The Norwich Poisoning.

Around February 1878, Charles H. Cobb, City Collector of Norwich, Connecticut, was stricken with a mysterious illness. His doctor diagnosed his condition as lead poisoning from lead water pipes or a lead drinking vessel. He prescribed various tonics without success, and the illness lingered for months. Then, on June 6, Cobb died suddenly and unexpectedly, arousing suspicion.

Cobb’s friends and neighbors believed he was murdered, and they had a ready suspect. Wesley W. Bishop was having an affair with Cobb’s wife, Kate, and they were not very discreet. Bishop had purchased arsenic, which he said he had given to Cobb, and Bishop’s wife had died four months earlier under similar circumstances.

A post-mortem examination of Cobb’s body found arsenic in his stomach and other organs, indicating small doses of arsenic taken over a long period of time.  The doctors also found strychnine in his system, which was probably the immediate cause of his death. Bishop’s wife was exhumed and examined, and her organs contained arsenic as well. Wesley Bishop and Kate Cobb were both charged with first-degree murder. The suspects would be tried separately, and Kate Cobb’s trial would be taken first.

Kate Cobb and Wesley Bishop had known each other as schoolmates but lost touch until they met again at a Masonic dance. Bishop was an expressman who moved furniture and delivered groceries. Bishop would stop in and spend time with Kate when he delivered to the Cobbs or any of their neighbors. Their relationship turned romantic, and they began exchanging letters and gifts. When Charles was out of town, Bishop would spend the night with Kate.

Their love grew strong, and they wanted to leave their spouses and marry each other. Bishop thought he could get a divorce, but Kate knew Charles would not agree to divorce, and she had no grounds to file herself.

Before Kate’s trial, Bishop issued a public confession describing their relationship. Their decision to kill Charles Cobb, he said, was her idea.

“I know of but one way to become free,” She told him, “And that is to bury the one I now live with.”

Kate Cobb’s trial began on December 31, 1878. Doctors testified about Cobb’s illness and the poisons they found in his body. Several people, including Cobb’s mother, testified to the “improper intimacy” between Kate and Bishop. The most damaging testimony came from Wesley Bishop, who had turned state’s evidence. He restated his confession with more detail.

Bishop said he supplied the poison, but Kate administered it. First, she tried putting morphine in Cobb’s tea, but he found it too bitter to drink.  Then she tried arsenic, but it was taking too long. Finally, she killed him by putting strychnine in his tea. His wife, he claimed, had died of natural causes.

Testifying in her own defense, Kate Cobb denied everything Bishop said about the murder. She said that one day in February, when Bishop delivered groceries, he tried to get Cobb to try a new kind of tea. Bishop had put morphine in the tea, but Cobb would not drink it. In April, Bishop gave Cobb some brandy, and after drinking it, he had an attack of illness. She also found some powder Bishop gave him as medicine. On the day he died, Cobb ate something Bishop had given him.

Kate also said she thought her husband had been secretly taking arsenic in an attempt to gain weight. He was self-conscious about his skinny frame and believed that arsenic increased appetite.

It is likely that the jury did not fully believe Bishop or Kate. After seven hours of deliberation, they found Kate Cobb guilty of second-degree murder. The judge sentenced her to life in Weathersfield State Prison.

Kate issued a public letter proclaiming her innocence. Her attorneys filed a motion for a new trial. They had found a witness who would testify that Cobb told her he was secretly taking arsenic for his weight. The evidence was not strong enough, and they withdrew the motion.

As a reward for turning state’s evidence, the judge accepted Bishop’s plea of guilty of second-degree murder, saving him from the gallows. He was also sentenced to life at Weathersfield prison. The charge against Bishop of murdering his wife would be allowed rest for the time being. The district attorney would reopen the case if he ever tried to secure his freedom.

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Sources: 

“The Bishop-Cobb Murders,” Connecticut western news., October 9, 1878.
“Bishop's Confession,” New York Herald., January 4, 1879.
“Cobb an Arsenic Taker,” New Haven Evening Register, January 22, 1879.
“The Cobb and Bishop Murder,” New York Herald, September 17, 1878.
“The Cobb Poisoning Case,” Boston Evening Journal, July 19, 1878.
“Imprisoned for Life,” New York Herald, January 18, 1879.
“Kate Cobb,” New York Herald, January 17, 1879.
“Kate Cobb's Life Sentence,” Illustrated Police News, January 25, 1879.
“Kate Cobb's Trial,” New York Herald., January 1, 1879.
“Kate Cobb's Trial,” New York Herald, January 3, 1879.
“Kate M. Cobb's Own Story,” Sun., January 10, 1879.
“The Motion for a New Trial of Mrs,” Harrisburg Daily Patriot., February 22, 1879.
“Murder Trial,” New York Herald, July 16, 1878.
“Pleading For Kate Cobb,” Sun., January 16, 1879.
“Poetry and Poison,” New York Herald., January 5, 1879.
“Poisoning Case at Norwich, Conn,” Boston Daily Advertiser, July 12, 1878.
“Total Depravity,” Daily Globe., October 2, 1878.
“Wesley Bishop's Fate. ,” New York Herald, May 20, 1879.
“Wesley W Bishop's Confession,” Springfield Daily Republican, October 3, 1878.