The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-10-19
THE HUNGARIAN POISON.
ERS.


The Vienna correspondent Of the Lon
don Standard gives some further par
ticulars respecting the extraordinary
trial in Hungary. He states that The
kla Poppy, the peasant woman who is be-
ing tried on a charge of aiding and
Rbetting upward of a hundred women
in poisoning their husbands, is very
remarkable character-destlned to Occu-
py position at once unique and pictur-
esQue in the annals of crime. She is a
gypsy, and is now some seventy years of
,Rge. She lived in little village named
Maleneze, and it may almost be said
that murder was her trade. People say
she had agents and emissaries, whose
business II was to keep up her "cOnnec-
EiOn," 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 giving them the diabOlical
advice and aid they sought. They were
nearly all married women from the
neighbOring country side, eager, for
some reason or other, to get rid Of hus-
bands who Obstinately refused to die in
the ordinary course OF nature, but who,
by Thekla's friendly offices, might be
made amenable to the resources Of art.
These wretches paid the old gypsy a fee
OF from fifty to a hundred hOrins tor
each bottle Of poison they bought, and
were duly instructed by her in the safest
methods of its exhibition" Thekla
POpy's clients were, however, not
always married women. Sometimes
she had dealings with young girls who
qnarreled with their sweethearts, and
who from jealOusly or rage had deter
minded to kill them. This wOman's
terrible trade prospered amazingly for
two years. She excited no suspicion,
because the drugs she administered
acted slowly, but surely, and in their
effects simulated the symptoms Of dis
ease. Even now that the bodies of some
of her victims have been exhumed they
show no signs Of poisoning; though the
stOmachs are eaten away.
The first case that set people on the
alert was that of one JOeza Kukin, rich
peasant, who died at MeleneZe two
months ago, Ugly rumOrs about his
death were spread, and the hOssips
whispered mysterious hints OF foul play.
There was in consequence an inquest,
but the most careful pOst-mOrtem ex-
animation failed to reveal any traces of
poisoning in the case. The whole story
was slipped out of the memories Of the
villagers when suddenly a dreadful rev.
eIatiOn was made. A gypsy girl, the
daughter of old Thekla Poppy, came be-
fore the court at Gross Bedskerek, and
Mortified 1t by the tale she had to tell.
She confessed that she had given the
wife of JOcZa Kukin a bottle of some red
liquid poison prepared by her mother.
She had done this by her mothers in
BtructiOns. Having had quarrel with
her respected parent over some property
she determined to betray her. Thekla
POpy's daughter further declared that
she had actually seen Kukin'S wife pour
this poison into his coffee, and that she
told her mother what she knew and had
seen. To this the old gypsy replied,
zone day l will poison you also
unless you hold your tongue" OF course
this statement caused Thekla Poppy and
the widow of Kukin to be arrested. They
however, denied the charge brought
against them. Oddly enough, the Judge,
by a clever ruse not quite in keeping
with English notions Of fair play to ac-
ense prisoners, managed to OVerhear the
two women talking the affair over in
Jail. Among other things he overheard
was Knkin's widow saying to her ac-
cOmplice, We'll, am young and pretty.
he was old and ugly; why should he not
die?" The Judge after that had little
doubt that the prisoners were guilty.
They were put on their trial and the
clew. thus unexpectedly placed in the
followed up. Strange discoveries were
soon made, showing that from the
woman, TheklO Poppy, as centre, vast
and complex ramification of crime ex-
tended far and wide throughout the COM
munity. The trial has been deferred for
several weeks, so that the bodies of men
supposed to have been murdered by their
wives may be eXhumed and subjected to
pOSt-mortem examination.