[4] He was buried in the Sing Sing Prison Cemetery. 10 Worst Childhood. An error has occured while loading the map. Hamilton Howard "Albert" Fish[1] (May 19, 1870 January 16, 1936) was an American serial killer, rapist, child molester, and cannibal who committed at least three child murders from July 1924 to June 1928. They agreed that he was not mentally sick and didnt suffer from psychosis. They sailed from San Francisco to Hong Kong China. [35] Police matched the description of the child to Gaffney. Fish subsequently took Grace to an abandoned house he had previously picked out to use for the murder of his next victim, "Wisteria Cottage" at 359 Mountain Road,[notes 1] located in the East Irvington neighborhood of Irvington, New York. Albert Fish was born in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 1870, to Randall (1795 - October 16, 1875) and Ellen (ne Howell; 1838-c. 1903) Fish. He changed his name to Albert after he had been given the nickname "Ham & Eggs.". His father was an American of English descent, and his mother was Scots-Irish American. List of serial killers in the United States, "Albert Fish, 65, Pays Penalty at Sing Sing", "Wife Accuses Caretaker as Abductor Who Vanished With Girl Two Years Ago", "New York City City Marriage Records, 1829-1940", Albert Fish: The Life & Crimes of One of America's Most Deranged Killers. Six Year Investigation: The investigation into the disappearance of Grace Budd went on for six years before detectives received any substantial break in the case. Despite the numerous psychiatrists who described Fish as insane, the jury found him sane and guilty after a 10-day trial. When she screamed at the sight of him, he grabbed her before she could flee. Fish took Grace, dressed in her Sunday best, to his house upstate, the same one he had intended to use as a torture chamber for her brother. The descriptions of these acts were so vile and disgusting that they were never made public even though they were submitted as evidence in court. By 1917, Fish was having difficulty concealing the symptoms of severe mental illness leading his wife to leave him for another man. When we got there, I told her to remain outside. Charles Hoff/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesAlbert Fish was a slight, frail man, often described as gray-faced and inconspicuous. Many in his family including both of his parents and at least one sibling suffered severe mental illness. Wikimedia CommonsAn X-ray of Albert Fishs pelvis, showing 29 needles embedded into the area. Albert Fish was born Hamilton Fish on May 19, 1870, in Washington, D.C., to a 75-year-old Potomac River boat captain and a mother who suffered from auditory and visual But suddenly Fishs interest shifted. One game included the nail filled paddle Fish used on his victims. I ate every bit of the meat in about four days. Hamilton Howard "Albert" Fish, a.k.a. Albert Fish; six children: four sons (Albert, John, Eugene & Henry), two daughters (Anna and Gertrude), . One Last Letter: The writer tortured Mrs. Budd with details about the empty house her daughter was taken to in Worcester, New York. [9][38] They found him to be sane and guilty, and the judge sentenced the defendant to death by electrocution. Son of Randall Fish and Ellen Francis Fish Then I cut him up. When he was tried for the murder and dismemberment of Grace Budd, his children . [citation needed], McDonnell's friends told the police that he was taken by an elderly man with a grey moustache. [25], On May 25, 1928, Fish saw a classified advertisement in the Sunday edition of the New York World that read, "Young man, 18, wishes position in country. He would ask the children to paddle him with the weapon until blood ran down his legs. He began to look for vulnerable children, such as intellectually disabled orphans or homeless Black children youths that he assumed wouldnt be missed. At that time they recalled Fish occasionally asking them to participate in his sadomasochistic games. He kept him tied up for two weeks and cut half of his penis. He was also known as the Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria, the Brooklyn Vampire, the Moon Maniac, and The Boogey Man.. I whipped his bare behind till the blood ran from his legs. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Bettmann/Getty ImagesSerial killer Albert Fish claimed to have murdered a child in every state. He testified that Fish was abnormal but sane. Ann Bates , Stephen Batchelder, Blanche de BRIENNE , Guillaume de FIENNES, Margaret de Ros , Reginald de Grey. Albert Fish was born on May 19, 1870, in Washington, D.C., to Randall and Ellen Fish. The investigation into Grace's disappearance went on for six years before detectives received a substantial break in the case. Albert Fish, One of the Most Notorious Serial Killers in America's The McDonnell murder remained unsolved until the murder of Grace Budd. Fish's Crimes Against Children Begins: According to Fish, in 1890 he relocated to New York City and began his crimes against children. Albert Eugene Fish was born on month day 1915, at birth place, Connecticut, to Howard Earnest Fish and Francis Amber Fish (born Clark). Fish failed to appear on the day promised but sent a telegram apologizing and setting a new date to meet with the boys. Billy had disappeared while playing with a neighbor in Brooklyn on February 11, 1927. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. His father was of English ancestry and his mother was born in Ireland. [3], Fish was apprehended on December 13, 1934, and put on trial for the kidnapping and murder of Grace Budd. At the time of his birth, Albert's father was 75 years old, 43 years older than his wife. He also found enjoyment from pushing needles deep into his skin. While he never violently abused his own, Fish continued raping and torturing other children throughout their childhood. He regularly had sex with the prison inmates there. Next day about 2 P.M., I took tools, a good heavy cat-of-nine tails. The job seemed ideal, and the Budd . He instead lathered peroxide on his wound, covered it with a handkerchief and left a $10 bill for his troubles. Not only was his brother in an asylum, but his uncle had been diagnosed with mania while his mother routinely experienced visual hallucinations. Fish had no known profession, but is believed to have been a transient. Fortunately, her mother saw him and chased him away. Although no one was ever able to find Billys remains, people were able to locate the body of Fishs third confirmed victim relatively quickly. It was at that time the children recall Fish occasionally asking them to participate in his sado-masochistic games. His mother had visual hallucinations. Admits New Crimes; Death in Electric Chair Fixed for Week of April 29, 1935. When asked about Billy Gaffney, Beaton said the bogeyman took him. Fish is said to have helped the executioner position the electrodes on his body. Cannibal Serial Killers. His father had English roots, while his mother was of Scottish and Irish descent. Following her departure, he started to have auditory hallucinations. He was arrested in 1928 for the murder of Grace Budd, and was later executed in 1936. FISH DIES AT AGE OF 86 AIKEN, S. C.. Jan. 15 (AP), Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51688841/phebe-estella-wilcox, Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74073798/randall-fish, Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, United States, Ossining, Westchester County, New York, United States, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, 1791-1963, http://crime.about.com/od/serial/p/albertfish.htm. When she saw me all naked she began to cry and tried to run down stairs. An X-ray of Albert Fishs pelvis, showing 29 needles embedded into the area. After his marriage ended, Fish wrote to women listed in the personal columns of newspapers, describing in graphic detail the sexual acts he would like to share with them. Montaldo, Charles. Many experts said that Fishs perversions were socially perfectly alright and he was punishing himself to get sexual gratification. Murderer. Despite numerous psychiatrists involved in the trial supporting the insanity plea, however, the jury found Fish sane enough to found guilty. In 1894 a friend of mine shipped as a deckhand on the steamer Tacoma, Capt John Davis. On March 11, 1935, Albert Fishs trial for Graces murder began in White Plains, New York. 13 Horrifying Albert Fish Facts You Didn't Know - hardcoretruecrime.com Beatons brother briefly left to check on his sister, and when he returned, the two young boys had disappeared. He had a family history of mental illness. [5] He spent 108days in jail between his arrest and trial on December 22, 1930. Francis McDonnell was reported missing on 14th July, 1924. [29][30][31], The letter was delivered in an envelope that had a small hexagonal emblem with the letters "N.Y.P.C.B.A." Horrifying tale of America's most twisted serial killer who drank blood [12][15], Several years later, around 1910, Fish was working in Wilmington, Delaware, when he met a 19-year-old man named Thomas Kedden. Stripped him naked and tied his hands and feet and gagged him with a piece of dirty rag I picked out of the dump. Fish's mother, Ellen, did not have enough money alone to support the family so she placed him in St. John's Orphanage in D.C. and finally retrieved him in 1880 . The man then dragged the little boy off of the trolley. S. C., Jan. 5, Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau County, MO, USA, 28, 1935. There is no house at #379, and the house pictured in the article is #359. Nevertheless, he was executed for the kidnapping and murder of Grace Budd. Fishs self-harm grew thereafter, from pressing more and more needles into his groin to stuffing wool covered in lighter fluid into his anus and setting it on fire. His real name is Hamilton Howard but he is also known as the Gray Man, Werewolf of Mysteria, Brooklyn Vampire, Ham & Eggs, Moon Maniac, and The Boogeyman. "Biography of Albert Fish, Serial Killer." Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Gouged out his eyes. While its generally believed he killed anywhere between three and nine victims, Fish himself had another figure in mind. He was never seen again. The chief investigator, William F. King, was waiting for him at his homes door when Fish charged at him with a razor blade. While it is still unknown whether their relationship was consensual or not, he confessed to the fact that Kedden was intellectually disabled. Never heard what become of him, or tried to find out," Fish said. Mrs. Budd was illiterate and could not read the letter herself, so she had her son read it to her. [22], Despite already being married, Fish married Estella Wilcox on February 6, 1930, in Waterloo, New York; they divorced after only one week. Fish supplied the following biographical information in captivity: "I was born May 19, 1870, in Washington, D.C. We lived on B Street, N.E., between Second and Third. 10 Chilling Facts About Serial Killer Albert Fish - Listverse The last witness, James Vavasour, repeated Lambert's opinion. Took them to his home stripped them naked tied them in a closet then burned everything they had on. Albert Fish (19 of May of 1870 - 16 of January of 1936) was a serial killer and cannibal born in the United States, whose victims were only children. I saw his thick grey hair and his drooping grey moustache. He responded to an ad looking for work placed in the newspaper by Edward Budd. It was about this time that Fish began to indulge in self-harm by embedding needles into his groin and abdomen. I put his nose, ears and a few slices of his belly in the grip. Man Dies Smith ivas followed to the chair by Albert, Funeral arrangements were being made today for former Congressman, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. He offered her money to come and help him look for rhubarb. [37], The first of four rebuttal witnesses was Menas Gregory, the former manager of the Bellevue Hospital, where Fish was treated during 1930. He described what happened to Billy in a letter. During his questioning, Fish never denied Graces murder. [notes 3] Fish said it "never even entered [his] head" to rape the girl,[32] but he later claimed to his attorney that, while kneeling on Grace's chest and strangling her, he did have two involuntary ejaculations. Short handle. That child would later tell police that the boogey man took Billy. As time went on, the sexual fantasies he would act out on the children grew more fiendish and bizarre, and often ended in murdering and cannibalizing his young victims. On Sunday June the 3 1928 I called on you at 406 W 15 St. Brought you pot cheese strawberries. Albert Fish's total victims. Apparently, the old man was trying to quiet a little boy sitting next to him on the trolley who was crying for his mother. Unsurprisingly, theyre just as gruesome. Not much was assumed of his statement until an eyewitness came forward and identified Fish. By 1890, at age 20, Fish moved to New York City. A boy or girl under 14 was not safe in the street. Police inquired with the company and found that the paper had been left behind by a janitor from the company at a rooming house hed been staying at. [9], On February 11, 1927, 3-year-old Billy Beaton and his 12-year-old brother were playing in the apartment hallway in Brooklyn with 4-year-old Billy Gaffney. Fish developed a skill for house painting and often worked in states across the country. Fish, smiling as he described the grizzly details of the tortures and murders, appeared to the detectives as the devil himself. He then suggested that the Budds allow him to take their oldest daughter, 10-year-old Grace, to the party. Sent to St. John's Orphanage, Fish was punished severely by his teachers. Albert Fish, who introduced himself as Mr. Frank . I grabbed her and she said she would tell her mama. Gazlay Family History | Descendants of Albert Fish Then, as suddenly as he had arrived, Fish disappeared, leaving Kedden with a ten-dollar bill for his trouble. He was born in Washington, D.C., U.S. in 1870. The trial lasted for 10 days. [11], By 1880, Fish's mother secured a government job and was able to remove Fish from the orphanage. We were unmercifully whipped. When the child was left alone, either because of an adult's carelessness or by gaining his trust, he committed the crime. Threw his shoes in the dump. [10] After his arrest, X-rays revealed that Fish had at least twenty-nine needles lodged in his pelvic region. Fish continued molesting children even after he was married and became a father. And when his father died in 1875, his mother left him in an orphanage, where he (and many of the other children) were . Many psychiatrists were consulted by the court to lend their expert opinions on Fishs condition. How she was then stripped of her clothing, strangled and cut into pieces and eaten. In 1898 he married and fathered six children. We were unmercifully whipped. By 1919, his obsession with torture and cannibalism had brought him to contemplate murder. Cannibal and serial child killer Albert Fish chose the house for one of his most infamous crimes, the murder and consumption of 10-year-old Grace Budd. Albert Fish, the unassuming-looking stranger, convinced Delia and Albert Budd to let him take their daughter along to his nieces birthday party. Albert Hamilton Fish (May 19, 1870 - January 16, 1936) was an American sado-masochistic serial killer and cannibal. ", "Fish is Sentenced. Edward was looking forward to having a job and providing for his family, and Howard even offered a job to Budd's friend, Willie. He came to enjoy and associate the pain with pleasure, which would later seep into sexual gratification. Home made. First I stripped her naked. Just below his belly button. She left behind their six children under his care. Despite the numerous psychiatrists who described Fish as insane, the jury found him sane and guilty after a short 10-day trial. He was put to death in the electric execution chair at the Sing Sing prison facility. There had been no promising clues or developments regarding her disappearance. . Billy Gaffney's parents were Edward and Elizabeth Gaffney. I put strips of bacon on each cheek of his behind and put in the oven. He started calling himself Albert after one of his dead siblings. Police discovered that Fish was working a few miles away from Gaffneys disappearance spot. Detectives of the Manhattan Missing Persons Bureau were able to establish that Fish was employed as a house painter by a Brooklyn real estate company during February 1927, and that on the day of Gaffney's disappearance he was working at a location a few miles from where the boy was abducted. The caretakers at the orphanage regularly beat the children and even occasionally encouraged the children to hurt each other. After his capture he admitted to molesting over 400 children and tortured and killed several others. A neighbour also told the police he observed the boy with a similar-looking man walking along a grassy path into the nearby woods. A missing persons pamphlet regarding Grace Budd. Albert Fish (Serial Killer Biography) | Practical Psychology I had the front of his body I liked best. https://www.thoughtco.com/serial-killer-albert-fish-973157 (accessed May 1, 2023). The story of Albert Fish: The first serial killer in America He boasted that he had "had children in every State," putting the figure at around 100, although it is not clear whether he was talking about molestation or cannibalization, less . The 3-year-old boy described this boogey man as a slender, elderly man with gray hair and a gray mustache. By 1917, Fish had become severely mentally ill, and his wife left him for a man named John Straube. Although he claimed to have 400 victims, Fish was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of 10-year-old Gracie Budd. [9] Another defense witness was Mary Nicholas, Fish's 17-year-old stepdaughter. Grace sat in my lap and kissed me. Fish told the Budd family that he would return the following week to take Edward and a friend of Edward's to his farm to begin working. She was 32 and he, 75 years old. Fish then had to raise his children as a single parent. In 1928, Fish abducted and strangled the . Francis was born on November 27 1898, in Windsor,Hartford,Connecticut. When asked what happened to Gaffney, Beaton said "the bogeyman took him." Across State Lines: Fish developed his skill for house painting and often worked in different states across the country. Fish was one of the most notorious serial child killers of all time. When Kedden arrived, however, he found himself locked inside. He was born Hamilton Howard Fish in Washington, D.C., to Randall (1795 October 16, 1875) and Ellen (ne Howell; 1838?) Skip Ancestry navigation Main Menu. Fish eventually tied Kedden up and cut off half of his penis. Fish left but returned later to the Kiels' barn, where he tried to sleep but was discovered by Beatrice's father and forced to leave. Fish spent most of his time at an orphanage, where he was allegedly beaten. It was only in March 1935, after the conclusion of his trial for the Budd murder and his confession to the killing of Billy Gaffney (see below), that he confirmed to investigators that he also raped and murdered McDonnell. He was convicted and executed by electric chair on January 16, 1936, at the age of 65. At one point, he recalled wrapping himself in a carpet on the instructions of John the Apostle. Genealogy profile for Albert Fish. I knew if I did not I would get her blood on them. As if to provide solace to Mrs. Budd, the writer stated emphatically that Grace had not been sexually assaulted. When Fish arrived on June 4, as promised, he came baring gifts for all the Budd children and visited with the family over lunch. Biography of Albert Fish, Notorious Child Serial Killer - ThoughtCo "Took first train I could get back home. Fish not only continued to administer his own beatings but began an unhealthy relationship with a telegraph boy in 1882. Then I walked back and took trolley to 59 St. at 2 A.M. and walked home from there. He promised to hire Budd and his friend Willie, and said he would send for them in a few days. "Funeral arrangements are being maric for, "OF REP. He had been strangled by his own suspenders. His final words were,I dont even know why Im here. The next witness was the resident physician at The Tombs, Perry Lichtenstein. [citation needed], Fish's trial for the murder of Grace Budd began on March 11, 1935, in White Plains, New York. To the Budd's, Mr. Howard seemed like a typical loving grandfather. They seemed to have normal lives except maybe John as there is no info on him . I cut off his ears nose slit his mouth from ear to ear. "[9], Gallagher cross-examined Wertham on whether Fish knew the difference between right and wrong. Albert Fish's grandchildren are documented. Her family was baffled until Albert Fish's letter to her parents arrived. Albert Fish was held at New Yorks Sing Sing Prison before he was executed by electrocution. Fish arrived at prison in March 1935, and was executed on January 16, 1936, in the electric chair at Sing Sing. Albert Fish, pedophile and serial killer with over 400 child victims She was about to leave the farm when her mother chased Fish away. Then thru his legs about 2 in. Home made. Gregory replied that such a person was not "mentally sick" and that these were common perversions that were "socially perfectly alright" and that Fish was "no different from millions of other people", some very prominent and successful, who had the "very same" perversions. When his mother became mentally stable and financially self-sufficient enough to take him home in 1880, she removed him from the orphanage. He was dead then. Fish later recounted an incident in which a male lover took him to a wax museum, where he was fascinated by a bisection of a human penis and subsequently became obsessed with sexual mutilation. He was also known as the Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria, the Brooklyn Vampire, the Moon Maniac, and The Boogey Man. Enslow Publishing, 2015, pp. Long Roots of Insanity: Albert Fish was born on May 19, 1870 in Washington D.C., into a family which had a long history of mental illness. These would help reporters covering the gruesome case more properly detail his crimes, with a first-hand account sure to entice readers. The trial of Albert Fish began on March 11, 1935 and demonstrated quite clearly that the man was insane.
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