The Poisonous career of Mary Ann Cotton

The date is March 24th, 1873. The place is Durham Gaol. The scene is the hanging gallery. From above, out of sight of the gallows, members of the Press are gathered. For weeks they have been pulsating with stories of the lady about to be executed. She, meanwhile, was having a cup of tea in her cell, still vainly hoping that she might be set free; that her pleas of innocence would be heard and that she might once more walk the streets of her local town and enjoy the sights and sounds of daily life.