Chicago in the 1920s is often remembered for the rise of organized crime and it’s larger than life leaders like Al Capone and Johnny Torrio. While these men and their organizations surely shaped the city’s identity, their infamy and influence were, at least for a short time, rivaled by a group of young women whose murderous acts would dominate headlines in papers around the country throughout the decade.
While Beulah Annan and Belva Gardner—the real-life inspiration for the musical Chicago—were arguably the most well known of the female murders from this era, their famous murders were preceded by the equally sensationalized murder spree of Tillie Klimek. Between 1914 and 1921, Klimek was believed to have killed as many as seven people including four husbands. While her crimes would ultimately land her in the Illinois State Penitentiary for the rest of her life, her exploits and criminal trial were sensational and occupied the front pages of city newspapers for years.
Buy Tickets to our LIVE SHOW at Radio City Music Hall on June 27th!
References
Chicago Tribune. 1922. "Death called mere routine in posion home." Chicago Tribune, November 15: 1.
—. 1922. "Find arsenic, arrest wife and stepson." Chicago Tribune, October 27: 1.
—. 1922. "Klimek poison list is twenty; arrest 1 more." Chicago Tribune, November 19: 1.
—. 1922. "Koulik friend sought in new poison charge." Chicago Tribune, November 26: 5.
—. 1922. "Mystery deaths in poison case may reach 20." Chicago Tribune, November 14: 3.
—. 1923. "Tillie Klimek is strong witness in own defense." Chicago Tribune, March 13: 7.
Danville Commercial News. 1923. "The woman, not the jury, was on trial." Chicago Tribune, March 30: 8.
Forbes, Genevieve. 1923. "Grave digger tells of goings on at Klimks'." Chicago Tribune, March 10: 3.
—. 1923. "How Mrs. Klimek jested of death of husband told." Chicago Tribune, March 9: 7.
—. 1923. "Life in prison for woman as arch poisoner." Chicago Tribune, March 14: 1.
—. 1923. "'Ma' Koulik, wise in jail learning, goes back home." Chicago Tribune, November 9: 4.
—. 1923. "Poison evidence robs Mrs. Klimek of indifference." Chicago Tribune, March 11: 7.
International News Service. 1922. "May exhume bodies of four former husbands." Waukegan News-Sun, October 27: 12.
Lynch, Charles. 1923. "Ask hanging for 2 women charged with murder orgy." Belvidere Daily Republican, March 6: 1.
Telfer, Tori. 2017. Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.
United Press. 1922. "Chicago police suspect second 'Mrs. BLuebeard'." Freeport Journal-Standard, November 4: 1.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Плейлист
Morbid
Chicago in the 1920s is often remembered for the rise of organized crime and it’s larger than life leaders like Al Capone and Johnny Torrio. While these men and their organizations surely shaped the c...
On October 14, 1987, Reba McClure and her eighteen-month-old daughter, Jessica, stopped by the Midland, Texas home of her sister for a visit. As Reba sat in the backyard watching Jessica play with som...
When Carolyn and Roger Perron moved into a small farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island, they thought they’d found the perfect house in which to raise their five daughters and enjoy the rest of their...
We are THRILLED to invite to you join our Morbid Book Club in this bonus episode that is #sponsored by our friends at @ashleyofficial. This quarter, we are serving up forensic chills with a side of cu...
Weirdos! Pack your getaway bag and get ready to hit the road for a haunted roadtrip in West Virginia! Alaina starts a trend by telling us about a chilling crime at Cabin 13 in Babcock State Forrest i...
Weirdos! We NEEDED a nostalgic moment, and decided to share it with you! This month, DebDeb has cultivated a batch of 90's tales that are brought to you By you FOR you and ALL ABOUT YOU! Check out...
(Part 2 of 2) On March 1, 1932, someone crept into a second-floor window of the home of Charles and Ann Lindbergh and kidnapped the couple’s twenty-month-old son, Charlie, leaving behind a ransom note...
On March 1, 1932, someone crept into a second-floor window of the home of Charles and Ann Lindbergh and kidnapped the couple’s twenty-month-old son, Charlie, leaving behind a ransom note demanding $50...
On January 2, 2000, eighteen-year-old Zebb Quinn finished his shift at Walmart in Ashville, North Carolina and set off to look at a used car with his co-worker, Jason Owens. Halfway to their destinati...
When Stephen Spielberg released his iconic film Jaws in the summer of 1975, he not only kicked off the phenomenon of the summer blockbuster, but also reignited the public’s fascination with and fear o...
When Stephen Spielberg released his iconic film Jaws in the summer of 1975, he not only kicked off the phenomenon of the summer blockbuster, but also reignited the public’s fascination with and fear o...
In November 1958, Frank Duncan’s pregnant wife, Olga Kupczyk, disappeared without a trace from their Santa Barbara home after enduring months of abusive treatment from her mother-in-law. A short time...
In November 1958, Frank Duncan’s pregnant wife, Olga Kupczyk, disappeared without a trace from their Santa Barbara home after enduring months of abusive treatment from her mother-in-law. A short time...
In today’s March Bonus Episode, Ash & Alaina sit down to unpack Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, the new documentary that takes a long, hard look at ANTM, the world of reality TV, and t...
Weirdos! Get ready to get abducted by this month's batch of listener tales brought to you By you FOR you and ALL ABOUT YOU! This month Listeners are giving the deets of encounters from visitors from...
In the news cycle, an elderly woman attempting to poison her husband would have garnered a pretty small amount of attention from the press, then faded away when a larger story came along. But it didn’...
Since the late nineteenth century, amusement parks have been providing countless hours of enjoyment for people all around the world. Often driven by the latest technology and advances in mechanical en...
In the summer of 1998, eighty-two-year-old New York socialite Irene Silverman disappeared from her Manhattan townhouse without a trace. Silverman’s friends were immediately concerned, as it was comple...
(Part 3 of 3) On the morning of February 8, 1983, a plumber working in London’s Muswell Hill neighbor opened a drainage cover behind a Cranley Gardens apartment building and made a horrific discovery—...
Part 2 of 3) On the morning of February 8, 1983, a plumber working in London’s Muswell Hill neighbor opened a drainage cover behind a Cranley Gardens apartment building and made a horrific discovery—t...
On the morning of February 8, 1983, a plumber working in London’s Muswell Hill neighbor opened a drainage cover behind a Cranley Gardens apartment building and made a horrific discovery—the drain was...
In the early hours of March 3, 1993, someone snuck into the Maryland home of Millie Horn, where she lived with her disabled eight-year-old son, Trevor, and his nurse, Janice Saunders. After shooting b...
Weirdos!! It's here! the second deep dive into the twisted world of the Twilight Saga! Grab your brown-tinted filters and emotional support glitter, because Ash and Alaina are back in Forks for a full...
Weirdos! We invite you to don your softest apparel, get comfy, and settle in for a batch of haunted listener tales! Nicholas DEFINITELY took note of the theme, and set the mood! This episode POPPED OF...
Lizzie Halliday was known in the late nineteenth century as “the worst woman on earth” and ended up being the first woman EVER to be sentenced to die in the electric chair. ReferencesBrooklyn Citizen....
On the afternoon of March 26, 1997, the San Diego County Sherrif’s Department received an anonymous call through 911 reporting a mass suicide at an address in Rancho Santa Fe, California. A single she...
In the early hours of March 13, 1964, twenty-eight-year-old Kitty Genovese returned home from work and parked her car in a lot near her Queens apartment, completely unaware that someone was following...
In the early summer of 1984, seventeen-year-old Gary Lauwers was murdered by his friend Richard “Ricky” Kasso in the small Long Island suburb of Northport, New York. Lauwers was stabbed more than thir...
In late 1916, while treating a group of patients at his psychiatric clinic at the University of Vienna, Dr. Constantin von Economo began noticing the appearance of strange symptoms that he could not a...
Weirdos!! On today's episode Alaina announced the third chapter in the Wren Muller series- The Butcher Legacy . Be sure to visit to PREORDER NOW by visiting butcherlegacy.com . Order NOW to get exclus...