Unknown Gender History: Viktoria Harna, Professional Serial Killer

FULL TEXT (Translated from German): Budapest, 4. February. – A new poison-murder trial began today in the Street Court in Kalocsa, the accused, 50-year-old farm-woman Papp, of having poisoned three people with arsenic.

In recent years, poisoning had become fashionable in Fajsz, just as it was in Theisswinskel. The poison mixer Viktoria Harna committed suicide after the discovery of the mass murders, so that only the twelve peasant women could be arrested who murdered their next of kin based on her advice and with the help of the poison she produced.

The first of the Fajsz peasant women, Anny Papp, murdered her first husband in 1921, her foster parent in 1926, and her foster mother in 1927, with arsenic.

In this year's trial, the prosecution denied the three business murders; the witnesses, however, maintain that they stood up for their loved ones’ love affairs. Mrs. Papp had changed her lovers like articles of clothing; she had a different lover every month.

The defendant's second husband, whom she married after her first husband had married, also testified against his wife in an incriminating manner.

The testimony will continue tomorrow.

[“The first poisoning trial in Kalocsa.” (“Der erste Giftmordprozeß in Kalocsa.”), Die Neue Zeitung (Vienna, Austria), Feb. 5, 1931, p. 8th]

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FULL TEXT: Budapest, Hungary, Feb. 6 – A new series of poison murders has been discovered in the village of Fajsz, authorities announced today, recalling the mass murders at Theisswinkel and adjacent towns, for which 36 women were put on trial at Szolnock last month.

Five women were arrested at Fajsz, accused of poisoning their husbands. One woman who was strongly suspected of the same crime committed suicide before police could arrest her.

[“5 Women Jailed in New Poison Murders,” syndicated (AP), Syracuse Herald (N.Y.), Feb. 6, 1930, p. 13]

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FULL TEXT: Budapest, Hungary, Feb. 9. – It seems there is no end to the orgy of husband killing in Hungary, for five more women – this time in the town of Fajaz [sic] – have just been arrested by the police charged with dispatching their husbands with arsenic dropped in the evening soup.

Village tribunals in Hungary are getting hard-boiled about the treatment meted out to luckless spouses. A short time ago 3 out of 30 husband killers arrested in the towns of Tiszaughirev and Nagyrev were sentenced to death for their crimes and the punishment actually was carried out. Three others were given life imprisonment.

So, when the gumshoe men were hot on the trail of the five new husband-ridders things began to happen at Fajaz.

One grizzled old spouse swallowed a whole bottle of arsenic and died in a policeman’s arms. The others tried suicide also, but the p[olice were too quick, and, so the four others are lodged in jail to await trial.

The police stated that the graves of the husbands will be opened and the bodies exhumed this week in order to establish the truth about the alleged poisonings.

Most of these new cases, they say, date back to the pre-war time when wives were supposed to be tamer, gentler and more respectful to their husbands’ positions and persons.

[“Husband-Poisoning Breaks Out Again in Hungary – Five More Women Are Accused of Dropping Arsenic In the Evening Soup; One is a Suicide, But Others Are Lodged Behind Bars,” Pittsburg Post Gazette (Pa.), Feb. 10, 1930, p. 1]

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FULL TEXT (translated from German): A new poisoning issue is reported in the village of Fajsz near Kolocsa. The authorities allegedly initiated an investigation against the widowed farmer Peter Hegedüs in Fajsz for poisoning her husband, who died in 1914 of arsenic mixed into cucumber salad. Mrs. Hegedüs denied the crime during interrogation by gendarmes and was again released. That same evening, however, she committed suicide and expressed her innocence in a written letter. On the other hand, during the investigation, it was reported that Ms. Hegedüs had endured serious beatings. Five additional women are under suspicion of similar acts.

[“New Hungaran Poison-murders” (Neue ungarische Giftmorde.) Frie Stimmen (Klagenfurt, Austria), 8. Februar 1930. p. 7]

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GERMAN TEXTS

FULL TEXT: Man berichtet über eine neue Vergiftungsangelegenheit in dem Dorfe Fajsz bei Kolocsa. Danach sollen die Behörden gegen die verwitwete Landwirtsfau Peter Hegedüs in Fajsz eine Untersuchung eingeleitet haben, weil sie ihren im Jahre 1914 verstorbenen Mann mit Arsen, das sie in Gurkensalat gemengt hatte, vergiftet habe. Frau Hegedüs leugnete beim Verhör durch Gendarmen die Tat und wurde auch wieder auf freien Fuss gesetzt. Am selben Abend beging sie jedoch Selbstmord und betuerte in einem hinterlassenen Schreiben ihre Unschuld. Demgegenüber sollen während der Erhebungen schwerbelastende Momente gegen Frau Hegedüs aus getreten sein. Auch gegen fünf andere Frauen sollen ähnliche Verdachtsmomente vorliegen.

[“Neue ungarische Giftmorde.” Frie Stimmen (Klagenfurt, Austria), 8. Februar 1930. p. 7]

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FULL TEXT: Budapest, 4. Februar. – Vor dem Strasgericht in Kalocsa began heute die Verhandlung eines neuen Gifimordprozeßes, dessen Angeklagte, die fünfzigjährige Bäuerin Papp, befchuldigt wird, drei Personen mittels Arsen vergiftet zu haben.

In der Osrtschaft Fajsz waren in den letzten Jahren Giftmorde ebenso wie im Theißwinskel Mode geworden. Die Giftmischerin Viktoria Harna hat Entdeckung der Massenmorde Selbstzmord begangen, so daß nur die zwolf Bäuerinnen verhafter werden konnten die aus ihr Anraten und mit Hilfe des von ihr hergestellten Giftes ihre nächsten Angehörigen ermordet haben.

Die erste der Fajzer Bäuerinnen, Anny Papp, hatte im Jahre 1921 ihren ersten Mann, im Jahre 1926 lhren Pflegevoter und imJahre1927 ihre Pflegemutter mit Arsen aus Welt geschafft.

In der heurtigen Verhandlung lieugnete die Angeklagie die drei Gäftmorde; die Zeugen aber bleiben dabei, daß sie ihre Angehorigen Liebesaffären Wege standen. Die Papp habe ihre Liebhaber gewechselt wie Keizungestücke; sie habe jeden Monat einen anderen Geliebten gehabt.

Auch der zweite Mann der Angeklagten, den sie nach der Ermoroung ihres ersten Gatten geheirtat hatte, sagte belastend gegen seine Frau aus.

Die Verhandlung wird morgen fortgesetzt.

[“Der erste Giftmordprozeß in Kalocsa.” Die Neue Zeitung (Vienna, Austria), Feb. 5, 1931, p. 8]

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Fajsz (Croatian: Fajsin) is a village in Bács-Kiskun county, in the Southern Great Plain region of Hungary.

Kalocsa (Croatian: Kaloča or Kalača; Serbian: Kaloča or Калоча; German: Kollotschau) is a town in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary. It lies 142 km (88 mi) south of Budapest. It is situated in a marshy but highly productive district, near the left bank of the Danube River. Historically it had greater political and economic importance than at present.

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