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Missouri’s first female serial murder, Bertha Gifford

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ST. LOUIS — Bertha Gifford was the first female serial killer in Missouri. She has been convicted of poisoning at least three people and is suspected of killing several others.
Bertha is still being researched by some people today. Her tale has been featured on television and in podcasts. There are also YouTube recordings of ghost investigations and websites dedicated to visitors’ ghost sightings at Bertha’s former hotel and property.
Life as a married couple
Bertha was born in the Missouri town of Grubville in 1872. William Poindexter Williams and Matilda, née Lee, were her parents. Bertha was one of ten children.
She was married to Henry Graham, and they had a daughter named Lila. Graham and Bertha ran a boarding house while they were married. The boarding house, which was located in Jefferson County, is now known as the Morse Mill Hotel.
In 1928, Bertha was well known in her town for her cooking abilities, as well as her compassion for sick neighbors and relatives. She was said to be a nice, kind woman who wore a white dress and carried a satchel when she went to see sick neighbors.
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However, infidelity crept into Bertha’s marriage, possibly on both sides. In this article, the director of the Washington Historical Society Museum, Marc Houseman, says that Henry found out that Bertha was having an affair with Eugene Gifford.
The Graham marital drama came to an end when Henry became ill and died of pneumonia.
Shortly after Graham died, Bertha married Eugene Gifford and moved to Catawissa, raising James and Lila together.
They began living in “the tin cottage,” which was located directly across the train tracks. They moved to a white farmhouse on “The Bend Road,” which runs alongside the Meramec River, a few years later.
The farmhouse has been dubbed “The Catawissa Mystery House.” Bertha poisoned nine of her victims there, according to Houseman.
Crimes
When the bodies of several of her victims were found poisoned in Eureka, Missouri, she was arrested and charged with murder.
Evidence emerged that she purchased rat poison, known as arsenic, from local druggists. Some of the transactions were made hours before the victim died.
Bertha Gifford’s name was found in this historic Poison Register that is on display at the Washington Historical Society. “However, we have the original poison register of Dr. J.W. Powers, a druggist in Pacific, Missouri, that lists sales of arsenic and strychnine to Bertha Gifford on multiple occasions,” said Katie Dieckhaus, Executive Director of the historical society.
According to Houseman, there is no pattern to her murders. Her victims’ ages ranged from 15 months to 72 years. They were neighbors, friends, and family members.
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Trial
During her trial, Gifford said she was innocent and that the poisonings weren’t done on purpose. The trial lasted barely three days, and she was only on trial for three of her victims.
Ed Brinley, and the two brothers, Elmer and Lloyd Schamel, were the ones whose graves were dug up, and their bodies were inspected for proof.
She was eventually found guilty and condemned to life in prison. In 1951, Gifford died at the Missouri State Hospital.
Gifford is interred in the Church of God Faith of Abraham Cemetery. She is buried between her two husbands’ graves, surrounded by the graves of around eight of her victims.
Recent media coverage about Gifford
There are now videos and websites dedicated to the locations where Bertha is said to have murdered her victims. The Morse Mill Hotel is a popular haunting and ghost hunting location.
Bertha’s story was again told in “Deadly Women” Season 6, Episode 1 in 2013, titled “Malicious Hearts.” Bertha’s tale has also been recounted in a number of podcasts.
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Man attacks Jeff Co. deputy with screwdriver during attempted arrest

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.
Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.
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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.
Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.
Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.
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St. Louis Public Schools superintendent to be sworn in

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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.
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Gas tanker crashes into St. Louis Metro transit center

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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.
The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.
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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.
A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.
The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.
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