Unknown Gender History: Baba Rendusch, Husband Killing Syndicate Leader

EXCERPT: In the course of last week, according to a Pesth [Budapest] correspondent, it was remarked that many deaths took place amongst the young farmers belonging to the villages of Syrmia, the most eastern part of Croatia [sic; currently Serbia]. In each case it was found that death occurred soon after marriage. An inquiry was accordingly ordered by the authorities, which has resulted in proving that the young men had been poisoned by their wives, who thus inherited their houses and farms. During last week seven young widows in the village of Aingula [sic; Bingula] and an old widow, who had prepared and sold poison to them, were arrested, and numerous other arrests are expected.

[“Poisoning Manias.” The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW, Australia), Dec. 27, 1887, p. 3]

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FULL TEXT: A most horrible murder story comes from Pesth [Budapest]. Young married farmers have been dying off with dreadful suddenness in villages of Syrmia in Eastern Croatia [sic; currently Serbia. These young farmers were all brand new husbands, and at last their deaths, all coming so soon after their marriage, excited suspicion, and the matter was investigated. It was found that an old woman had conceived the idea of getting pretty young girls to marry farmers and then poison them and divide the spoils. The old woman is now in gaol, and so far seven young widows to whom she had furnished poison with which to kill their husbands, These arrests have all been made in a single village, and a lot of other arrests are anticipated. The engaged and newly married couples in that part of the country are probably not the very fondest of their kind at present. It is not stated what sort of poison was supplied by this wholesale murderess, but the doleful story recoils names of noted, female poisoners, such as Borgia, Brinvilliers, and Tofana, but happily our young wives do not appear to have any taste for making away with their newly wedded husbands, and I trust they will remain free from such cold-blooded crime as this Croatian old woman instigated.

[From column “Town Talk.” The Record (Melbourne, Australia), Dec. 24, 1887, p. 5]

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FULL TEXT (Translated from German): Seven young widows were arrested in the village of Bingula (Hungary) [Croatia] on suspicion of spousal murder. In addition, an old woman, known by the name “Baba Rendusch”, who brewed the poison for the young widows, with which they transported their husbands to the better afterlife, and provided it for money and good words. The investigation also extends to other villages.

[Untitled, Salzburger Chronik (Salzburg, Austria), Nov. 8, 1887, p. 2]

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FULL TEXT (Translated from German): From Budapest it is written: Recently, the sudden death of young men with vigor in various parts of Syrmia [in Croatia] has attracted the attention of the authorities. The surveys initiated as a have revealed a hair-raising result. It has been proven beyond doubt that the young women poisoned their husbands in order to lead a merry widow's life on the property they left behind. In individual cases the women in question are said to have entered into marriage merely for the reason that they could soon get rid of their husbands and take possession of the legacy. In the village of Bingula, seven young widows were arrested on suspicion of spousal murder and handed over to the district court in Erdevik. In addition, the police took an old woman into custody known by the name “Baba Rendusch”, who brewed the poison for the young widows, with which they transported their husbands to a better afterlife, and provided it for money and good words. The investigation also extends to others villages.

[“Women who poison their husbands.)” Tages Post (Linz, Austria), Oct. 30, 1887, p. 3]

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Syrmia (Serbo-Croatian: Srem/Срем or Srijem/Сријем) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the exception of the low Fruška gora mountain stretching along the Danube in its northern part. After 1860, the County of Syrmia was re-established and returned to the Kingdom of Slavonia. In 1868, the Kingdom of Slavonia became part of Croatia-Slavonia in the Kingdom of Hungary.

Bingula is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Šid municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 906 people. It is close to the border with Croatia.

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GERMAN TEXTS

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FULL TEXT: Im Dorfe Bingula (Ungarn) wurden sieben junge Witwen unter dem Verdachte des Gattenmordes verhaftet. Außerdem ein altes, unter dein Namen “BabaRendusch" bekanntes Weib, welches den jungen Witwen das Gift, womit sie ihre Gatten in's bessere Jenseits beförderten, braute und für Geld und gute Worte lieferte. Die Untersuchung erstreckt sich auch aus andere Dörfer.

[Untitled, Salzburger Chronik (Salzburg, Austria), Nov. 8, 1887, p. 2]

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FULL TEXT: Aus Budapest wird geschrieben: In jüngster Zeit haben die in verschiedenen Orten Syrmiens vorgekommenen Fälle des plötzlichen Todes von jungen, lebenskräftigen Männern die Aufmerksamkeit der Behörden erregt. Die infolge dessen eingeleiteten Erhebungen haben ein haarsträubendes Resultat zutage gefördert. Es wurde als unzweifelhast erwiesen, daß die jungen Weiber ihre Männer vergifteten, umaufdemhinterlassenen Besitzeeinlustiges Witwenlebenzuführen.Ineinzelnen Fällen sollen die betreffen den Weiber bloß aus dem Grunde die Ehe eingegangen sein, um sich ihrer Männer bald entledigen und in den Besitz der Hinterlassenschaft treten zu können. Im Dorfe Bingula wurden sieben junge Witwen unter dem Verdachte des Gattenmordes verhaftet und dem Bezirksgerichte zu Erdevik überliefert. Außerdem bemächtigte sich die Gendarmerie eines alten,unter demNamen “Baba Rendusch" bekannten Weibes, welches den jungen Witwen das Gift, womit sie ihre Gatten in ein besseres Jenseits beförderten, braute und für Geld und gute Worte lieferte. Die Untersuchung erstreckt sich auch auf andere Dörfer.

[“Weiber, die ihre Männer vergiften.)” Tages Post (Linz, Austria), Oct. 30, 1887, p. 3]

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