Editing Carl Panzram
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'''[[File:Carl-panzram.png|thumb]]Carl Panzram''' was an American serial killer, rapist, arsonist and burglar. He is known for his confession to prison guard and only friend, Henry Lesser. In graphic detail, Panzram confessed to 22 murders, and to having sodomized over 1,000 males. He used aliases such as "Carl Baldwin", "Jack Allen" and "Jefferson Baldwin" in Oregon; "Jeff Davis" in Idaho and Montana; "Jefferson Davis" in California and Montana; "Jeff Rhodes" in Montana; "John King"; and "John O'Leary" in New York. | |||
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==History== | ==History== | ||
Born | Born Charles Panzram in Minnesota, the son of Prussian immigrants, Johann "John" and Matilda Panzram, he was raised on his family's farm. By his teens he was an alcoholic and was repeatedly in trouble with the authorities, often for burglary and theft. He ran away from home at the age of 14 and claimed to have been gang raped by a pack of hobos. | ||
In adulthood, Panzram was a prolific thief and was caught and imprisoned multiple times. While incarcerated, Panzram frequently got into trouble by attacking guards and refusing to follow their orders. The guards retaliated, subjecting him to beatings and other punishments. Panzram served a jail sentence from 1908 to 1910 at Fort Leavenworth's United States Disciplinary Barracks for larceny shortly after enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1907. William Howard Taft, the future president, was then Secretary of War approved the sentence. In August 1920, Panzram burgled Taft's New Haven home, stealing a large amount of jewelry and bonds, as well as Taft's Colt M1911 .45 caliber handgun, which Panzram then used in several murders. | In adulthood, Panzram was a prolific thief, and was caught and imprisoned multiple times. While incarcerated, Panzram frequently got into trouble by attacking guards and refusing to follow their orders. The guards retaliated, subjecting him to beatings and other punishments. Panzram served a jail sentence from 1908 to 1910 at Fort Leavenworth's United States Disciplinary Barracks for larceny shortly after enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1907. William Howard Taft, the future president, was then Secretary of War approved the sentence. In August 1920, Panzram burgled Taft's New Haven home, stealing a large amount of jewelry and bonds, as well as Taft's Colt M1911 .45 caliber handgun, which Panzram then used in several murders. | ||
In his autobiography, Panzram wrote that he was "rage personified", and he would often rape men whom he robbed, not necessarily because he was homosexual, but because it was his method of dominating and humiliating people. He was noted as having extreme physical strength, which aided him in overpowering most men he encountered. He also engaged in vandalism and arson, at one point considering an ambitious plot to scuttle a British warship docked in New York harbor in order to provoke a war between Britain and the United States. | In his autobiography, Panzram wrote that he was "rage personified", and he would often rape men whom he robbed, not necessarily because he was homosexual, but because it was his method of dominating and humiliating people. He was noted as having extreme physical strength, which aided him in overpowering most men he encountered. He also engaged in vandalism and arson, at one point considering an ambitious plot to scuttle a British warship docked in New York harbor in order to provoke a war between Britain and the United States. | ||
By his own admission, one of the few times he did not engage in criminal activities was when he was "employed" as a strikebreaker against union employees. On another occasion, he tried to sign aboard as a ship's steward on a US Army Transport vessel but was discharged when he reported | By his own admission, one of the few times he did not engage in criminal activities was when he was "employed" as a strikebreaker against union employees. On another occasion, he tried to sign aboard as a ship's steward on a US Army Transport vessel, but was discharged when he reported to work intoxicated. He served time in prisons in California; Texas; Idaho; Montana (#3194); Oregon (#7390); Connecticut; New York's Sing Sing (#75182); Clinton Correctional Facility New York; Washington D.C. (#33379); and Leavenworth, Kansas (#31614). | ||
===Early crimes=== | ===Early crimes=== | ||
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In light of his extensive criminal record, he was handed a 25-year sentence which was to be served at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. "I'll kill the first man that bothers me," Panzram told the warden; on June 20, 1929 he killed Robert Warnke, foreman of the prison laundry in Leavenworth, battering him to death with an iron bar. Panzram was sentenced to death. He refused to appeal, even threatening to kill human rights groups that attempted to appeal on his behalf. | In light of his extensive criminal record, he was handed a 25-year sentence which was to be served at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. "I'll kill the first man that bothers me," Panzram told the warden; on June 20, 1929 he killed Robert Warnke, foreman of the prison laundry in Leavenworth, battering him to death with an iron bar. Panzram was sentenced to death. He refused to appeal, even threatening to kill human rights groups that attempted to appeal on his behalf. | ||
Panzram was hanged on September 5, 1930. When they put the noose around his neck, he allegedly spat in his executioner's face and declared, "I wish the entire human race had one neck, and I had my hands around it!" When asked by the executioner if he had any last words, Panzram barked, "Yes, hurry it up, you Hoosier bastard! I could kill ten men while you're fooling around!" | Panzram was hanged on September 5, 1930. When they put the noose around his neck, he allegedly spat in his executioner's face and declared, "I wish the entire human race had one neck, and I had my hands around it!" When asked by the executioner if he had any last words, Panzram barked, "Yes, hurry it up, you Hoosier bastard! I could kill ten men while you're fooling around!" | ||
===Aftermath=== | ===Aftermath=== | ||
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Henry Lesser pressed for the manuscript to be published for forty years, and it finally was released in 1970 as Killer: A Journal of Murder. It has gone through a number of reprints, the latest being in 2002. The 1996 movie Killer: A Journal Of Murder was based on Panzram's final years, with [[wikipedia:James Woods|James Woods]] as Panzram and [[wikipedia:Robert Sean Leonard|Robert Sean Leonard]] as Lesser. Lesser donated the Carl Panzram papers (archival material) to the San Diego State University in 1980. | Henry Lesser pressed for the manuscript to be published for forty years, and it finally was released in 1970 as Killer: A Journal of Murder. It has gone through a number of reprints, the latest being in 2002. The 1996 movie Killer: A Journal Of Murder was based on Panzram's final years, with [[wikipedia:James Woods|James Woods]] as Panzram and [[wikipedia:Robert Sean Leonard|Robert Sean Leonard]] as Lesser. Lesser donated the Carl Panzram papers (archival material) to the San Diego State University in 1980. | ||
[[Category:List]] | [[Category:List]] | ||
[[Category:Male]] | [[Category:Male Villains]] | ||
[[Category:Absolute Evil]] | |||
[[Category:Murderer]] | |||
[[Category:Sadists]] | [[Category:Sadists]] | ||
[[Category:Child Abusers]] | |||
[[Category:Criminals]] | [[Category:Criminals]] | ||
[[Category:Power Hungry]] | [[Category:Power Hungry]] | ||
[[Category:Mass Murderer]] | |||
[[Category:Rapists]] | |||
[[Category:Arsonist]] | [[Category:Arsonist]] | ||
[[Category:Serial Killer]] | [[Category:Serial Killer]] | ||
[[Category:Misanthropes]] | [[Category:Misanthropes]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Completely Insane]] | ||