Guest post by Alissa, of Lettered Madness

Following up on her previous look into tea superstitions, Alissa brings us a few death-by-tea accounts. Sadly, aside from the yōkai, these are true stories, demonstrating that tea—lauded for its health benefits—can sometimes be the vehicle for poison and treachery.

Murder and Demons and Tea, Oh My!

You’re walking in the woods
There’s no one around and your phone is dead
Out of the corner of your eye you spot him:*

. . . a floating tea bag!

Did you read that right?

Yes, you did. There is a floating tea bag and it’s following you about 30 feet back.

But this is no laughing matter!

That is a Chabukuro (teabag) tsukumogami (haunted household object).

This yōkai (Japanese demon) is one that spreads illness, through touch or ingestion. It can be bigger than a normal teabag, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be encountered floating along roads or floating in streams. It can also drop suddenly from the sky!

Superstitions are one thing, but tea can play an even more ominous role in the world, from haunted objects to murder. . . . 

Perhaps the most famous death by tea is that of Greek philosopher Socrates, renowned Athenian philosopher sentenced to death by hemlock tea in 399 BCE.

But this was certainly not the last incident of death by tea.

In 2006, Aleksandr Valterovich Litvinenko, a former officer of the Russian FSB secret service, died from polonium 210-induced acute radiation syndrome.

Investigation revealed three attempts at administering the radioactive poison—with the first and final attempts accomplished by putting the poison into Litvinenko’s tea, the evidence being polonium-contaminated teacups.

And then we have Graham Young, also known as Britain’s “Teacup Poisoner.”

Young started experimenting with poison in 1961, leading to his later confession of the attempted murders of his father and sister, as well as a friend.

Tea first comes up in these early crimes in the case of Young’s sister, Winifred. He brought her a cup of tea but as it tasted sour, she ingested only a sip. That same day she became sick and was rushed to the hospital, where she was informed she had been exposed to Atropa belladona.

Later, it was suspected that Young was responsible for his stepmother’s death but this could not be proven as her body had been cremated (a suggestion allegedly made by Graham himself).

Graham Young was imprisoned at Broadmoor Hospital for nine years, but his time in prison did not signal the end to his attempts at murder. In fact, investigation revealed he seemed to have continued experimenting by poisoning his fellow inmates and the staff. Later, the death of a staff member during this time period was declared to be a murder by Young.

In 1971 Young began work at John Hadland Laboratories, although his employers were not informed of their new employee’s previous conviction as a poisoner. When workers grew ill, a virus was blamed. Although Young’s foreman, Bob Egle, became sick and died shortly after Young began working for the Laboratories, the death was not attributed to Young.

Finally, after more people fell ill and yet another employee died, the company started paying attention. According to various sources, either Young was found out when he told a coworker that he dabbled in poisons, prompting that colleague to inform the police, or else it was when Young himself suggested that the doctor brought in by the Laboratories look into thallium poisoning.

Either way, it was finally discovered that Young had been serving poison-spiked tea.

At his arrest, Young was in possession of several poisons. He also had a diary that detailed dose and effects—and the chilling decision about who would live and who would die by his hand.

Young claimed his notes were the basis for a fantasy novel and persisted in pleading “Not Guilty” but he was ultimately convicted, dubbed the “Teacup Poisoner.” He died in prison in 1990, but this was not the end of his reach!

A 15-year-old Japanese schoolgirl saw a film made about Young and began keeping an online blog, an updated version of Graham’s diary. She was arrested for poisoning her mother with thallium (a poison used by Young) in 2005.

So let me ask you this, do you really know what’s in your teacup? 

And who made the tea?

If it was made by someone you recently argued with, or someone who’s been obsessed with a movie about “The Teacup Poisoner,” you may want to make yourself a fresh cup of tea.

Preferably using a new cup. . . .

*Shia LaBeouf by Rob Cantor.
Additional sources: Wikipedia; “Exposed,” by B. Pulch, Bernpulch.org, 2/8/16; “The teacup poisoner,” by M. Gribben, The Malefactor’s Register.