Chicago's 1920s poison murders: Tillie Klimek allegedly killed up to seven people, including four husbands, through arsenic poisoning between 1914 and 1921, rivaling organized crime in newspaper headlines. Her murder trial exposed a shocking conspiracy involving multiple women and dominated city papers for years. Tillie Klimek collected life insurance payouts after each husband's death, establishing a clear financial motive for systematic poisoning over seven years. Arsenic was readily available as rat poison and even in cosmetics during the 1920s, allowing Klimek to poison victims' food and medication without detection for years.