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Original 1904 wanted poster offering a $100 reward for the arrest of Dr. F. N. (Frederic Nathaniel) Staples, a California physician accused of murdering his wife, Edna May Staples, in one of the more fascinating California murder cases of the period.
Edna Staples died in Amador County, California, on August 31, 1904, after an illness diagnosed as typhoid fever. Suspicion later fell upon her husband, Dr. Staples, and her body was exhumed. Arsenic was discovered during the subsequent investigation, leading authorities to suspect that Staples had poisoned his wife. The case attracted additional attention because Staples was alleged to have fled with another woman.
Staples was eventually apprehended and prosecuted for his wife’s murder. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. However, the case reached the California Supreme Court as People v. Staples, 149 Cal. 405 (1906). The court reversed his conviction, finding serious problems with the evidence establishing poisoning as the cause of death. Among the issues was the use of an arsenic-containing embalming fluid, which provided another possible explanation for arsenic found in the remains.
This wanted poster is therefore connected to an actual published California Supreme Court murder case involving poisoning, a fugitive physician, a $100 reward, a death sentence, and an ultimately reversed conviction.
This exact poster also has documented provenance to Heritage sales, where it was sold as part of Lot 44301 in the June 14, 2014 Legends of the West Signature sale.
An excellent piece of early California law-enforcement, true-crime, medical, and legal history.
Date: 1904
Subject: Dr. F. N. Staples
Crime alleged: Murder of his wife by poisoning
Reward: $100
Location: California
Provenance: Heritage sales, Lot 44301, June 14, 2014
Please review photographs carefully for condition. Sold as an original historical artifact relating to an accusation and subsequent criminal prosecution; the original murder conviction was later reversed by the California Supreme Court.
