Читать книгу Real Vampires, Night Stalkers and Creatures from the Darkside - Brad Steiger - Страница 22

In their Perverse Crimes in History, R.E.L. Masters and Eduard Lea identify Fritz Haarmann as one of the vampire breed, but add that it is “somewhat more accurate to regard him as a homosexual sadist and lust murderer—and of course as a cannibal.” Haarmann had at least a six-year reign of terror (1918–1924) before he was apprehended by the authorities. During that time, he cannibalized as many as 50 victims. However, some researchers point out the alarming statistics that during that same period of time over 600 boys disappeared from Hanover, Germany, a city of about 450,000.

Some of his posthumous analysts and biographers have characterized him as a dull and stupid youth who served a number of jail sentences for child-molestation, indecent exposure, and homosexuality. Haarmann’s antisocial acts graduated from the petty to the perverse when he became enamored with a young male prostitute, Hans Grans.

Haarmann, then in his forties, had made a token effort to work at gainful employment and had opened a small combination butcher shop and restaurant. With the urging of Grans, Haarmann would lure a young man to his shop, overpower him, and begin biting and chewing at his throat. In some instances, he did not cease his bloody attack until he had nearly eaten the head away from the body.

After Haarmann had satisfied his desire for blood and flesh, the body of the victim would be butchered and made into steaks, sausages, and other cuts of meat. Both Haarmann and Grans ate regular meals from their private stock of human flesh. What they didn’t eat, Haarmann sold in his butcher shop. His patrons never questioned how it was that his shop always had choice cuts of meat for sale when fresh meat became scarce in other stores throughout the city.

When the sensational news of Haarmann’s vampirism and butchery came to light, there may have been a number of citizens of Hanover who were horrified to consider that by patronizing his butcher shop they had become unwitting cannibals.

After his conviction at about the age of 46, Haarmann was beheaded with a sword. His brain was removed from its skull and delivered to Göttingen University for study.