Was Stanley Gibbons A Serial Killer?

I ran across a discussion of this unlikely scenario on another board and wonder if anyone else has ever heard this speculation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/sout..._rhino.shtml

The article linked to is several years old, apparently nothing much ever came from it but the questions it raises may still be disturbing. Gibbons was married no less than five times and- all his wives predeceased him except the last one who managed to outlive him. Some of the details we know lead one to wonder what in heck was going on. I recall reading his biography back in 2006 in the special edition of Gibbons Monthly and thinking that something just isn't right here. He was, to add to the mix, a chemist, trained in his father's shop.

The man is long gone and we will never know but I find it fascinating.

We need Ikey "Sherlock" Pikey to solve this mystery

Perhaps the various Mrs. Gibbons complained about the poor man`s monthly stamp budget...

ikey won't play the sap for you, ma'am.

Maybe some of the Mrs Gibbons' were complaining about all the Cape Triangulars soaking in the tub.

It was the great period of serial spousal killing in England, and poisoning was a favourite method ...

Nagging was the most common, of course, but it always took longer.

Oh man, that's funny!

what is gibbons spelled backwards?

GeoffHa: You over-estimate me, sir, and not for the first time.

Jenny2u: Back in the day, the easiest way to kill your wife was to impregnate her. Men were frequently widowed by childbirth. Since most working men could barely afford to support the children they had, most widowers were happy to find a new wife (read maid-nanny) and leave it at that. Men with resources could continue to try to add to the brood.

Less reliable than poison, but with only economic, not criminal, liabilities.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Ikey

I just assumed that you were too important a sleuth for mere cold case reviews - but, of course, you've proposed a solution in no time.

Dr Watson

We really need a creative philatelic writer to come up with a pastiche Sherlock Holmes story with him investigating SG.

It was a dark and stormy night.....

Okay, that rules him out

Who's up next?

Ikey, you so disappoint me with your pedestrian explanation. I was hoping for a brilliant deduction such as Stanley actually only had one wife who was involved with him in an elaborate deception for financial gain.

I think Geoff was on the right track - cold cases have no interest for the great Sherlock

Mundane, maybe, but pedestrian !@#$%!