'Death by chocolate' hitman

Recently released records by the National Archives, as part of the Archive Awareness Campaign, have included a report that in November 1922 a hitman tried to assassinate Metropolitan Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Sir William Horwood by sending him poisoned chocolates.

The hitman, Walter Tatam, used weedkiller to lace walnut whip chocolates. Sir William, who thought that his daughter had sent the chocolates to his office as a gift, ate them as a finale to a lunch of pork with apple sauce, bread and butter pudding and Guinness.

Within minutes of eating the sweets Sir William was in agony, and called for a glass of brandy to help control the pain. His assistant insisted that he must have eaten a musty walnut, however Sir William suspected that foul play was at work, and launched an investigation.

The Police Commissioner's investigation also found that other leading police officers had been targeted, receiving poisoned chocolate eclairs. Sir William's investigation eventually led to Walter Tatam, and he was charged with intent to commit murder. However the hitman's motive for attempting to murder Sir William and other police officers was never found. In court he said that he heard voices coming from hedges and was pronounced insane.