Unknown Gender History: Szosza Jovanovics & Ane Ninity, Serbian Fortune-Tellers & Serial Killers

Spelling variants – German: Szosza Jovanovics, Ane Ninity, Szosza Jovanvics; English: Sophia Ivanovitch & Anna Minity; Anna Ninitz.

***

FULL TEXT (Article 1 of 3) (Translated from German): Budapest. November 23. - The Gross-Becskerek public prosecutor, Pinkovics has submitted to the court an indictment in the major poison murder trial against many residents of Melencze in the Torontal County. In Melencze, 38 residents were poisoned between 1880 and 1882. As soon as a wife became tired of her husband or could not expect the death of a relative in inheritance, they went to two old women, named Szosza Jovanovics and Anna Ninitz, bought poison, and the poisoned those who stood in their way. The two old women died during the process of the investigation. Together, 80 people were charged and 37 are still under arrest. More than 100 witnesses are to be summoned. Eighteen corpses had to be exhumed. The difficult investigation has lasted for years, so that in the meantime the first examining magistrate has also died.

[Bergenzer Tagblatt (Bergenz, Austria), Nov. 27, 1889, p. 1]

***

FULL TEXT (Article 2 of 3): (Translated from German): As we mentioned briefly in our daily issue, a major poisoning trial will soon be held in the court in Greater Becskerek.

A large number of cases of poisoning occurred in the Melencze locality of Toronto County [Serbia] between 1880 and 1882. During the criminal investigation into this matter, the examining magistrate made morbid discoveries.

It seems that in the village of Melencze, manners were so relaxed that when women got tired of their husbands, they would use poison to get them out of the way.

As can be seen from the prosecutor's indictment, 32 people died of poisoning in Melencze within two years.

Two gypsies, named Szosza Jovanics and Ane Ninity, had established themselves as poison mixers in the village. They were amply paid for their “art” and quickly became wealthy.

However, they were not able to enjoy the wages of sin for long, because they died in prison, where they had to remain in custody for a long time.

At the same time as these criminals were charged, eighty others were charged, 57 of whom are still in custody.

In the course of the investigation, which has now been going on for seven years, 100 witnesses have been questioned.

Eighteen corpses had to be exhumed by court order, and the entrails of the same were sent to the State Chemical Institute for examination.

The institute mentioned has established the presence of poison in the intestines in all cases.

It is interesting how the authorities discovered these terrible crimes.

They were betrayed by a “beautiful woman” who also poisoned her husband. Ms. Jocza Kukin was called the “village beauty” in Melencze.

One day her husband died in excruciating agony.

The community administration, which seemed suspicious of the many puzzling deaths, telegraphed to the Tribunal on the occasion of this case to initiate an investigation.

Since the autopsy of the beautiful woman's husband did indeed show that the cause of death was poisoning, Mrs. Kukin was arrested.

She now said that she was often beaten by her husband because she loved someone else.

She tolerated this for a long time until she was recently chastised by her husband in the presence of a woman named Thekla Popor [sic].

The latter persuaded her to poison her husband, and procured the necessary poison for her, with which she then carried her husband into the afterlife.

This statement was the starting point of the investigating judge's activity.

["Massive spouse murders." News Welt-Blatt (Vienna, Austria), Nov. 28, 1889, p. 17]

***

(Article 3 of 3):

Excerpt (from long article on poisonings):

THE HUNGARIAN HORROR.

One would think that such horrible criminality as the wholesale poisoning of innocent people belonged wholly to Pagan times; but, unfortunately, the annals of toxicology, down to our days, are replete with histories of indiscriminate poisoning. The latest of these tragedies is reported to have occurred in Hungary, where the Assize Court of

Grossbeckskerek is about to try a hideous, but, unfortunately, by no means unprecedented case of poisoning en masse. It is stated that no fewer than 80 women of the Servo-Magyar village of Melencie are accused of having poisoned their husbands and other near relatives, and that they procured the deleterious stuff from two professional fortune-tellers, Sophia Ivanovitch and Anna Minify, who drove a regular trade in noxious drugs, and earned considerable sums of money thereby.

Suspicion was first directed toward them by the evidence of a beautiful young woman named Draga Kukin, who, so long ago as 1882, killed her husband by poison, but who, being overtaken by remorse, gave herself up to the judicial authorities. The two fortune-tellers were arrested, but they have since died in prison, and the difficulties of gathering a sufficient body of evidence have caused the examination of this shocking case to drag its slow length over a period of nearly seven years.

[“Secret Poisoning. - Awful Crimea Of Borgias Recalled By Hungary's Horror. –Murderous Nostrums Of Old. - Terrible Women Who Divorced Themselves By Deadly Potions. - The Evil Worked By Fortune Tellers.” Pittsburgh Post (Pa.), Dec. 14, 1889, p. 12]

***

GERMAN TEXT

FULL TEXT: Budapest. 23.November. – Der Groß-BecSkereker Staatsanwalt Pinkovics hat die Anklageschrift in dem Monstre-Giftmord-Prozeß gegen viele Einwohner des Ortes Mellencze im Torontaler. Komitate dem Gerichte überreicht. In Mellencze wurden nämlich in den Jahren 1880-1882 38 Einwohner vergiftet. Sobald eine Frau ihres Mannes über drüssigge worden war odere in Erbe den Tods eines Angehörigen nicht erwarten konnte, gingen sie zu zwei alten Weibern, Namens Szosza Jovanovics und Anna Ninitz, kauften sich Gift und vergifteten die Ihnen im Wege Stehenden. Die zwei alten Weiber starben während der Untersuchung. Mi tihnen zusammen waren 80 Leute angeklagt und sind 37 noch verhaftet. Mehr als 100 Zeugen sind vorzuladen. Man mußte 18 Leichen exhumiren. Die schwierige Untersuchung dauerte jahrelang, so daß inzwischen der erste Untersuchungsrichter starb.

[Bergenzer Tagblatt (Bergenz, Austria), Nov. 27, 1889, p. 1]

***

FULL TEXT: Ein Monstre-Giftmordprozeß wird, wie wir in unserer täglichen Ausgabe schon kurz erwähnten, demnächst den kön.

Gerichtshof in Groß-Becskerek beschäftigen.

Es handelt sich um eine große Anzahl von Vergiftungen, die in den Jahren 1880 bis 1882 in der Ortschaft Mellencze des Torontaler Komitats vorgekommen sind.

Im Lause der in dieser Angelegenheit eingeleiteten Kriminal untersuchung machte der Untersuchungsrichter sehr traurige Wahrnehmungen.

Es scheint, daß in der Ortschaft Mellencze die Sitten derart gelockert waren, daß die Frauen,wenn sie ihrer Männer überdrüssig wurden, das Gift mählten, um dieselben aus dem Wege zu räumen.

Wie aus dem Anklagean trag des Staatsanwaltes ersichtlich ist, sind innerhalb zweier Jahre in Mellencze 32 Personen des Vergiftung stodes gestorben.

In der Ortschaft hatten sich zwei Zigeunerinnen, Namens Szosza Jovanics und Ane Ninity, als Giftmischerinnen etablirt, die sich für ihre “Kunst” reichlich bezahlen ließen und rasch zur Wohlhabenheit gelangten.

Nicht lange konnten sie jedoch den Sündenlohn genießen, den sie starben im Gefängniß, wo sie lange Zeit in Untersuchungshaft bleiben mußten.

Gleichzeitig mit diesen Verbrecherinnen wurden noch achtzig Personen unter Anklage gestellt,von denen 57 auch jetzt noch in Untersuchungshaft sich befinden.

Im Laufe der nunmehr schon sieben Jahre andauernden Untersuchung wurden 100 Belastungszeugen vernommen.

Ueber gerichtliche Anordnung mußte man achtzehn Leichen exhumiren, und wurden die Eingeweide derselben dem chemischen Landesinstitute behufs Untersuchung übermittelt.

Das erwähnte Institut hat in sämmtlichen Fällen das Vorhandensein von Gift in den Därmen konstatirt.

Interessant ist es, wie die Behörden diesen schrecklichen Verbrechen auf die Spur kam.

Sie wurden von einer “schönen Frau” verrathen, die ihren Gatten gleichfalls vergiftet hat. Frau Jocza Kukin war in dem Orte Mellencze die “Dorfschöne” genannt.

Eines Tages starb ihr Gatte unter gräßlichen Qualen.

Diese erzählte nun, sie wurde von ihrem Galten häufig geschlagen, weil sie einen Anderen liebte.

Die Gemeindevorstehung, welcher die vielen räthselhaften Todesfälle verdächtig vorkamen, telegraphirte anläßlich dieses Falles an den Gerichtshof um Einleitung einer Untersuchung.

Da die Obduktion des Gatten der schönen Frau in der That eine Vergiftung als Todesursache ergab, wurde die Kukin in Haft genommen.

Sie duldete dies lange, bis sie einmal in Gegenwart einer Frau Namens Thekla Popor [sic] neuerdings von ihrem Gatten gezüchtigt wurde.

Letztere beredete sie, ihren Gatten zu vergiften, und verschaffte ihr das hiezu nöthige Gift, mit welchem sie dann auch den Gatten ins Jenseits beförderte.

Diese Aussage warder Ausgangspunkt der Thätigkeit des Untersuchungsrichters.

[“Massenhafte Gattenmorde.” Neuigkeits Welt-Blatt (Vienna, Austria), Nov. 28, 1889, p. 17]

***