The first episode of Fact or Fiction’s second season features Tillie Klimek, the black widow of Little Poland. In 1922, Tillie was arrested for poisoning her husband with a steady diet of arsenic-laced stew. Investigators soon discovered there was more to the story of the woman renowned in her community for cooking a killer stew and predicting impending deaths.
McNamara, Joseph. “Black-Widow Killings.” New York Daily News. 13 September 1992, p. 31.
Monroe, Heather. “The Strange Murders of Tillie Klimek.” Medium, Medium, 14 Nov. 2019, heathermonroe.medium.com/the-strange-murders-of-tillie-klimek-effa70912b5b.
Tillie Klimek is pictured above. I like this picture of her.
Monroe, Heather. “The Strange Murders of Tillie Klimek.” Medium, Medium, 14 Nov. 2019, heathermonroe.medium.com/the-strange-murders-of-tillie-klimek-effa70912b5b.
Works Cited
Blanco, Juan Ignacio. “Tillie Klimek: Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers.” Tillie Klimek | Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers, murderpedia.org/female.K/k/klimek-tillie.htm.
Chermak, Steven and Frankie Y. Bailey. Crimes of the Centuries: Notorious Crimes, Criminals, and Criminal Trials in American History. ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2016.
Estephe, St. Wholesale Killer of Husbands & Cousins : Tillie Klimek (Gbrurek) – 1922, 1 Jan. 1970, unknownmisandry.blogspot.com/2011/09/wholesale-killer-of-husbands-cousins.html.
“Hostess at Poison Banquets Gets Life for Her Crimes.” New York Daily News, 5 July 1925, p. 20.
“In Poison Case.” The Knoxville News, 17 November, 1922, p. 2.
“Jozef ‘Joseph’ Mitkiewecz.” geni_family_tree, 15 Jan. 2018, www.geni.com/people/Jozef-Joseph-Mitkiewecz/6000000074082231048.
Martin, Alison. “This Week in History: Chicago Serial Killer Tillie Klimek Dies in Prison.” Times, Chicago Sun-Times, 19 Nov. 2020, chicago.suntimes.com/2020/11/19/21563154/this-week-in-history-tillie-klimek-chicago-serial-killer.
McBride, Clare. “Chicago’s ‘Mrs. Bluebeard,’ Tillie Klimek.” SYFY WIRE, SYFY WIRE, 15 Oct. 2020, www.syfy.com/syfywire/chicagos-mrs-bluebeard-tillie-klimek.
McNamara, Joseph. “Black-Widow Killings.” New York Daily News. 13 September 1992, p. 31.
Monroe, Heather. “The Strange Murders of Tillie Klimek.” Medium, Medium, 14 Nov. 2019, heathermonroe.medium.com/the-strange-murders-of-tillie-klimek-effa70912b5b.
“Mystery Deaths in Poison Case May Reach 20.” Chicago Tribune. 14 November 1922, p. 3.
“Ottilie ‘Tillie’ Gburek KlimekHeather MO (1876-1936) – Find…” Find a Grave, www.findagrave.com/memorial/101602851/ottilie-klimek.
Selzer, Adam. “Tillie Klimek’s Many Victims (with Pictures).” Mysterious Chicago Tours, 16 Nov. 2015, mysteriouschicago.com/tillie-klimeks-many-victims-with-pictures/.
Swasko, Mick. “Tales from the Windy City.” Chicago Tribune, 20 October 2014, p. 33 – 36.
“Three Sons, Daughter Testify Against ‘Poison Cousin.’” Chicago Tribune. 10 April 1923, p. 3.