Martha Petromany, Husband-Killing Syndicate Matron - Romania, 1906

Martha Petromany: “I know that you live unhappily with your husband. If you pay me, I’ll bring you poison. If you give this to your husband, he will die in a few days and you are rid of him!” [“Die Giftmorde In Knez.” Grazer Tagblatt (Austria), 24. November 1906. p. 6]

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Knees ("Knez"), in the period in question, was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is described was being located in Hungary. Today Knez (Satchinez in the Romanian language); is located within the borders of Romania.

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Various spellings are given in English language sources, including: “Petromany,” Petrobany,” “Petrozeny.”

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FULL TEXT (Translated from German): A few days ago, the widow Frau Erwina Gruin, nee. Branis, died. Now the sister of the deceased reported to the local public prosecutor that she had evidence that Mrs. Gruin was poisoned. The letter names the Knéz residents Mata Petroman and Betu Mitru as suspected murderers. On the basis of this complaint, the Temesar public prosecutor ordered the investigation. Vials containing various liquids were actually found in the apartments of the two aforementioned. At the same time, the public prosecutor's office ordered the corpse to be removed. Both the corpse particles as well as the bottles with the liquids are handed over to the municipal expert Dr. Emil Felletár sent to Budapest for an investigation. The fact that many mysterious deaths have occurred in the municipality of Knéz lately suggests that a gang of poisoners is up to mischief, which is why a strict investigation was initiated.

[“Poison Murder “(“Giftmorde.”), Pester Lloyd (Budapest, Hungary), Jul. 20, 1905, p. 7]

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FULL TEXT (Article 1 of 3): Vienna, Dec. 14.—Five men and two women were recently arrested at Knez, in the Temesvar district of Hungary, for having poisoned their wives and husbands.

Martha Petromany, a woman who is known as the "poison mixer," was also placed in custody for having sold them arsenic to commit the murders.

A judge who has been investigating the cases now reports that there has seen wholesale poisoning in the district, and further arrests have been made. Catherine Biber is accused of poisoning her son-in-law, because he was a drunkard, and also her parents, in order to obtain the family estate.

Vassa Ardaloan is charged with poisoning a wealthy widow aunt, whose sole legatee he was; Lenka Rogyok with poisoning her husband, who had willed his properly to her; Nicholas Glass with poisoning Anton Braun, to marry his widow, and Julia Wulcslsich with poisoning her elderly husband to marry a young lover.

The poison in all cases is to have been provided by Martha Petromany, who is alleged to have charged $4.50 in each case. The attention of the police was directed to the murder epidemic by an anonymous letter.

[“Poison In Hungarian Town – Five Men and two women arrested for having killed their wives and husbands.” The Anaconda Standard (Mt.), Dec. 15, 1906, p. 15]
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FULL TEXT (Article 2 of 3): BUDA PESTH, November 22. – The bodies of 25 persons poisoned by arsenic have been exhumed at Knez, Hungary. Two peasant women have been arrested who sold poisons to people who wished to rid themselves of married partners. Five male and two female peasants have been charged with murder.

[“Austro-Hungary. A Hungarian Sensation.” Syndicated (Press Association), The Waganui Herald (N.Z.), Nov. 23, 1906, p. 5]

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FULL TEXT (Article 3 of 3): The village of Kneez, in the courts of Temesvar, in Hungary has been revealed to the world as a community of poisoners.

Within a year, it is estimated, one hundred persons have died of poison in this village of 1,000 inhabitants. The imagination reels against at the condition of things that prevailed there, as now unveiled by officers of the law. Husbands poisoned their wives, wives poisoned their husband, parents poisoned their children, children poisoned their parents. No relation, not even that of lovers, was a bar to murderous designs.

The poisoning habit had taken a permanent hold on these people. Whenever one person could obtain anything by the removal of another poison was resorted to. It was a terror that stalked by noonday and in the night time.

The cheerful cup of coffee handed to a husband by his smiling wife at breakfast time might contain the fatal dose, or, perhaps, it was the glass of native wine poured for him at supper after his long day’s work in the fields. Often the victim knew of his or her danger, but there was no escape in a village where everybody was related to everybody else and had acquired the poisoning habit.

The only resource was to poison the person you suspected of trying to poison you, and thus it came to pass that Kneez was filled with persons seeking to poison one another.

The arch poisoner was a woman named Martha Petrubany. She is handsome young woman of the rich Hungarian type of beauty, with abundant black hair, flashing dark eyes, clear cut features and ruddy cheeks. She married a wealthy farmer some five years ago solely on account of his possessions. A young man of talents and good prospects who was the leading local lawyer became her ardent admirer. Mme. Petrubany’s highest desire was to see her old husband out of the way to marry the lawyer and combine his superior social station and the old man’s property.

Petrubany was very slow dying and his wife decided to hasten the process. The old man suffered severely from malaria, and he believed that a certain kind of drug, made of hot wine and other ingredients, afforded him most relief. He used to take a pint every evening, This complex and highly flavored beverage, with its mixture of spices, sugar and so forth, afforded an admirable opportunity for introducing a certain quantity of powdered arsenic. His wife used to prepare the poisoned drink every evening, with seeming loving hands, and see that the poor old man drank it down to the last drop. In this way she succeeded in killing him by a process of slow poison in three weeks. At the time he was buried there was not the slightest suspicion of the cause of his death.

Then a shock awaited the widow. The lawyer, probably having an inkling of what had happened, did not care to marry her.

Mme. Petrubany’s love changed to fury, according to the well-known rule. The lawyer was removed by arsenic, as the husband had been. His servant, Sarah Hazok, assisted Mme. Petrubany in carrying out this crime.

Then these two women formed sort of poisoning bureau for the benefit of wives who wished to get rid of their husbands. They obtained arsenic in wholesale quantities to kill the rats in the barns on the farms.

Every wife who had been ill-treated by her husband or who wanted to marry another man could be sure of obtaining assistance from Mme. Petrubany and her accomplice. They never refused assistance, because that would have led to complaints. They furnished the poison and gave crafty advice as to how it should be administered.

They pointed out that the best way was always to put it in medicine, in case the victim happened to be ill and that had been ordered for him by the doctor. They charged as much as they could obtain from those who needed poison, but as they never refused help their price sometimes fell as low as $5 to poor women.

The husbands learned what was going on, and some of them sought help from Mme. Petrubany in removing their wives, and obtained it.

Then the poisoner, who knew all the family affairs of the villagers, sent an assistant among them and offered to remove obnoxious persons. Kneez was rapidly becoming depopulated by poison, and many fled from it in terror.

At last a woman named Poskar, who had resolved to kill her husband and had bought the poison from Mme. Petrubany, accidentally killed her child. Then she became conscience- stricken and went to the authorities at Temesver and confessed what she had planned to do and what she knew concerning other things that had happened in Kneez.

At first the authorities refused to believe that such wholesale enormities could be possible. They regarded their informant as an insane woman and sent her to be examined by the doctors.

Then another woman, who poisoned her husband and had been unnerved by her daughter’s attempt to poison her in retaliation, confessed to her deed. This made the authorities feel that the circumstances warranted inquiry.

An expedition composed of doctors, representatives of the public prosecutor and policeman, was sent to Kneez and began operations in the local graveyard. The grave of the last informant’s husband was opened and his remains were found to contain arsenic in such quantity that it had clearly caused his death.

Astounding scenes followed. All day long the investigators dug up new graves, taking them in order, beginning with the most recent ones and not considering whether there was any definite information regarding the death of the occupants. The earth was strewn with decomposing remains. The inhabitants endeavored to interfere with the operations and a regiment of soldiers was summoned to guard to graveyard.

Out of the first twenty-five graves opened the remains of thirteen bodies revealed arsenic in sufficient quantities to cause death. This satisfied the authorities that crime in Kneez had progressed to a point beyond anything they could have imagined.

~ TO GAIN A FORTUNE. ~

The woman Petrubany and her accomplice were arrested at the outset of the investigation. Then the village doctor was arrested, for he had apparently signed a certificate of death from natural causes in many cases which he must have known were not natural. He has since confessed his offence, and has explained that he would have been poisoned himself had he refused to acquiesce in the crimes.

The village butcher was arrested on the charge that he had sold sausages mixed with arsenic to those who needed them.

Wholesale arrests followed these. Four husbands and eight wives were arrested for poisoning their spouses.

Two of the women poisoned two successive husbands and one of the men poisoned three wives.

A peasant named Valassa Ardelan was charged with poisoning a rich aunt in order to obtain possession of the fortune which she had bequeathed to him.

Nicholos Glass, a widower, is said to have poisoned his neighbor, Anton Braun, so that he might marry the latter’s widow.

Katherine Bider is charged with murdering her son-in-law, Michael Kuhn, because he was a drunkard, She is also suspected of murdering her father and mother, with whom she was on bad terms. They died suddenly, but their bodies have not yet been exhumed, as they have been dead three years.

Lenka Bogyck poisoned her husband, Acon, because he would not remove to another village, where her married daughter lived.

In many cases the poisonings were committed from the most trivial motives, Julia Wuicsitch poisoned her husband because he could not buy her a new dress.

The crimes are of such a wholesale character that it seems impossible to deal with them according to ordinary standards of justice. It is not considered advisable to execute half the inhabitants of a considerable village. The Petrubany woman will be prosecuted relentlessly, but in many of the cases no action will be taken.

Probably Kneez will be deserted by its remaining inhabitants, and in that case a great many of them will go to the United States.

[“Town Poisoned - And Wiped Out of Existence by Modern Lucretia Borgia. - Fair Young Fiend - Poisoned Her Rich Old Husband So She Could Marry a Young Lawyer, Whom She Also Poisoned. Then With Another Woman She Went Into the Wholesale Poisoning Business.” The Manning Times (S. C.), Mar. 20, 1907, p. 6]

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FULL TEXT (Translated from German): Temesvar, 21. – As already reported, a whole series of poisonings was discovered in the village of Knez in the Temeser county. A year ago, the Temesvar prosecutor’s office received a letter without signature, which was reported that in Knez mass poisoning has been taking place and half the cemetery was filled with bodies of poisoned persons. The letter also gave a list of poisoned persons.

Soon after, the Knez resident Macza Ploßkar appeared at the police station in Knez and deposited a quantum of arsenic, about whose origin she told the following: A few days ago, the Knez resident Martha Petromany came to me and said: “I know that you live unhappily with your husband. If you pay me, I’ll bring you poison. If you give this to your husband, he will die in a few days and you are rid of him!” The woman Ploßkar seemed to comply with the request, and when she had the poison in her hands, she went to the police and filed a complaint against Petromany.

The Knez Gendarmerie reported the incident to investigating judge Anton Feher, who went to Knez to attend the investigation on the spot. This resulted in such incriminating circumstances that at the beginning of December 1905 the investigator ordered the disinterment of thirteen deceased persons. Of the injured bodies, in two cases parts were sent to Felletar, the district chemist, and to the Judical Senate at Ofen-Pest, the report of which was sent to the examining magistrate in Temesvar. According to this opinion, there is no poison in the body of two of the bodies. Arsenic was found in the body of another five persons, but in such small quantities that it can not be ascertained whether the poison was administered by ingestion or whether it had formed after burial by the oxidation of the brass buttons on the clothes. On the other hand, arsenic content in the remaining six bodies was established.

On the basis of the previous investigation, the examining judge ordered the arrest of Knez residents Vassa Ardelean, Julie Wuicsics, Pavel Varjasan, Mitru Belyu, Nikolaus Glass and his wife, Katharine Bider, Lenka Bogyok and Martha Petromany. The named were – with the exception P. Varasan and Mitru Belyus, who are now emigrated to America – were picked up by the gendarmerie of the prosecutor in Temesvar.

It has been proved that Martha Petromany supplied arsenic to all those who desired it for twenty crowns. The source of the poison has not yet been determined. Petromany was familiar with all family relationships in the community. When she knew that spouses lived in strife, or of anyone else having an interest in disposing of a person, she appeared and offered to deliver poison to them. She herself poisoned her husband Nikolai Petromany, who had become annoying to her.

The allegations leading to the arrest of others are as follows: Vassa Ardelean is accused of having poisoned the wealthy widow Cyrila Misku in order to gain possession of her property which she had previously prescribed. Julie Wuicsics is a pretty young woman and very rich. Her love for a young day laborer was hampered by the aging man Sava Wuicsics. He succumbed to arsenic. Nikolaus Glaß was a widower and maintained a love affair with the wife Anton Braun. Shortly after Anton Braun died, Glaß married the widow, but widowhood was helped by arsenic. Katharine Bider is suspected of having poisoned her son-in-law Michael Kühn because he was addicted to alcohol.

It was also told that she also poisoned her parents, but no evidence was provided for that, so the examining magistrate did not order the corpses to be disinterred. Lenka Bozyok lived with Aron Tanaczku in concubinage and it is known that he left her his fortune. When she married a daughter to Kisbecskerek, she also wanted to move to Dorchin, but Tanaczku did not want to agree to that. Then death got him out of the away. It is noteworthy that all poisoned persons were treated medically. Instead of medicine their relatives served them arsenic. We look forward to the further course of the investigation with great excitement.

[“The Poison Murders in Knez.” Grazer Tagblatt (Austria), 24. November 1906. p. 6]

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 GERMAN TEXTS

FULL TEXT: Aus Temesvár wird uns geschrieben: In der Gemeinde Knéz starb vor einigen Tagen die Oekonomen-Witwe Frau Erwina Gruin geb. Branis. Nun erstattete die Schwester der Verstorbenen bei der hiesigen Staatsanwaltschaft die Anzeige, sie habe Beweise dafür, daß Frau Gruin vergiftet wurde. Die Anzeige, nennt als muthmaßliche Mörderinen die Knézer Insassinen Mata Petroman und Betu Mitru. Auf Grund dieser Anzeige ordnete die Temesvärer Staatsanwaltschaft die Unter-suchung an; in den Wohnungen der beiden Vorgenannten wurden thatsächlich verschiedene Flüssigkeiten enthaltende Fläschchen gefunden. Gleichzeitig ordnete die Staatsanwaltschaft die Exuniirung der Leiche an. Sowohl die Leichenpartikel wie auch die Fläschchen mit den Flüssigkeiten werden an den Landes-Geradtscheiniker Dr. Emil Felletár behufs Untersuchung nach Budapest gesendet. Das sich in der Gemeinde Knéz in letzterer Zeit auffalleud viele mysteriöse Todes-fälle ereigneten, liegt der Verdacht nahe, daß dort eine Giftmischer-bande ihr Unwesen treibt, weshalb eine strenge Untersuchung eingeleitet wurde.

[“Giftmorde.” Pester Lloyd (Budapest, Hungary), Jul. 20, 1905, p. 7]

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FULL TEXT: Aus Temesvar, 21. wird berichtet: Wie bereits gemeldet, wurde in der Ortschaft Knez im Temeser Komitat eine ganze Reihe von Giftmorden entdeckt. Vor Jahresfrist erhielt die Temesvarer Staatsanwaltschaft ein Schreiben ohne Unterschrift, worin Mitgeteilt wurde, daß in Knez massenhafte Vergiftungen erfolgt und schon der halbe Friedhof mit Leichen vergifteter Personen gefüllt sei. In dem Briefe war auch eine Liste der vergifteten Personen angeführt.

Bald darauf erschien die Knezer Einwohnerin Macza Ploßkar bei.der Gendarmerie in Knez und hinterlegte ein Quantum Arsenik, über dessen Herkunst sie folgendes erzählte: Vor einigen Tagen kam die Knezer Einvohnerin Martha Petromany zu mir und sagte: “Ich weiß, daß Du mit Deinem Manne schlecht lebst.Wenn Du mich zahlst, bringe ich Dir Gift. Wenn Du das Deinem Manne eingibst, stirbt er ein paar Tagen und Du bist ihn los!” Die Ploßkar ging scheinbar auf den Antrag ein; als sie das Gift in Händen hatte, ging sie zur Gendarmerie und erstattete gegen die Petromany die Anzeige.

Die Knezer Gendarmerie erstattete von dem Vorfalle dem Untersuchungsrichter Anton Feher Bericht, der sich nach Knez begab, um die Untersuchung an Ort und Stelle zu pflegen. Diese ergab so belastende Umstände, daß der Untersuchungs richter anfangs Dezember 1905 die Enterdigung von dreizehn verstorbenen Personen anordnete. Von den enterdigten Leichen wurden in zwei Fällen Teile dem Landeschemiker Felletar und dem justizärztlichen Senat nach Ofen-Pest gesendet, deren Gutachten dieser Tage an den Untersuchungsrichter in Temesvar herabgelangt ist. Nach diesem Gutachten ist in dem Körper von zwei Enterdigten kein Gift enthalten. In dem Körper weiterer fünf Personen wurde zwar Arsenik gefunden, jedoch in so geringer Menge, daß nicht festgestellt werden kann, ob das Gift durch Verabreichung in den Körper ge langte oder ob es sich nach der Beerdigung durch das Oxydieren der an den Kleidern befindlichen Messingknöpfe gebildet hat. Hingegen wurde der Arsenikgehalt bei den übrigen sechs Leichen festgestellt.

Auf Grund der bisher zepslagenen Untersuchung hat der Untersuchungsrichter die Verhaftung der Knezer Einwohner Vaßa Ardelean, Julie Wuicsics, Pavel Varjasan, Mitru Belyu, Nikolaus Glaß und Frau, Katharine Bider, Lenka Bogyok und Martha Petromany angeordnet. Die Genannten wurden mit Ausnahme P. Varjasans und Mitru Belyus, die inzwischen nach Amerika ausgewandert find, durch die Gendarmerie der Staatsanwaltschaft in Temesvar eingeliesert.

Von Martha Petromany ist erwiesen, daß Sie allen jenen Personen, Die es wünschten, für zwanzig Kronen Arsenik lieferte. Woher sie das Gift genommen, konnte noch nicht ermittelt werden. Die Petromany war mit allen Familienberhältnissen in der Gemeinde vertraut. Wo sie wußte, daß die Ehegatten in Unfrieden lebten, oder sonst jemand ein Interesse hatte, eine Person zu beseitigen, er schien sie und machte sich erbötig, Gift zu liesern. Sie selbst vergiftete ihren Mann Nikolai Petromany, der ihr lästig geworden war.

Die Verdachtsgründe, welche zur Verhaftung der übrigen führten, sind folgende: Vaßa Ardelean wird beschuldigt, die reiche Witwe Cyrila Misku vergiftet zu haben, um früher in den Besitz ihres Vermögens zu gelangen, das sie ihm verschrieben hatte. Julie Wuicsics ist ein hübsches junges Weib und sehr reich. Ihrer Liebe zu einem jungen Taglöhner stand der alternde Mann Sava Wuicsics im Wege. Er erlag einer Arsenikvergistung. Nikolaus Glaß war Witwerund unterhielt mit der Frau Anton Braun ein Liebesverhältnis. Kurz, nachdem Anton Braun gestorben war, ehelichte Glaß die Witwe, zur Witwenschaft hat aber Arsenik verholfen. Katharine Bider ist verdächtigt, ihren Schwiegersohn Michael Kühn vergiftet zu haben, weil er trunksüchtig war.

Außerdem wird ihr nachgeredet, daß sie auch ihre Eltern vergiftete, doch wurden dafür keine Beweise erbracht, so daß der Untersuchungsrichter die Enterdigung der Leichen nicht anordnete. Lenka Bozyok lebte mit Aron Tanaczku im Konkubinat und man weiß, daß er ihr auch sein Vermögen vermachte. Als sie eine Tochter nach Kisbecskerek verheiratete, wollte sie ebenfalls dorchin übersiedeln, was jedoch Tanaczku nicht zugeben wollte. Da raffte ihn der Tod hinweg. Bemerkenswert ist, daß sämliche vergifteten Personen ärztlich behandelt wurden. Statt der Medizin wurde ihnen von den Angehörigen Arsenik gereicht. Man sieht dem weiteren Verlaufe der Untersuchung mit großer Spannung entgegen.

[“Die Giftmorde In Knez.” Grazer Tagblatt (Austria), 24. November 1906. p. 6]

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►Related cases (Knez, 1906):

Frau Hazyok

Catherine Biber

“Knez Four-Time Black Widow”

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Satchinez (also; Knies; Romanian Satchinez; Serbian, Knez, Knees; Hungarian, Temeskenéz; Gypsy; Ogav-Chinizitican) is a commune in Timiş County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Bărăteaz, Hodoni and Satchinez.

Knees / Satchinez was registered between 1332-1337 and allegedly based by a certain Paul Chinezu. In the 18th, century, the village had been populated by Serbs. Population during the 1997 census was 4626 inhabitants. Registered were 2246 men and 2380 women. The number of households was 1331. Knees lies in the Banater Heide, ca. 30 km Northwest from Temeswar and is in the district Temes. Knees, is also in the municipality with Baratzhausen and Hodoni.

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The following article published in a German ;language newspaper in the US was probably reprinted from a Viennese newspaper:

~ Giftmischer und Gistmischerinnen ~

FULL TEXT: Das goldene Zeitalter der großen Giftmischer und Giftmischcrmnen war das Mittolalter, als die Wissen schaft im Banne des Aberglaubens noch nicht fahlst war, das Vorhanden sein seltener Gifte im Körper eines Vergifteten nachzuweisen. So weiß denn auch die Geschichte des Mittel alters von Frauen und Männern zu berichten, die im Besitze irgend eines unbekannten Giftes waren und ungestrast Mord an Mord reihten, manche, um der Lust zu todten, srölmen zu sonnen, andere, um ihre Feinde ans dem Wege zu räumen. Die heutige Höhe der Wissenschaft hat den Giftmischern das Handwerk sehr er schwert. Um so aussallender ist die Kunde, daß, wie bereits kurz telegraphisch gemeldet wurde, in der Ortschaft Knez im Komitat Temesvar eine Reihe von Giftmorden verübt werden konnte, ehe die Verbrechen entdeat wurden. Es wird über diese kaum glaublichen Vorgänge jetzt ausführlich berichtet:

Vor Jahresfrist erhielt die Temesvarer Staatsanwaltschaft ein anonymes Schreiben, in dem mitgetheilt wurde, daß in Knez massenhafte Ver giftungcn erfolgt und schon der halbe Friedhof mit Leichen vergifteter Personen gefüllt sei. In dem Briefe war auch eine Liste der vergifteten Personen angeführt. Bald darauf erschien die Knezer Einwohnerin Macza Ploßkar bei der Gendarmerie in Knez und deponirte ein Quantum Arsenik, über dessen Herkunft sie solgendes erzählte: Vor einigen Tagen kam die Knezer Einwohnerin Marina Petromany zu mir und sagte: “Ich weiß, daß du mit deinem Manne schlecht lebst. Wenn du mich zahlst, bringe ich dir Gift. Wenn du das deinem Manne eingiebst, stirbt er in ein paar Tagen, und du bist ihn los!” Die Ploßkar ging scheinbar auf den Antrag ein; als sie das Gift in Händen hatte, ging sie zur Gendarmerie und erstattete gegen die Petromany die Anzeige. Die Knezer Gendarme rie setzte den Untersuchungsrichter Anton Zeher davon in Kenntniß, der sich nach Knez begab. Die Untersuchung ergab so gravirende Momente, daß der Untersnchungsrichter Anfarg Dezember 1905 die Erhuminmg von dreizehn verstorbenen Personen anordnete. Die Gutachten der Aerzte liegen jetzt vor. Nach ihnen ist in dem Körper von zwei Erhunurtej, kein Gift enthalten. In dem Körper weiterer fünf  Personen wurde zwar Arsenik gefunden, jedoch in so geringer Menge, daß nicht festgestellt werden kann, ob das Gift durch Berabreichung in den Körper gelangte, oder ob es sich nach der Beerdigung durch das Orydieren der an den Kleidern befindlichen Messingsnöpfe gebildet hat. Hingegen wurde der Arsenikgehalt bei den übrigen sechs Leichen festgestellt. Der Untersuchungsrichter hat die Verhaftung der Knezer Einwohner Vaßa Ardelean, Julie Wuicsick, Pavel Varjasan, Mitru Belyu, Nikolaus Glaß und Frau, Katharina Biber, Lenka Bogyok und Martha Petromany angeordnet. Die neun Genannten wurden mit Ausnähme P. Varjasans und Mitru Belyus, die inzwischm nach Amerika ausgewandert sind, durch die Gendarmerie jetzt der Staatsanwaltschaft in Temesvar eingeliefert. Von Martha Petromany ist erwiesen, daß sie allen jenen Personen, die es wünschten, für zwanzig Kronen Arsenik sieforte. Woher sie das Gift genommen, konnte noch nicht ermittelt werden. Die Petromany war mit allen Familienverhältnissen in der Gemeinde vertraut. Wo sie wußte, daß die Ehegatten in Unfriedm lebten oder sonst jemand ein Interesse hatte, eine Person zu beseitigen, erschien sie und machte sich erbötig, Gift zu liesern. Sie selbst vergiftete ihren Mann, der ihr lästig geworden war. Die Verdachtsmomente, die zur Verhaftung der übrigen führten, sind folgende: Vaßa Ardelean wird beschuldigt, die reiche Wittwe Eyrila Misku vergiftet zu haben, um früher in den Besitz ihres Vermögens zu gelangen, das sie ihm verschrieben hatte. Julie Wuicsics ist ein hübsches junges Weib und sehr reich. Iher Liebe zu einem jungen Tagelöhner stand der alternde Mann Sava Wuicsics im Wege. Er erlag einer Arsenikvergiftnng. Nikolaus Glaß war Wittwer und un terhielt mit der Frau Anton Braun ein Liebesvernältniß. Kurz, nachdem Anton Braun gestorben war, ehelicbte Glaß die Wittwe, zur Wittwenschaft hat aber Arsenik verholsen. Katharine Bider ist verdächtig, ihrer. Sckwiegersohn Michael Kühn vergif tet zu haben, weil er trunksüchtig war. Außerdem wird ihr nachgesaar, daß sie auch ihre Eltern vergiftete, doch wurden dafür keine Beweise erbracht, so daß de Untersuchungsrichter nicht die Erhumirung der Leichen anordnete.

Vemcrkenswerth ist daß sämmt liche vergifteten Personen ärztlich behandelt wurden. Statt der Medizin wurde ihnen von den. Angehörigen Arsenik gereicht. Man sieht dem weiteren Verlaufe der Untersuchung mit großer Spannung entgegen.

[“Giftmischer und Gistmischerinnen,” Indiana Tribüne (Indianapolis, In, USA), Jan. 8, 1907, p. 4]

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For more than two dozen similar cases, dating from 1658 to 2011, see the summary list with links see: The Husband-Killing Syndicates

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[892-6/17/19; 990-3/28/20; 1318-3/11/22; 3375-7/21/22; 4234-10/25/22]
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