Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-21
THE HUSBAND PRISONERS.
Details of the Remarkable Grimes Pe,pe-
t,'ated in Hungary.


The Vienna correspondent of the London
Standard gives some further particulars
respecting the extraordinary trial in Hun
gary. He states that Thekla Popov, the
peasant woman who is being tried on q
charge of aiding and abetting upward of
hundred women in poisoning their hus-
bands, is very remarkable character
destined to occupy position at once
unique and picturesque in the annals of
crime. She is gypsy and is now, some
seventy years. of age. She lived
in little village named Mel
encze, and it may almost be said that MUIR
der was her trade. People say she has
agents and emissaries, whose business it
was to keep up her connection" and it
must have been horrid and gruesome
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 nearly all married 10
nen from the neighboring couciry side,
eager, for some reason or adother, to get
rid of husbands who obstinately refused to
die in the ordinary Course of nature, but
who, by Thekla's friendly Offices, might
be made amenabls to the resources of art.
These wretches paid the old gypsy fee of
from fifty to hundred forms for each
bottle of poison they bought, and were
duly instructed by her in the safest meth
DDS of its exhibition Thekla Popov's
clients were, however, not always married
women. Sometimes she had dealings with
young girls who quarreled with their
| sweethearts, and who from jealousy or rage
had determined to kill them. This wo-
mans terrible trade prospered amazingly
for two years. She excited no suspicion.
, because the drugs she administered acted
slowly, though surely, and in their effect
simulated the symptoms of disease. Ev 81
now that the bodies of some of her Vic
tins have been exhumed they show n.
, signs of poisoning, though the ston zach
are eaten away.
The first case that set people on tn
alert was that of Jocza Kukin, ri CHI peas
| ant, who died at Melcenze twomonths age
Ugly rumors about his death were spread
5 and the gossips whispered mysteriou
l hints of foul play. There was in conse
{ querce an inquest, but the most careful
pOst-mortem examination failed to reNea
any traces of poisoning in his case. Th
D whole story was slipping out of the mem
4 cries of the Villagers when suddenly
s dreadful revelation was made. A gyps
}, | girl, the daughter of old Thekla Pepoy
came before the court at Gross Bedskerel
O and mortified it by the tale she had to tel
S She confessed that she had given tn
t. wife of Jocza Kukin a bottle of som
5, ned liquid poison prepared by her mother
Il She had done this by her mothers instruct
+ ions. Having had a quarrel with her re
1t spected parent over some property she de
termined to betray her. Theckla Popov'
: daughter further declared that she ha
e actually seen Kukin's wife pour this poiso
g into his coffee, and that she told her mothe
n what she knew and had seen. TO this tn
r old gypsy replied, Zone day will poisol
"a you also unless you hold your tongue.
10 of course this statement caused Thekl
It Popov and the widow of Kukin to be al
}, rested. They however, denied the charg
y brought against them. Oddly enough, tn
d Judge, by clever ruse not quite in keepin,
e with English notions of fair play to accuse
eel prisoners, managed to overhear the tw
y women talking the affair over in iai
y Among other things he overheard wa
e Kukin's widow saying to her accomplish
10 We'll, am young and pretty. He wa
.e old and ugly; why should he not die ?
3 The Judge after that had little doubt tina
+ the prisoners were guilty. They were there
z, fore put on their trial, and the clue thu
IS unexpectedly placed in the hands of tn
authorities was actively followed ur
l. Strange discoveries were soon made, show
n ing that from the woman Thekia Popov a
: a center vast and complex ramifcatiol
i of crime extended far and wide through
d out the community. The trial has BEEF
o deferred for several weeks, so that tn
h bodies of men supposed to have been muir
S dered by their wives may be exhumed an,
S subjected to post mortem examination.