The Angel Makers of Nagyrév (Hungarian: Tiszazugi méregkeverők, "Tiszazug poison-mixers") were a group of women living in the village of Nagyrév, Hungary, who, between 1914 and 1929, poisoned to death an estimated 40 people.[1] They were supplied arsenic and encouraged to use it for the purpose by a midwife or "wise woman" named Zsuzsanna Fazekas, wife of Gyula Fazekas, née Zsuzsanna Oláh (Fazekas Gyuláné Oláh Zsuzsanna). Their story is the subject of the documentary filmThe Angelmakers[2][3][4] and the film Hukkle.[5][failed verification]
Fazekas was a middle-aged midwife who arrived in Nagyrév in 1911,[6] with her husband already missing without explanation. Between 1911 and 1921, she was imprisoned 10 times for performing illegal abortions, but was consistently acquitted by judges supporting abortion.
In Hungarian society at that time, the future husband of a teenage bride was selected by her family and she was forced to accept her parents' choice. Divorce was not allowed socially, even if the husband was an alcoholic or abusive.[7] During World War I, when able-bodied men were sent to fight for Austria-Hungary, rural Nagyrév was an ideal location for holding Allied prisoners of war. With POWs having limited freedom within the village, the women living there often had one or more foreign lovers while their husbands were away.[8] When the men returned, many of them rejected their wives' affairs and wished to return to their previous way of life, creating a volatile situation. At this time, Fazekas began secretly persuading women who wished to escape this situation to poison their husbands using arsenic made by boiling flypaper and skimming off the lethal residue.[9][10]
After the initial killing of their husbands, some of the women went on to poison parents who had become a burden to them, or to get hold of their inheritance. Others poisoned their lovers, some even their sons; as the midwife allegedly asked the poisoners, "Why put up with them?"[11][12]
The first poisoning in Nagyrév took place in 1911; it was not the work of Fazekas. The deaths of other husbands, children, and family members soon followed. The poisoning became a fad, and by the mid-1920s, Nagyrév earned the nickname "the murder district". There were an estimated 45–50 murders over the 18 years that Fazekas lived in the district. She was the closest thing to a doctor the village had and her cousin was the clerk who filed all the death certificates, allowing the murders to go undetected.[13]
Capture
Defendants in the arsenic poisoning case of the Tiszazug area walking in the Szolnok prison yard
Three conflicting accounts have been cited to explain how the Angel Makers were eventually detected. In one, Szabó, one of the Angel Makers, was caught in the act by two visitors who survived her poisoning attempts. She pointed a finger at a woman with the surname Bukenoveski, who in turn named Fazekas. In another account, a medical student in a neighboring town found high arsenic levels in a body that washed up on the riverbank, leading to an investigation. However, according to Béla Bodó, a Hungarian-American historian and author of the first scholarly book on the subject, the murders were finally made public in 1929 when an anonymous letter to the editor of a small local newspaper accused women from the Tiszazug region of the country of poisoning family members.
The authorities exhumed dozens of corpses from the local cemetery.[14] 34 women and one man were indicted. Afterwards, 26 of the Angel Makers were tried, among them Susi Oláh. Eight were sentenced to death but only two were executed. Another 12 received prison sentences.[15]
References
^Bodó, Béla (2002). Tiszazug: A Social History of a Murder Epidemic. Boulder: East European Monographs. pp. 185–186. ISBN9780880334877.
^Astrid Bussink (2006). . archive.dokweb.net (in Hungarian and English). Edinburgh College of Art. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
^Sharp, Rob (5 August 2006). "Mirren film brings war tragedy to Yorkshire". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
^International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. . www.idfa.nl. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
^Stephen Holden (5 April 2003). "Film Festival Reviews; Life's Creatures Glow Until Violence Darkens". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
^Heather Sutfin (17 August 2016). "The Angel Makers of Nagyrév". Sword and Scale. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
^Popham, Peter (26 November 2005). "Hungary: Murder on the Danube". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
^Katherine Ramsland (3 March 2007). . The Crime library. Archived from the original on 3 March 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
^Fish, Jim (29 March 2004). "| Europe | Unearthing Hungary husband murders". BBC News. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
^Barry Yeoman (1 November 1999). "Bad Girls". Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, LLC. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
^Katie Heaney (15 Jul 2014). "11 Terrifying Female Serial Killers You've Never Heard Of". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
^"RUBICONline | A Rubicon történelmi folyóirat honlapja".
^Tonya Blust (12 January 2016). "Creepy crimes from the 1920s". www.historictruecrime.com. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
^"American front in the Hungarian village killer". www.transindex.ro. Index Media Association. 21 May 2004. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
^Bodó, Béla (2002). "The poisoning women of Tiszazug". Journal of Family History. 27 (1): 40–59. doi:10.1177/036319900202700103. PMID 11789522. S2CID 44608586.
Newton, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. 2nd edition. Checkmark Books. 2006. ISBN0-8160-6196-3. pp. 1–2.
Bodó, Béla. Tiszazug: A Social History of a Murder Epidemic. Columbia University Press East European Monographs, 2003. ISBN0-88033-487-8.
External links
BBC News: Unearthing Hungary husband murders
Evidence Locker True Crime Podcast: The Angel Makers of Nagyrév | Hungary
March 16, 2023
angel, makers, nagyrév, hungarian, tiszazugi, méregkeverők, tiszazug, poison, mixers, were, group, women, living, village, nagyrév, hungary, between, 1914, 1929, poisoned, death, estimated, people, they, were, supplied, arsenic, encouraged, purpose, midwife, w. The Angel Makers of Nagyrev Hungarian Tiszazugi meregkeverok Tiszazug poison mixers were a group of women living in the village of Nagyrev Hungary who between 1914 and 1929 poisoned to death an estimated 40 people 1 They were supplied arsenic and encouraged to use it for the purpose by a midwife or wise woman named Zsuzsanna Fazekas wife of Gyula Fazekas nee Zsuzsanna Olah Fazekas Gyulane Olah Zsuzsanna Their story is the subject of the documentary film The Angelmakers 2 3 4 and the film Hukkle 5 failed verification Angel Makers of NagyrevTiszazugi meregkeverokclass notpageimage Location of Nagyrev in HungaryNationalityHungarianYears active1914 1929Criminal chargemurderPenalty8 death sentences only 2 of which were carried out 12 others imprisonedDetailsTarget s abusive or unwanted relativesKilled40 300WeaponsarsenicDate apprehended1929 Contents 1 Crimes 2 Capture 3 References 4 Bibliography 5 External linksCrimes EditFazekas was a middle aged midwife who arrived in Nagyrev in 1911 6 with her husband already missing without explanation Between 1911 and 1921 she was imprisoned 10 times for performing illegal abortions but was consistently acquitted by judges supporting abortion In Hungarian society at that time the future husband of a teenage bride was selected by her family and she was forced to accept her parents choice Divorce was not allowed socially even if the husband was an alcoholic or abusive 7 During World War I when able bodied men were sent to fight for Austria Hungary rural Nagyrev was an ideal location for holding Allied prisoners of war With POWs having limited freedom within the village the women living there often had one or more foreign lovers while their husbands were away 8 When the men returned many of them rejected their wives affairs and wished to return to their previous way of life creating a volatile situation At this time Fazekas began secretly persuading women who wished to escape this situation to poison their husbands using arsenic made by boiling flypaper and skimming off the lethal residue 9 10 After the initial killing of their husbands some of the women went on to poison parents who had become a burden to them or to get hold of their inheritance Others poisoned their lovers some even their sons as the midwife allegedly asked the poisoners Why put up with them 11 12 The first poisoning in Nagyrev took place in 1911 it was not the work of Fazekas The deaths of other husbands children and family members soon followed The poisoning became a fad and by the mid 1920s Nagyrev earned the nickname the murder district There were an estimated 45 50 murders over the 18 years that Fazekas lived in the district She was the closest thing to a doctor the village had and her cousin was the clerk who filed all the death certificates allowing the murders to go undetected 13 Capture Edit Defendants in the arsenic poisoning case of the Tiszazug area walking in the Szolnok prison yard Three conflicting accounts have been cited to explain how the Angel Makers were eventually detected In one Szabo one of the Angel Makers was caught in the act by two visitors who survived her poisoning attempts She pointed a finger at a woman with the surname Bukenoveski who in turn named Fazekas In another account a medical student in a neighboring town found high arsenic levels in a body that washed up on the riverbank leading to an investigation However according to Bela Bodo a Hungarian American historian and author of the first scholarly book on the subject the murders were finally made public in 1929 when an anonymous letter to the editor of a small local newspaper accused women from the Tiszazug region of the country of poisoning family members The authorities exhumed dozens of corpses from the local cemetery 14 34 women and one man were indicted Afterwards 26 of the Angel Makers were tried among them Susi Olah Eight were sentenced to death but only two were executed Another 12 received prison sentences 15 References Edit Bodo Bela 2002 Tiszazug A Social History of a Murder Epidemic Boulder East European Monographs pp 185 186 ISBN 9780880334877 Astrid Bussink 2006 The Angelmakers archive dokweb net in Hungarian and English Edinburgh College of Art Archived from the original on 5 July 2017 Retrieved 10 December 2016 Sharp Rob 5 August 2006 Mirren film brings war tragedy to Yorkshire The Guardian Retrieved 10 December 2016 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam The Angelmakers IDFA www idfa nl Archived from the original on 20 December 2016 Retrieved 10 December 2016 Stephen Holden 5 April 2003 Film Festival Reviews Life s Creatures Glow Until Violence Darkens www nytimes com Retrieved 10 December 2016 Heather Sutfin 17 August 2016 The Angel Makers of Nagyrev Sword and Scale Retrieved 10 December 2016 Popham Peter 26 November 2005 Hungary Murder on the Danube The Independent Archived from the original on 2022 05 07 Retrieved 10 December 2016 Katherine Ramsland 3 March 2007 Angels of Death Nurses nurses who kill their patients Chapter 5 Murder by Proxy The Crime library Archived from the original on 3 March 2007 Retrieved 10 December 2016 Fish Jim 29 March 2004 Europe Unearthing Hungary husband murders BBC News Retrieved 10 December 2016 Barry Yeoman 1 November 1999 Bad Girls Psychology Today Sussex Publishers LLC Retrieved 10 December 2016 Katie Heaney 15 Jul 2014 11 Terrifying Female Serial Killers You ve Never Heard Of BuzzFeed Retrieved 10 December 2016 RUBICONline A Rubicon tortenelmi folyoirat honlapja Tonya Blust 12 January 2016 Creepy crimes from the 1920s www historictruecrime com Retrieved 10 December 2016 American front in the Hungarian village killer www transindex ro Index Media Association 21 May 2004 Retrieved 10 December 2016 Bodo Bela 2002 The poisoning women of Tiszazug Journal of Family History 27 1 40 59 doi 10 1177 036319900202700103 PMID 11789522 S2CID 44608586 Bibliography EditGregson Jessica The Angel Makers PaperBooks Ltd 2007 ISBN 0 9551094 6 9 Newton Michael The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers 2nd edition Checkmark Books 2006 ISBN 0 8160 6196 3 pp 1 2 Bodo Bela Tiszazug A Social History of a Murder Epidemic Columbia University Press East European Monographs 2003 ISBN 0 88033 487 8 External links EditCrime Library CLEWS The Historic True Crime Blog Angelmakers Film website BBC News Unearthing Hungary husband murders Evidence Locker True Crime Podcast The Angel Makers of Nagyrev Hungary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Angel Makers of Nagyrev amp oldid 1139030358, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
