Monday, November 25, 2013

A Bloody Monday Mystery...!

Here is an interesting story from the folks over at KnowledgeNuts that I figured you might like! You might even recognize on of the characters involved!

Seems like folks are always finding ways to do away with others! Been that way for a long time, I reckon. Just mankind being human, or almost human!

The Mad Butcher Of Kingsbury Run
By Aaron Short on Sunday, November 24, 2013

In Cleveland in the 1930s, a serial killer stalked the shantytown of Kingsbury Run, dismembering his victims with surgical precision. He was called “The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run,” or just “The Torso Killer.” The detective out to stop him was Elliot Ness, the same Elliot Ness who’d tangled with Al Capone a few years earlier. Even though a suspect was eventually arrested, the “Torso Killer” may have escaped to carry on killing—Elliot Ness received taunting letters for the rest of his life.

In Cleveland, a few years after the Prohibition Era had ended, a serial killer stalked the streets, hunted by no less than Elliot Ness: the legendary detective who’d fought a long, drawn-out battle with Al Capone. This killer, also sometimes known as The Cleveland Torso Murderer, dissected bodies with surgical precision, removing the head while the victim was still alive in most cases, leaving behind chemically treated torsos. Starting in the year 1934, he claimed 13 victims, both male and female.

The victims were nearly all vagrants who came from the Kingsbury Run area—a dilapidated ghetto of shanty houses that had been erected by the poor during the Depression. A cat-and-mouse game erupted between Ness and the Butcher. Ness’s tactics were just as heavy-handed as the ones he’d used against Capone and the bootleggers. He raided Kingsbury Run, arresting all the vagrants. After the town was evacuated and all the vagrants fingerprinted, it was burned down. Ness believed this would deprive the butcher of victims, but it just resulted in public backlash.

Eventually, the police arrested a suspect who ended up confessing—but only after being interrogated continuously for more than 40 hours. Many who have since investigated the case doubt that the arrest suspect was the Butcher due to lack of evidence and the manner of his confession. In any case, the suspect killed himself before his broken testimony could go to court—and to end rampant press coverage and increasing public hysteria, the case was labeled “closed.” Although the killings stopped abruptly after that, Elliot Ness would receive taunting messages and postcards for the rest of his life that claimed to be from the Butcher himself.

I can't imagine what it would be like to go through the rest of your professional life being haunted by the likes of a mad killer! Might make you jump at shadows, ya know?

Coffee and hot chocolate in the kitchen this morning. 40 degrees outside is just too cold for this old man!

7 comments:

Chickenmom said...

Found that fascinating, Mr. Hermit - had to look up more info. Here's a good article on it:http://www.prairieghosts.com/torso.html
The article had a lot of info I never knew about Mr. Ness. Always watched the 'Untouchables' on tv way back then.
Excellent Monday Mystery, Mr. Hermit!
15 degrees here and the hot chocolate sounds wonderful!

Mamahen said...

I agree with Cm, great post and at 16° a. cuo of anything hot sounds nice!

linda m said...

I loved watching the "Untouchables" when it was on TV. Being "stalked" for the rest of my life is not something I would want to have inflicted on me. Coffee inside sounds good as it is snowing, windy and 23 degrees. Whatever is hot will be gratefully accepted.

Momlady said...

Mystery Monday is fun. Perhaps something a little less bloody next time. Seems all you hear and see these days has to do with blood and gore.

JO said...

I did read something like this before. I don't think I would like being sent reminders that I missed arresting the right guy.

Were at 40 too. But the folks above have it really tough now. That's why I move here. I'll take the nice hot coffee.

Dizzy-Dick said...

Elliot Ness was not very well liked by the anti-prohibition guys and I guess the murderer, too, although this guy sent Ness "love" letters (grin).

HermitJim said...

Hey Phyllis...
Glad you liked the mystery today.

Given how old the show was, it was pretty good!

Thanks for coming over today!



Hey Mamahen...
WOW! that's way too cold for me!

Hot drinks coming up!

Thanks for coming by today!



Hey Linda M...
I follow that same way of thinking!

Even at 40 here. the rain makes it seem colder.

Thanks for coming over today.



Hey Momlady...
This one is a little more bloody than usual. Couldn't
help myself.

Thanks for coming by this morning!



Hey Jo...
It would sort of ruin your day!

Thanks, sweetie, for coming by this morning.



Hey Dizzy...
I reckon that he had a lot to do with some of the kick-backs being withdrawn.

Not the kind of notes I want in my mail box!

Thanks for dropping by today!