The Illustrated Police News was an early British tabloid that sold sensational crime stories with often lurid illustrations between 1842 and 1938. One has to wonder how many times they were sued for defamation in the age of not-so-meticulous fact checking.
In 1877, wealthy but miserly Matilda Hacker left her home in Canterbury due to unpaid taxes. She changed her surname to Huish and moved into a rooming house in London at Euston Square. She was only there, or, more correctly, only in her room for a couple of months before moving out, according to the maid Hannah Dobbs. Two years later, Hacker/Huish's body was found in the basement. Dobbs was arrested for murder, but the case against her was only circumstantial, so she was acquitted. But the way the case was reported in The Illustrated Police News led to a lawsuit that uncovered more than anyone involved thought possible. Read the story of the maid, the landlord, and the murder at Strange Company.
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