RDP Tuesday: MISTRESS
Guilia was a poisoner, to put a very fine point on it you could say she was poison because Guilia’s purpose in life was to create and dispense death and destruction.
She learned her craft from her Mother- legend says Guilia used her skills to kill abusive husbands because in 17th century Rome women were property of their husbands and the only way out of those marriages was if someone died.
I have a hard time accepting the image, as put forth by some, of Guilia as some kind of savior.
Given that Guilia was paid for her services and even told her paying customers how to answer questions and appear grief stricken I seriously doubt if Guilia did what she did for justice or that she deserves any form of accolades for being a heroine for oppressed and abused women.
The one aspect of the story that put the hairs on the back of my neck up was this- she learned her skill from her Mother ( who murdered her own husband ) she told her customers how to fake human emotion and behave when they were questioned after the deed was done.
I’ve watched enough episodes of Dexter and binged on the Murder Channel ( I’m not sure what the channel is actually called, but they feature true crime stories on the weekend ) to know a psychopath when I see one.
So I’m perfectly willing to go out on a limb and take the stand that Guilia was a serial killer, that she did what she did because she recognized a lucrative market and that it’s very doubtful her only customers were abused women who had no where else to turn.
Safe to say if you showed up at Guilia’s door with money, you’d leave with something in your hand and within a few days you’d have one less problem-ANY PROBLEM in your life then you did before you sought out the Palermo Poisoner.
Justice marched on and Guilia and her daughter and three of her ‘helpers’ were executed for their dark deeds in 1659-given up as the story goes by a customer who had put Guilia’s poison into her husband’s soup and then prevented him from eating it.
Her customer had a change of heart or simply lacked the taste for murder that Guilia had.
Being that she had family and associates convicted with her it seems that she was also leading entrepreneur of the field. I find it interesting that there was enough business to support a rather complete shop of poisoners.
It’s the old supply and demand thing.
A very interesting piece. I came across the image when researching a mystery of my own once.
Of all that she did, I find it interesting that one of her own customers turned on her. Good thing Guilia wasn’t a hands on killer or this customer would met a different end.
Yes, I think he was a lucky customer really. He so easily could have met his end there.
For as dramatic as this story is, I find that one moment the best part. I’m not sure why.
I agree it’s a strong moment in the story.