Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-09-16
THE HUSBAND POISONERS.
Details of the Remarkable Crimes
Perpetrated in Hungary.

The Vienna correspondent of the London
Standard gives some further particulars respect
ing the extraordinary trial in Hungary. He
states that Thekla Popov, the peasant woman
who is being tried on charge or aiding and
abettlng upward OF hundred women in poi
soning their husbands, 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 1t may almost be said that murder
was her trade. People say she had her agents
and emissaries, whose business it was to keep
up her connection" and it must have been q
horrid and gruesome spectacle to see the
day receiving her customers during bust
ness hours and giving them the dia-
bOlcal advice and aid they sought. They
were nearly all married women from the neigh
boring country side, eager for some reason or
another. to get rid of husbands who obsti-
nately 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 forms for each bottle
OF poison they bought and We're duly instructed
by her in the safest methods Of it's exhibition"
Thekla Popovs clients were, however, not
always married women. Sometimes she had
dealings with young girls who quarreled with
their sweethearts. and who from jealously or
rage had determined to kill them. This
wOman's terrible trade prosper ed amazingly
for two years. She excited no suspicion. be-
cause the drugs she administered acted slowly,
though surely, and in their efforts simulated
the symptoms of disease. Even now that the
bodies OF some of her victims have been ex-
humed 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 JOcZa kukin, rich peasant
who died at MelencZe two months ago. Ugly
rumors about his death were spread and thu
gossips whispered mysterious hints of foul play.
There was in consequence an inquest, but the
most careful post-mOrtem examination failed to
reveal any traces of poisoning in his case The
whole story was slipping out of the memories of
the villagers when suddenly a dreadful revela-
ton was made. gypsy girl, the daughter Of
Gross Bedskerek, and Mortified it by the tale
she had to tell. She confessed that she had
given the wife Of JOcza Kukin bottle of some
red liquid poison prepared by her mother She
had done this by her mothers instructions.
Having had quarrel with her respected parent
over some property she determined to betray
her. Theckla Popov'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.
will poison you also unless you hold your
tongue" OF course this statement caused
Thekla Popov and the widow of Kukin to be
arrested. They, however, denied the charge
brought against them. Oddly enough, the
judge, by clever ruse not quite in keeping
with English notions of fair play to accused
prisoners, managed to overhear the two women
talking the affair over in jail Among other
things he overheard was Kukin's widow saying
to her accomplish. "Well. 1 am young aud
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
therefore put on their trial, and the clew thus
unexpectedly placed in the hands of the author
tiles was actively followed up. Strange discov-
cries were soon made, showing that from the
woman Thekla POpOv as a center vast and
complex ramitication 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 murdered
by their wives may be exhumed and subjected
to post mOrtem examination