The first 45 years of Tillie Klimek’s life reads like a
book entitled “The Average 18th Century Immigrant.”
Polish born, Tillie immigrated to Chicago with her parents when she was
four. Her life from there was relatively normal for a woman of her time; she
got married, had four children, was widowed, and remarried. Appearances can be
deceiving, however, and behind Tillie’s plain facade lurked a cold and
calculating killer.
Tillie had always claimed to be a psychic, and “predicted”
the deaths of neighborhood animals with stunning accuracy. A month after
her first husband died in 1914 (reports are sketchy as to whether or not she “predicted”
his death as well or if he died of natural causes), Tillie married a man
named John Ruskowski. Shortly thereafter, Tillie predicted his death and three
months after the wedding, John died. Tillie collected life insurance payments from each of her husbands,
totaling over $2,000.
Ostensibly to recover, Tillie and her lover, Joseph Guskowski,
traveled to Milwaukee. On the way home, Tillie confessed that she was
responsible for her husband’s deaths and proceeded to hint that
she wanted to marry Joseph. Being a reasonable man, Joseph declined to propose.
Prepared for this eventuality, Tillie threatened to turn Joseph into the police
for violation of the the Mann Act, which forbid “immoral behavior”
like premarital sex. Joseph in turn threatened to turn Tilly in for the
murder of her two husbands. At an impasse, the two agreed not to involve the
police and parted ways. A few weeks
later, Joseph met an untimely end, although Tillie didn't predict it this time.
Tillie didn't marry again for another 5 years, most likely
because she was afraid of being caught after her argument with Joseph. In 1919,
Tillie married Frank Kupezyk and moved to 924 Winchester, which is still known
as “"Old Lady Tillie Klimek's Haunted House.”
The marriage was not a happy one, and two years later, Frank took ill
and was bedridden. As he lay dying, Tillie dutifully sat beside him almost the
whole time; except instead of comforting him, she was knitting her mourning
veil in anticipation of his death.
At some point during Frank’s illness, Tillie
noticed a casket on sale for $30, which she eagerly told her landlady about.
When the landlady asked why she wanted a casket, Tillie responded cheerfully, “My
man, he’s got only two inches to live.”
Tillie bought the casket and stored it in her slightly disturbed
landlady’s basement. Frank died shortly thereafter, but no one
connected Tillie with his murder; Tillie’s psychic powers
were legendary in the tight knit Polish community, so everyone just assumed she
purchased Frank’s casket after foreseeing his death.
At Frank’s funeral, Tillie danced happily and
even picked up Frank’s body and shouted in his ear. At the
funeral, Tillie met Joseph Klimek, the man destined to be her last husband. A
50-year old widower, Klimek was suffering from loneliness and, as he put it, in
need of a “home.” A
few weeks after the funeral Klimek called on Tillie and a budding romance
ensued. The two were married a short time later and Frank found his loving home
at 924 Winchester.
Shortly after the marriage began, Frank predictably became ill.
This time, however, Tillie’s plot was interrupted by Frank’s
brother John. Noting the odd symptoms of Frank’s illness, John had
him examined by his personal physician. To the surprise of everyone (except
perhaps Tillie and to a lesser extent, John), the doctor found that Frank was
suffering from arsenic poisoning and Tillie was arrested for attempted murder.
When police discovered how many of Tillie’s husbands had died
under mysterious circumstances, they become suspicious and initiated a full
scale investigation. When Frank Kupezyk’s body was exhumed, traces of arsenic
were discovered and Tillie was charged with his murder as well. The
investigation didn't stop there, however; by the time policed finished, they
discovered that with the help of her cousin Nellie, Tillie had killed 12
people, including several of her cousins. In addition to the dead, seven people
came forward claiming that they became ill after eating Tillie’s
cooking, including her nephew and several neighbors with whom Tilly had
quarreled with.
Tillie was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison,
the harshest punishment ever assigned to a woman in Cook County. Tillie proved
to be a model prisoner and by all accounts actually enjoyed prison, as it gave
her time to catch up on her “spring sewing.”
She also professed to enjoy the food-although for obvious reasons, she
wasn’t allowed to cook. After a 13 year incarceration, Tillie Klimek died on November 20,
1936 at the age of 60.
I wonder if her deceased husbands were all waiting for her to
arrive in hell!
