The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-09-14

~ Await story ~ ofime Amosg napaa
flaa Peaaa0ia-A Peouilaf Dfag.

~ Awfai story ~ oflme Among Hinge
flsa reaaaois.-A Peculiar Drug
VirasA, August 2l.-fbokla Popov, ihc
peasant woman who Il being tried On a
charge of fading and abeiing upward Of a
hundred women In poisoning their hus.
bands Is very remarkable characteristics.
/ tined 10 occupy position M once unique
and picturesque IN the annals Of crime.
She " u gypsy, and In now some seventy
years of age. She lived In little village
| named Melenoze, and II may almost be said
that murder was her trade People say
she had her agents and emlssarios, whose
business IL was TO keep up her connection"
and II must have been a horrld and gruC-
some spectacle TO see the grizzly hag seated
in her armchair every day receiving her
customers during business hours, and Civ
ing them the diabolical advice and aid they
sought.
They were all married women from the
neighboring country side eager, for some
reason or another, to get rid Of husbands
who obstinately refused 10 die in the ordi-
nary course OF nature, but who, by Thekla's
friendly offices, might be made amenable
TO the resources Of art. These wretches
hundred horins for each bottle of poison,
and were daily instructed by her in the
safest methods of its exhibition"
Thel<ia Popov's clients were, however,
not always married women. Sometimes
she had dealings with young girls who
quarrelled with their sweethearts, and who,
from jealousy or rage, had detegmined to
kill them. This woman's terrible trade
prospered amazingly for two years. She
excited no suspicion, because the drugs she
administered acted slowly, though surely,
and in their effects simulated the symp-
toms Of disease. Even now that the bodies
of some of her victims have been exhumed
they show no signs of poisoning, though |
the stomach's are eaten away.
The first case that set people on the alert |
was that of one Jocza Kukin, rich peas |
ant, who died at Melencze two months ago. |
Ugly rumors about his death were spread.
and the gossips whispered mysterious hints
of foul play. There was n consequence an
inquest; but the most careful post-mortem
examination failed to reveal any traces of
poisoning in his case. The whole story
layers, when suddenly dreadful revelation
was made. A gypsy girl the daughter of
old Thekla Popov, came before the court at
Gross Bedskerek, and Mortified il by the
tale she had to tell. She confessed that she
gave the wife of Jocza Kukin bottle of
some red liquid poison prepared by her
mother She did this by her mothers in
|
respected parent over some property, she
determined to betray her. Thekla Popov's
daughter further declared that she actually
saw Kukin's wife pour this poison into his
coffee, and that she told her mother what
she knew and had seen. The gypsy re-
piled, lone day will poison you also, un-
less you hold your tongue"
OF course, this statement caused Thekla
Popov and the widow of KuSin to be ar
rested, They, however, denied the charge
brought against them. oddly enough, the
Judge, by clever ruse not quite in keep
ing with English notions of fair play to &C.
cused prisoners, managed to overhear the
two women talking the affair over in jail.
Among other things he overheard was ku-
kin's widow saying to her accomplice,
"Well l am young and pretty. He was
old and sgly. Why should he not die?'
The Judge after that had little doubt that
the prisoners re guilty. They were
therefore put on their trial, and t. e clue
thus unexpectedly placed in the hands of
the authorities was actively followed up.
Strange discoveries were soon made,
showing that, from the woman Thekla Po-
pov as center, vast and complex ramili-
cation of crime extended far and wide
throughout the community. The trial has
been deferred for several weeks, so that the
bodies of men supposed to have been muir.
iered by their wives may be exhumed and
xamined.-TLondon Standard.