Sophia Hasel, a 72-year-old white female from Hardscrabble, Ohio, died on December 13, 1924 under suspicious circumstances that later became part of one of Ohio’s most sensational criminal cases of the era. She was born in Germany in 1852 and had settled in Medina County, Ohio, where she lived with her family. On Thanksgiving evening in 1924, Sophia and several other relatives fell ill with severe stomach ailments. While most recovered, Sophia’s condition worsened, and she died just weeks later. Her death was initially attributed to natural causes, but the pattern of illness among her relatives soon raised alarm.
The investigation into Sophia’s death revealed a disturbing truth. Her daughter, Martha Wise—a 41-year-old white female widow—was eventually arrested and charged with poisoning multiple family members. Martha had recently ended a romantic relationship under pressure from her family, including Sophia and her aunt and uncle, Lily and Fred Gienke. In retaliation, Martha began poisoning family members using arsenic, which she had purchased from a local drugstore. Sophia was the first to die, followed by Lily and Fred in early 1925. In total, seventeen relatives were poisoned, with three fatalities and several others left with lasting health issues, including partial paralysis.
Authorities discovered Martha’s purchases of arsenic and conducted autopsies that confirmed its presence in the victims’ systems. When questioned, Martha confessed to the poisonings, claiming that the devil had compelled her to commit the crimes. She admitted to placing arsenic in water buckets and coffee pots used by her family. Her trial began in May 1925, and despite her defense’s claims of insanity and coercion by her former lover, Walter Johns, Martha was found guilty of first-degree murder. The jury recommended mercy, and she was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Martha Wise’s case drew widespread media attention and earned her the nickname “The Poison Widow of Hardscrabble.” She served her sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, where she remained until her death in 1971. Her crimes left a lasting mark on the community and remain a chilling example of familial betrayal and calculated vengeance.
