The Hanging of Louisa Collins Part 2: A Case Built on Doubt

We continue to examine the case of Louisa Collins, the last woman executed in New South Wales, by carefully weighing the evidence both for and against her guilt.Rather than settling on a single interpretation, we break down the medical findings, witness testimony, and circumstantial evidence to ask a difficult question: how strong was the case against Louisa really?We also explore the alternative theories that emerged during and after the trials—from accidental illness and self-poisoning to uncertainty around arsenic detection in 19th-century medicine. As the evidence is re-examined, the case becomes far less clear-cut than it first appears.But this story is not only about one woman’s fate. Louisa Collins’ case became a turning point in public debate and is often seen as part of a wider shift in attitudes toward justice, gender, and the role of women in society. In many ways, it was not just the end of a trial—it marked the beginning of a growing women’s movement and a new wave of public questioning about how women were judged within the legal system.Source:Last Woman Hanged: The Terrible, True Story of Louisa Collins by Caroline Overington