Three Days of Dying

Three Days of Dying

From Foul Play: A Historical True Crime Podcast by Shane L. Waters, Wendy Cee, Gemma Hoskins

March 17, 2026 · 19 min · Season 39 · Episode 3

About this episode

The episode explores the mysterious poisoning of Charles Bravo, who suffered for three days without revealing his killer.

Content Warning This episode contains detailed descriptions of poisoning and prolonged death. Support resources are listed at the end of these notes. This Episode Season 39: The Balham Mystery. For seventy-two hours, Charles Bravo lay dying at The Priory while doctors—including Queen Victoria's own physician—watched helplessly. He suffered. He convulsed. He said almost nothing about who poisoned him. One woman claims she heard a confession. No one else heard a word. Was it truth, or a convenient lie to make murder look like suicide? The Victim Charles Bravo had three days to name his killer—and chose silence. From April 18th to April 21st, 1876, the thirty-year-old barrister endured unimaginable suffering at The Priory in Balham. The antimony that had entered his system through his bedside water destroyed him methodically—causing relentless vomiting, organ failure, and slow collapse. Throughout his ordeal, Charles remained lucid for extended periods. He could speak. He could understand questions. Yet when doctors pressed him about what he had taken, he mentioned only rubbing laudanum on his gums for a toothache. When they begged him to name anyone who might have harmed him, he…

People in this episode

Host: SHANE

Topics covered

  • poisoning
  • murder
  • historical crime
  • medical treatment

Keywords

  • Charles Bravo
  • The Priory
  • Balham Mystery
  • antimony
  • laudanum

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Balham, Florence, London

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