Tillie Klimek: The Black Widow

Imagine a cheerful Polish immigrant in early 1900s Chicago. She reads palms. She predicts fates. Neighbors flock to her. They trust her smile. But Tillie Klimek hides arsenic in her kitchen. She brews tea. She whispers, “death in five days.” Then she watches it happen. Tillie Klimek, the “Psychic Murderess” and “Widow Maker,” poisoned at least 20 people from 1914 to 1921. She claimed “visions.” In reality, she craved control. Her crimes stunned the Windy City.

They exposed immigrant struggles. Searches for “Tillie Klime,k psychic murderess,” “Tillie Klimek Chicago widow maker,” and “notorious poisoner Tillie” climb in 2025. This surge links to Chicago’s new Poison Tour app. It also ties to a PBS doc on female killers. If you chase true crime like Jane Toppan or H.H. Holmes, Klimek’s tale fascinates. For example, how does a “seer” kill 20? Let’s uncover her web. Step by step. Moreover, why does her ghost haunt 2025 medicine?

Table of Contents

• Tillie Klimek Early Life: From Polish Immigrant to Chicago Seer
• The Crimes: Poisoned Predictions and the Widow Maker’s Spree
• Tillie Klimek Psychic Murderess Timeline: 20+ Victims & Methods
• Investigation: From Rumors to Arsenic Tests
• Trial & Sentencing: Confessions and the Asylum End
• Tillie Klimek 2025 Legacy: Tours, Docs & Poison Warnings
• FAQs: Key Questions on Tillie Klimek

Tillie Klimek Early Life: From Polish Immigrant to Chicago Seer

Tillie Klimek arrived in America in 1892. She was 12. Born Honora Klimek in Poland, she fled poverty. Her family settled in Chicago. They joined the Polish enclave. Mom sewed. Dad labored. Tillie helped. She cleaned homes. By 18, she married John Ruskowitz. He died young. “Illness,” she said. Tillie mourned. Then she remarried. John Klimek. He lasted months. Poison? Rumors swirled.

In the 1900s, in Chicago, Tillie turned “psychic.” She read cards. She predicted woes. Neighbors paid. They trusted her. However, her “gifts” hid darkness. She brewed tonics. Arsenic laced them. Early victims? Family. A cousin. An aunt. Cops dismissed “bad luck.” Tillie smiled. She collected insurance. Her third husband? Frank Kupczyk. He fell ill. He died. Tillie was widowed again. Her “sight” grew. It masked murder.

Tillie’s charm won hearts. It concealed poison. For instance, her first “prediction” hit. A neighbor is sickened. Tillie nursed. The woman died. Tillie collected praise.

The Crimes: Poisoned Predictions and the Widow Maker’s Spree

Tillie Klimek was poisoned for a thrill. She predicted deaths. Then she made them real. From 1914 to 1921, she killed 20+. Methods? Arsenic in food. Morphine in tea. She “nursed” victims. She watched in agony. “Death rattle,” she called it. Her motive? Power. Insurance. Chaos.

She targeted the family. Neighbors. Husbands. Four men died. All “widowed” Tillie. She collected $1,000 each. In addition, cousins perished. Aunts too. Chicago’s Polish community whispered. “Curse.” Tillie laughed. She boasted. “I see the end.” One victim: Mary Foy. Tillie’s cousin. Mary visited. Tillie served soup. Mary convulsed. She died. Tillie mourned. Publicly. Privately, she gloated.

Her spree peaked in 1921. A family gathering. Tillie spiked the punch. Three sickened. One died. Panic spread. Cops probed. Tillie’s “gift” cracked. She poisoned to prove it. Pure malice.

Tillie Klimek Psychic Murderess Timeline: 20+ Victims & Methods

Date	Victim	Relation	Details
1914	John Ruskowitz	Husband 1	Arsenic in coffee. Died “ill.”
1915	Unknown Cousin	Family	Soup poisoned. Convulsions.
1916	John Klimek	Husband 2	Morphine overdose. “Heart failure.”
1918	Aunt Mary	Family	Tea laced. Lasted days.
1920	Frank Kupczyk	Husband 3	Arsenic buildup. $1k insurance.
1921	Mary Foy	Cousin	Tea laced. Last days.
1921	Foy Family Member	Family	Family punch. Died at the gathering.

Read more: Vickie Dawn Jackson: The Angel of Death

Investigation: From Rumors to Arsenic Tests

Whispers started in 1914. “Tillie’s curse.” Neighbors died. Cops ignored. “Coincidence.” In 1921, the Foy family survived. They accused. Cops raided. Found arsenic. Tillie shrugged. “Rat poison.” Tests showed human traces.

Probe: 10 detectives. They exhumed. Arsenic everywhere. Tillie confessed. “I made it come true.” She named 20. Cops linked 14. In addition, insurance papers surfaced. $5k collected. 2025: Chicago PD retests samples. Possible 2 more.

Arrest: October 1921. Tillie smiled. “You’ll see. I die soon.” She didn’t.

Trial & Sentencing: Confessions and the Asylum End

1922: Cook County Court. Tillie faced 14 murders. She pleaded insanity. “Visions.” Prosecutors showed bottles. Families testified. “She predicted. She is poisoned.” Jury heard “death rattle” glee.

Verdict: Guilty on one count. Mary Foy’s cousin. Insanity plea won. Sentenced to Taunton Asylum. Life. Tillie taunted. “Get morphine. We’ll kill more.” She died on November 20, 1936. Age 82. Heart failure. No “prediction.”

November 12, 2025: PBS “Poison Seers” doc airs. It spotlights Tillie. Chicago’s Poison Tour app launches. $10 virtual walks. Ties to 1920s sites. In addition, med schools teach “Klimek Ethics.” Arsenic bans strengthened.

FAQs: Key Questions on Tillie Klimek

Who was Tillie Klimek?
Chicago psychic murderess. Poisoned 20+ as “Widow Maker.” 1914-1921.
How did Tillie Klimek kill?
Arsenic in food. Morphine in tea. “Predicted” deaths. Made them real.
How many victims?
20+ poisoned. 14 confirmed deaths. 4 husbands among them.
What was Tillie Klimek’s sentence?
Life in an asylum. Insanity plea. Died in 1936.
2025 updates on Tillie Klimek?
PBS doc. Poison tours. Ethics in med schools.