Sarah Jane Whiteling

Serial Killer

Sarah Jane Whiteling: The Wholesale Poisoner of Philadelphia

Introduction

Sarah Jane Whiteling was a Philadelphia poisoner who murdered her husband and two young children during a closely spaced series of deaths in 1888. Known in contemporary reports as the "Wholesale Poisoner" and the "Philadelphia Poisoner," Whiteling used an arsenic-based household product called Rough on Rats to kill members of her own family. The poisonings occurred inside an impoverished household where illness, financial hardship and repeated moves initially helped conceal the true cause of the victims' suffering. Whiteling's crimes were especially shocking because each victim depended upon her for care. Her husband became violently ill at home, and her children were only nine and two years old when they died. Physicians initially attributed the deaths to intestinal diseases that could produce symptoms similar to arsenic poisoning. Only after all three family members died within approximately two months did officials recognize the pattern and order a deeper investigation.

Early Life and Family

Sarah Jane Whiteling was reportedly born in Germany in approximately 1848. Details about her early life are incomplete, but she later lived in the United States and spent time in Iowa, Chicago and Philadelphia. She was first married to a man named Tom Brown. That marriage ended after Brown was imprisoned, and Whiteling later formed a relationship with Thomas Storey, with whom she had a daughter named Bertha. On March 27, 1880, Sarah married John Whiteling. Bertha, who was still an infant, became part of the Whiteling household. Sarah and John later had a son, William C. Whiteling, commonly called Willie, who was born in approximately 1886. By 1888, the family was living in Philadelphia and experiencing serious financial difficulty. John reportedly worked at different times as a laborer, factory worker or streetcar employee, but he was also described as physically frail and frequently ill. The family carried small life-insurance policies that required modest payments but promised money after a death. Such policies were common among working-class families because they could cover funeral expenses. In the Whiteling case, however, the insurance payments became an important part of the prosecution's theory that Sarah had a financial motive for poisoning her family. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

John Whiteling Age: (38), Date of Death: March 30, 1888

Sarah Whiteling - Wikipedia