid of Mrs. Glaser once and for all. Inviting her to tea, she let the other servants believe that she intended to remedy the couple's fractured relationship. What no one knew was that Anna had steeped the tea with arsenic. The unlucky Mrs. Glaser…
