THE POISONER Goeie Mie

The most prolific poisoner of all time couldn’t possibly have been a woman. Right??! Goeie Mie, “Good Maria,” was such a selfless and kindly nurse that desperate folks in 19th-century Leiden called her when they were sick, knowing she’d come even if they couldn’t pay. But they got worse, and worse, and usually died in misery. Goeie Mie had life insurance on all of them. Travel on location to Leiden, The Netherlands with Katie in this spooky Halloween Special! Guest Josine Heijnen holds an MA in humanities and studies history & theology – naturally she would end up having her own distillery, right? Maneuvering through the financial world right after graduating, she started distilling Goeie Mie Gin, named after Maria Swanenburg ‘the Leiden Poisoner.’ She expanded the business and now spreads these unbelievable-but-true stories in liquid form throughout Europe. (And more to come: do you know the greatest spy of all time, Mata Hari? Or ever tasted something called Radithor?) Music featured in this episode by Esther Abrami, Aaron Kenny, Román Cano, Kevin MacLeod, and Camille Saint-Saens. Want to help us “make history”? Become a Patron or Donate here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices