Nagyrev poison ring explored

A historical look at a 1911 to 1929 poisoning case in Nagyrev shows how abuse and poverty pushed women to deadly acts and how the community sought quick justice outside the courts.

Nagyrev Poison Ring Reveals Hidden Violence Behind Everyday Life

Between 1911 and 1929, Nagyrev and the nearby Tiszazug region saw a string of deaths linked to arsenic poison. A local midwife known as Auntie Zsuzsi supplied the poison to women who faced brutal husbands, poverty and limited options. The first known murder occurred when Rozalia Takacs poisoned her abusive husband after years of violence, using arsenic acid stirred into porridge. Over two decades the killings grew as more women turned to this method, trading small goods for the poison and sharing knowledge within a tight knit network. By the time police uncovered the pattern, 28 people faced trial for the deaths of more than 100 neighbors, though officers later suggested the real toll could be much higher.

The investigations exposed a community under strain: alcohol, war trauma and chronic abuse fed a cycle of violence. Doctors and officials were slow to see the pattern, and some suspects were bribed to stay quiet. In 1929 a death certificate raised suspicion about Rozalia Holyba’s husband, prompting arrests that culminated in a wider crackdown. Auntie Zsuzsi died during police actions, and several women faced hanging or life in prison. The case lingered in memory as a stark reminder of how fear and survival can drive communities to borders rarely crossed by the law.

The Nagyrev story sits at the uneasy crossroads of gender, power and survival. It asks how far a woman will go when protection from the state and kin is absent. The network relied on trusted local healers, like midwives, turning care into complicity as knowledge about poison spread quietly. Yet the episode also reveals how a society in distress can turn to extreme actions when life feels unlivable. Reading this history invites a careful balance: it honors victims without sensationalizing their suffering, and it challenges readers to think about what justice looks like when formal institutions fail. The memory of Nagyrev asks for accountability and empathy, not nostalgia for violence or revolutionary bravado.

Highlights

History reminds us that pain travels across generations and communities long after the last trial.