Unknown Gender History: The Widow Mirieki & the Spouse-Killing Syndicate

Sunday, September 25, 2011

The Widow Mirieki & the Spouse-Killing Syndicate - Hungary, 1905

FULL TEXT: Vienna.—A band of women poisoners has been discovered in the commune of Csongrad, in Hungary, and is at present occupying the attention of the judicial authorities of Szeged. A peasant woman is alleged to be the chief of the band. She it was who made the poison and gave it to those wives who are anxious to get rid of their husbands. She not only gave her services to women, but sold her deadly drugs to husbands who had grown tired of their wives. One man who desired to become a widower bought poison from the woman who made it. His wife, however, wanted to get rid of him and bought poison at the same time. Thus it fell that both husband and wife were poisoned simultaneously though not fatally. They will now have to answer the charge of attempting to poison each other.

[“Save Divorce Court Considerable Work,” The Baldur Gazette (Manitoba, Canada), May 25, 1905, p. 5]

[Alternate spelling: Czongrad]

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FULL TEXT (translated from German): From Szeged is reported on this affair we have already reported: For some time suspected that in one part of the Bacs-Bodroger Comitats women evacuate their own men by poison out of the way, then with young peasant lads love relationships to entertain. It had been noticed in some communities that some very healthy, strong men suddenly began to sicken, die slowly, and then died. Police Inspector in Mohol, Gabriel Karakas, had been struggling for weeks to come to terms with the problem. He managed to get into the house of his long-time friend, the 47-year-old landowner Daniel Popov. Popovic lay ill in bed.

Mrs. Popovia seemed to devoutly devote attention to him. Popovic told his friend. when they were alone for a few moments, that his wife for a long time always offered him a large glass rich of yellow-colored spirits and that months ago she influenced him to transfer 70 yoke [unit of land] of fields to her name. The community doctor Paul Hovar, whom Karakas informed, diagnosed poisoning symptoms in Popovic. Karakas stated in the course of his investigations that the farmer Jaksic also suffered from the same symptoms and that a similar brandy had been given to him. Karakas also found this brandy in the dwelling of the widow Lesa Jaksic, who confessed that she had received it from the wife of the farmer Miricki. A police commission went to the Mirieki's house, where they found nine bottles of yellow liquid and a package of arsenic.

It was only after a hard fight that the policemen able to snatch the package from the woman who had appeared. The investigation has so far established that the poison comes from the sixty-year-old Curpsusian, Koracika. She as well as Miricki, Jaksic and the 29-year-old Popovic were arrested and taken to the courts in Maria-Theresiopel. The main culprit, the widow Mirieki, stated that the women had come to her and had asked a means to stop her men from drinking schnapps. In case the remedy might work, they promised her a reward. But Miricki denied the possibility of ever having taken money from her clients.

Petrovoselo is said to have had 15 similar poisoning follies in recent months. The mass arrest of the poisoners stimulates a stir all over the country.

[“The Poisoner of Mohol.” Agramer Zeitung (Agram, Croatia), 1. September 1905. p. 5]

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FULL TEXT: Aus Szegedin wird zu dieser von uns bereits gemeldeten Affaire weiters berichtet: Schon seit längerer Zeit bestand der Verdacht, daß in einem Theile des Bacs-Bodroger Comitats Frauen ihre eigenen Männer durch Gift aus dem Wege räumen, um dann mit jungen Bauernburschen Liebesverhältnisse zu unterhalten. Es war in einzelnen Gemeinden aufgefallen, daß einige ganz gesunde, kräftige Männer plötzlich zu kränleln begannen, langsam dahin siechten und dann starben Der Polizei-Insector in Mohol, Gabriel Karakas, bestrebte si seit Wochen, endgiltig der Sache auf den rund zu kommen Mit schwerer Mühe gelang es ihm, in das Haus seines seit längerer Zeit erkrankten Freundes, des 47jährigen Grundbesitzers Daniel Popov iö zu kommen Popovic lag krank im Bette.

Frau Popovia schien ihn mit vieler Hingebung zu pflegen Popovic erzählte seinem Freunde, als sie für einige Momente allein waren, daß ihm seine Frau seit längerer Zeit stets in einem großen Glase einen gelbfarbigen Branntwein reiche und daß sie ihn vor Monaten veranlaßt haben 70 Joch Felder auf ihren Namen zu überschreiben. Der Gemeindearzt Dr. Paul Hovar, den Karakas verständigte, constatirte bei Popovic Vergiftungsshmptome. Karakas stellte im Verlaufe seiner Erhebungen fest, daß auch der Landwirth Jaksic unter den gleichen Erscheinungen erkrankt und daß auch ihm ein ähnlicher Branntwein gereicht worden sei. Karakas fand diesen Branntwein auch in der Wohnung der Witwe Lesa Jaksic vor, welche gestand, daß sie denselben von der Frau des Landwirthes Miricki erhalten habe. Eine polizeiliche Commission begab sich in das Haus der Mirieki wo man neun Flaschen mit einer gelben Flüssigkeit und ern Paket mit Arsenik vorfand.

Erst nach einem harten Kampfe, welchen die Frau mit den erschienenen Polizisten hatte, lang es. Der Frau das Paket zu entreißen ie Untersuchung stellte bisher fest, daß das Gift von der sechzigjährigen Curpsuscherin Koracika herrühre. Diese sowie die Miricki, Jaksic nnd die 29jährige Popovics wurden verhaftet und dem Gerichte in Maria-Theresiopel eingeliefert. Die Hauptschuldige, die Witwe Mirieki, gab an, dnsz die Frauen zu ihr gekommen seien und mn ein Mittel gebeten hätten, ihren Männern das Schnapstrinken abzugewöhnen; dieselben hiitten ihr danu, falls das Mittel wirke, eine Belohnnn zugesagt. Miricki leugnete aber bei der Veraftuug, jemals Geld von ihren Kunden genommen zu haben.

Auch in Petrovoselo sollen in deu letzten Monaten 15 gleichartige Vergiftungsfälle vorgekommen sein. Die Massenverhaftung der Giftmischerinneu erregt in ganz Siidungarn großes Aufsehen.

[“Die Gistmischerinnen von Mohol.” Agramer Zeitung (Agram, Croatia), 1. September 1905. p. 5]

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Szeged is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary.

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