In California, the San Francisco Call newspaper headlined the story, “Box of deadly bonbons probably fixed in Stockton." In Washington, D.C., The Times featured the title, “Mrs. Botkin Shows Nerve.

Editor's note: This is the second in a five-part series on infamous San Francisco murders of yore, one story each Monday in October. You can read the first ...

This video uncovers the shocking 120-year-old murder case of Cordelia Botkin, a woman who used poisoned chocolates sent through the mail to kill her lover’s wife and sister-in-law. After John Dunning ...

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Chocolate has been an integral part of San Francisco since the Gold Rush. The two oldest chocolate companies in the U.S. — Ghirardelli and Guittard — both started in San Francisco in the early 1850s.

True crime stories often highlight unusual crimes, eccentric criminals and unorthodox methods. Modern television programs appear to show that the strangest crimes are ones that take place in recent ...

TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online ...