(#1) 105 Year Old Copy of, “Trial of Madeline Smith”

First Edition, reprinted in the Notable British Trials series, March 1921. Original first edition published 1905 in the Notable Scottish Trials series. Printed by William Hodge & Co., Glasgow and Edinburgh. Prefatory Note; 27 India Street, Edinburgh, October, 1905. Covers the famous Glasgow poisoning case of Madeleine Smith (1857), one of the most sensational Victorian trials.

The Trial of Madeleine Smith (1857)

A sensational Victorian murder trial filled with forbidden romance, scandal, and suspected poisoning. In 1857, beautiful young Scottish socialite Madeleine Smith stood accused of murdering her secret lover, Pierre Émile L’Angelier, with arsenic-laced cocoa after he allegedly threatened to expose their intimate correspondence and ruin her reputation.

The trial captivated Victorian society, revealing passionate love letters, secret rendezvous, and a young woman whose respectable public image concealed a scandalous private affair. Despite the damning circumstances, the jury returned Scotland’s controversial verdict of “Not Proven,” leaving the question of her guilt unresolved.

A fascinating glimpse into one of the 19th century’s most notorious unsolved murder mysteries.