Mary A. Cowan: The Borgia of Maine
Early Life
Mary A. Cowan, born Mary A. Knight on March 8, 1863, in Plymouth, Maine, was one of several children to Jonathan F. Knights, a Civil War veteran, and Apphia B. Knights (née Sidelinger). She lived on a rural family home in Plymouth until the age of 20, when she married Willis W. Bean, a young farmer from nearby Dixmont.
Crimes
Mary Cowan's criminal activities spanned a decade, from 1884 to 1894. She poisoned two husbands and four children, earning her the moniker "The Borgia of Maine." Her crimes were characterized by their cold-blooded nature and the use of poison.
Victims
- Gracie Bean (1884) - Smothered to death at the family home in Dixmont.
- Alice Bean (1886) - Died from peculiar stomach aches.
- Mabel Bean (1886) - Died from peculiar stomach aches.
- Willis W. Bean (1888) - Died from stomach pain while in Ohio.
- Unnamed step-son (1894) - Poisoned to death.
- Unnamed step-son (1894) - Poisoned to death.
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