Number 2082: Poisoning as a career

Let me, a retired person, say something about careers. I played it safe and stayed over 30 years with a job that provided me a pension. It worked for me. But that was my choice, which has provided me the opportunity to spend my golden geezer years providing Golden Age comics to you. I would never tell you what I think you should do for a career, but I strongly advise against the career path William Palmer took, which was poisoning people for money to finance a life lived in indolent comfort. Until the hangman caught up with him, that is.

There were several famous poisoners in 19th century Britain, and while Palmer was found guilty of one murder and subsequently hanged for it, his murder career went back years. It is detailed in this story from Crime and Punishment #5 (1948), drawn by the ever-so-precise Fred Guardineer.

Guardineer made a career choice, also. After years as a freelance comic book artist (he was from wayyy back, including Action Comics #1), in 1955 Guardineer decided he needed a job with a pension, so he went to the U.S. Postal Service where he worked until his retirement. He was able to continue drawing wildlife for a local newspaper, as opposed to crime comics and the wild life of crooks. It was his choice and it worked for him.

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