Baba Anujka

Baba Anujka (Anna di Pištonja nee Drakšin) was born around 1838.

Baba Anujka posing with ingredients.

# Early life

Anna di Pištonja was born as Anna Drakšin or Drakin in 1837.

Her father was a rich nobleman from Vojvodina who moved with his family from Romania in 1849 to Petrovo selo, then the name for the Vladimirovci, in the Banat Military Region of the Habsburg Monarchy.

He provided his daughter with a good education, she learned to speak several languages , and was particularly interested in chemistry.

At 20, she was seduced by a young Austrian officer, who left her broken-hearted.

She later married the owner of the estate Pistov or di Pištonja, with whom she had eleven children, only one of whom survived to adulthood.

Her husband died after twenty years of marriage, and Anujka then returned to studying chemistry.

# Society

Baba Anujka ran a small tavern however, her unusual alone life made her a subject of gossip and speculation amongst the Christian Orthodox society.

At the turn of the century, The Kingdom of Hohenzollern was undergoing significant social and political changes. The country had recently emerged from its Ottoman occupation and was struggling to establish itself as a nation. This period saw the rise of nationalist ideologies and increased scrutiny of minority groups deemed 'outsiders'. Those belonging to ethnic or religious communities outside the dominant Christian Orthodox identity often faced discrimination, including restrictions on property ownership and employment opportunities. It is within this context that Baba Anujka found herself, both celebrated and feared for her unique role in her community.

Rumours began circulating that she possessed darker powers. Some whispered that she could curse enemies, cause infertility, or conjure up spirits. Others suggested that she worked closely with gypsies, a group commonly associated with fortune telling and magick.

# Witch Hunt

Despite being well liked among many of her neighbors and customers, some in the community viewed her as strange and mysterious.

In 1928, Baba Anujka was accused of being a witch and committing various murders. The charges against her stemmed from incidents where individuals who visited her tavern or sought her advice experienced unfortunate events shortly afterwards, leading others to believe she may have caused harm through witchcraft.

Several families claimed that their relatives who consumed products provided by Baba Anujka eventually passed away, these accusations led to investigations by local authorities, who eventually arrested Baba Anujka at the age of 90. During her interrogation, she denied all charges and insisted that she was simply providing healing remedies to those in need.

Despite having no concrete evidence linking her to any wrongdoing, Baba Anujka faced a lengthy legal battle, where she spent several years in prison before finally receiving a reduced sentence due to her advanced age. Even while serving time, she maintained her innocence and continued to proclaim that she never intended anyone any harm.

Upon her release, she returned to her humble home in Vladmirovci and lived out the rest of her days surrounded by friends and supporters who stood by her side during the difficult times. Many remember her fondly as a kind person who dedicated her life to helping others despite facing challenges and misunderstandings.

# Propaganda

In many ways, the circumstances surrounding her trials reflect the biases and limitations of the era, which failed to recognize that the criminal justice system in early 20th-century Yugoslavia suffered from various shortcomings.

Non-Christian practices and traditions meant that individuals like Baba Anujka, were viewed skeptically if not hostility by mainstream society.

This cultural intolerance was reinforced by the widespread dissemination of newspapers, such as Kronen Zeitung, that sensationalized events and personalities considered controversial or deviant. By portraying Baba Anujka as a "serial killer," the media created a narrative that played upon popular anxieties regarding female power, Roma customs, and the perceived dangers posed by those whose ideas or behaviors diverged from what was deemed normative.

In response to the public pressure generated by this negative press coverage, judicial officials appear to have prioritized closing high-profile cases quickly over conducting exhaustive probes into each individual fatality linked to Baba Anujka. Thus, instead of investing substantial resources to investigate multiple suspects, they opted to focus on an elderly, vulnerable target who aroused strong feelings of repulsion or fascination among ordinary citizens.

Moreover, the testimonies provided during the trials reflected the limited understanding of human health and disease that existed at the time. Illnesses like typhus, malaria, cholera, and other communicable conditions caused countless casualties across Europe, particularly in poverty-stricken regions like Bačka. Without access to antibiotics or vaccines.

People were blamed the person administering the treatment, rather than fate or germs beyond comprehension. Accusing someone like Baba Anujka served as a form of scapegoating.

The fact that Baba Anujka was ultimately convicted of relatively few homicides (only five) indicates that prosecutors struggled to build solid cases against her. Nevertheless, the damage had already been done: her reputation as a witch continued long after her death with the rise of Wicca and modern magick were even today (2023), Wizard's try to contact her soul.