Ed Gein was a serial killer in the 1950s who was the model for others, subject of many documentaries, served as the basis for untold numbers of horror movies (Silence Of The Lambs is one), the inspiration for musical group and band member names and was just all around good old fashioned nightmare fuel. As a kid I worked myself into many nights of lost sleep by reading true crime books about him and other American monsters. Here's a list of items found in and around his house the night he was arrested.
Human skulls mounted upon the cornerposts of his bed;
Human skin fashioned into a lampshade and used to upholster chair seats;
Human skullcaps, apparently in use as soup bowls;
A human heart (it is disputed where the heart was found; the deputies' reports all claim that the heart was in a saucepan on the stove, with some crime scene photographers claiming it was in a paper bag);
The head of Mary Hogan, a local tavern owner, found in a paper bag;
A ceiling light pull consisting of human lips;
A "mammary vest" crafted from the skin of a woman's torso;
A belt made from several human nipples, among many other such grisly objects;
Socks made from human flesh. .
The following is an account related to his case I had never heard before today.
"Harold Schechter, an author of several true crime books, wrote a best-selling book about the Gein case called Devian. In this book, Schechter mentions that Plainfield police officer Art Schley physically assaulted Gein during questioning by banging Gein's head and face into a brick wall; because of this, Gein's initial confession was ruled inadmissible. Schley died of a heart attack at the age of 43 shortly before Gein's trial. Many who knew him said he was so traumatized by the horror of Gein's crimes and the fear of having to testify (notably about assaulting Gein) that it led to his early death. One of his friends said, "He was a victim of Ed Gein as surely as if he had butchered him."
Gein died July 26, 1984 in a mental hospital.
Human skulls mounted upon the cornerposts of his bed;
Human skin fashioned into a lampshade and used to upholster chair seats;
Human skullcaps, apparently in use as soup bowls;
A human heart (it is disputed where the heart was found; the deputies' reports all claim that the heart was in a saucepan on the stove, with some crime scene photographers claiming it was in a paper bag);
The head of Mary Hogan, a local tavern owner, found in a paper bag;
A ceiling light pull consisting of human lips;
A "mammary vest" crafted from the skin of a woman's torso;
A belt made from several human nipples, among many other such grisly objects;
Socks made from human flesh. .
The following is an account related to his case I had never heard before today.
"Harold Schechter, an author of several true crime books, wrote a best-selling book about the Gein case called Devian. In this book, Schechter mentions that Plainfield police officer Art Schley physically assaulted Gein during questioning by banging Gein's head and face into a brick wall; because of this, Gein's initial confession was ruled inadmissible. Schley died of a heart attack at the age of 43 shortly before Gein's trial. Many who knew him said he was so traumatized by the horror of Gein's crimes and the fear of having to testify (notably about assaulting Gein) that it led to his early death. One of his friends said, "He was a victim of Ed Gein as surely as if he had butchered him."
Gein died July 26, 1984 in a mental hospital.
Picture and adapted text from Wikipedia
Posts
3 comments:
What a phsyco path. Although I have read a few books about him in the past. Very interesting.
A bad man but, couldn't hold a candle to Albert Fish
I must say that the most malignant human being award has to go to Carl Panzram. He was truly a gift to humanity. The second place winner might be Barong, from India, who was in the Thugee cult. Slew around 300 people if memory serves. I wonder how many more people would be in the running whose existence I remain happily ignorant of.
Post a Comment