During the Great Depression, five men in New York took out life insurance on a homeless alcoholic named Michael Malloy, then tried to kill him to collect. They gave him unlimited free drinks. He kept drinking. They switched to antifreeze. He kept drinking. Turpentine, horse liniment, rat poison. He drank it all. They fed him a sandwich of spoiled sardines, metal shavings, and carpet tacks. He came back the next day. They left him unconscious in the snow and poured water on his bare chest. He walked into the bar the next morning. They hit him with a taxi at 45 mph. He was hospitalized for three weeks, then recovered. They finally succeeded with coal gas. Four of the five were executed.