Isabella Mueller (crime writer)
The last person to be executed in Gmünd was Eva Kary, who allegedly killed her husband with arsenic. Eva Kary was born Eva Faschauner on December 21, 1737, in Malta, Carinthia, and her life remains a fascinating and tragic chapter in Carinthian history to this day. Eva’s life reflects the challenges and injustices faced by women of her time. Eva was born to mountain farmer Christian Faschauner and his wife Maria vom Maltaberg. Eva grew up on the prosperous Faschauner farm. As there were no male heirs, her father Christian offered her the opportunity to run the farm together with a husband. However, she rejected several suitors until Jakob Kary, a heavily indebted farmer better known as the Hörlbauer from Untermalta, sent his matchmakers in 1770. For Jakob, marrying Eva was the only way to get rid of his financial worries. For Eva, on the other hand, marriage was the only way to get her inheritance. Even before the wedding on February 7, 1770, in the parish church of Malta, Eva’s father not only took over Jakob’s debts, but also the entire cost of the wedding. At first, it seemed as if both would achieve their goals, but fate had an unforeseen plan in store. Eva had only been married for four weeks and five days and was already so unhappy in her marriage. On March 9, 1770, Eva had prepared the traditional Lenten dish of curd dumplings for lunch, a popular dish in the region. Eva served the leftovers from lunch to her husband and his mother during their afternoon break. Eva herself did not eat any of it because she was feeling unwell. After eating the curd dumplings, both Jakob and his mother suffered from nausea and vomiting. Jakob’s health deteriorated steadily, and he died on March 11, 1770. Meanwhile, his mother slowly recovered. Rumors spread quickly in the small village. The villagers began to whisper that Jakob’s death might not have been natural. And so suspicion fell on Eva Kary. Jakob’s lips and face had a bluish tinge, which was considered a sign of arsenic poisoning. The accusations against Eva were reinforced mainly by her apparent lack of concern about her husband’s death. The village community could not understand why she did not mourn her deceased husband, and soon it was whispered that she had something to do with Jakob’s death. The Count Lodron’s rule in Gmünd became aware of the rumors and invited Eva in for questioning. During this interrogation, she was asked whether her farm, “Hüttrach,” contained what was at that time a synonym for the poisonous arsenic. Eva denied this, but the reality was that many farms used arsenic to treat animal diseases. It was therefore entirely possible that her farm was also equipped with it, which was later proven to be the case. Despite her explanation, the mistrust did not diminish. The villagers were convinced that Eva was responsible for Jakob’s death, and soon after, a commission was set up to investigate the case more closely. Jakob Kary’s body was exhumed and autopsied in the tower room of the Kronegghof by the doctor Anton Karl von Willburg. It quickly became clear that the farmer had been poisoned with arsenic. The juice taken from his stomach and intestines was poured onto hot coals, and as it gave off a garlic smell, which was typical of arsenic poisoning, there was no longer any doubt that Jakob had been poisoned. At the same time, Eva was charged and locked up in the “Keuchen,” the dungeon of Gmünd. This marked the beginning of a dark chapter in Eva’s life. Eva, who did not confess, spent a long time in the dungeon under inhumane conditions. Then, in June 1772, the trial was transferred to the ban judge Benedict Alphons von Emperger. During the interrogation, Eva confessed that there had probably been something in the curd dumplings, but that she did not know how it had got there. He then applied to the higher provincial authorities for permission to carry out a painful interrogation, meaning torture. Torture was used as a method of obtaining confessions. This was permitted under the Theresian Criminal Code. In February 1773, Eva was subjected to painful interrogation, for which she was tied up. Eva was placed on a stool and leaned against a ladder, then her hands and feet were tied with ropes. These were pulled tight with rollers by the executioner’s assistants. Eva finally confessed under pain that she had poisoned her husband with arsenic to get rid of him. She had broken off a pea-sized piece from a small box, known as an Almerkastl, in the upper compartment of which was a linen bag containing a chunk of arsenic. She had ground this up and mixed it into the lard in which she had fried the curd dumplings. This confession, made under duress, was to seal her conviction. On February 16, 1773, the verdict was handed down. Eva Kary was sentenced to death by the sword. In a desperate attempt to save her life, Eva turned to the then Empress Maria Theresa and begged for mercy. Her plea led to the execution of the sentence being postponed for the time being, but she was unable to prevent the execution entirely. On November 9, 1773, Eva Kary was finally executed at the place of execution in Gmünd, known as Galgenbichl. Before Eva was beheaded, her right hand was cut off. It was the last execution to be carried out there. Eva Kary thus became not only the last woman to be executed in Gmünd, but also the last person to be forced to confess through torture. Just three years later, Maria Theresa abolished torture in Austria. The story of Eva Kary is a powerful example of how social norms and prejudices can affect an individual’s life. At a time when women often had no voice, Eva fell victim to intrigue and mistrust. Her fate shows the brutality of the legal system at the time and the ruthlessness of the village community. The question remains whether Eva was actually guilty or whether she was simply the scapegoat needed in a time of doubt and fear. The sad end of Eva Kary leaves us with the insight that history is often written from the perspectives of the powerful, while the voices of the weaker, such as Eva’s, are lost in silence. However, to this day, numerous publications commemorate their tragic lives, making Eva Kary immortal.
