The 1920s Female Hungarian Murder Ring That Left 160 Dead

Published: May 30, 2023, 7:45 a.m.

b'The horror occurred in a rustic farming enclave in 1920s Hungary. Investigators would discover that a murder ring of women was responsible for the deaths of at least 160 men. It was an unlikely lineup of killers\\u2014village wives, mothers, and daughters. At the center of it all was a sharp-minded village midwife, a \\u201csmiling Buddha\\u201d known as Auntie Suzy, who distilled arsenic from flypaper and distributed it to the women of Nagyr\\xe9v. \\u201cWhy are you bothering with him?\\u201d Auntie Suzy would ask, as she produced an arsenic-filled vial from her apron pocket. In the beginning, a great many used the deadly solution to finally be free of cruel and abusive spouses. But as the number of dead bodies grew without consequence, the killers grew bolder. With each vial of poison emptied, a new reason surfaced to drain yet another. Some women disposed of sickly relatives. Some used arsenic as \\u201cinheritance powder\\u201d to secure land and houses. For more than fifteen years, the unlikely murderers aided death unfettered and tended to it as if it were simply another chore\\u2014spooning doses of arsenic into soup and wine, stirring it into coffee and brandy. By the time their crimes were discovered, hundreds were feared dead. Todays guest is Patti McCracken, author of \\u201cThe Angel Makers: Arsenic, a Midwife, and Modern History\\u2019s Most Astonishing Murder Ring.\\u201d We explore whether these murders were of a very particular time and place, or if they could happen anywhere if the right conditions emerge.'