The World's Most Evil Psychopaths: Horrifying True-Life Cases by John Marlowe Page A
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Authors: John Marlowe
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south of San Francisco. It soon became apparent to authorities that the Dark Strangler was on the move.
On 16 August, Nelson murdered Mary Nisbet who, with her husband, owned a small apartment building. Two months later, the body of a youngish divorcee, Beata Whithers, was discovered stuffed into a trunk in the attic of a boarding house in Portland, Oregon. The very next day, a 59-year-old landlady named Virginia Grant was found behind the basement furnace of one of her buildings. Two days later, the body of yet another landlady, Mabel Fluke, was discovered.
As the city of Portland recoiled in horror, some in San Francisco maintained that the Dark Strangler still walked among them. It seemed that any crime involving strangulation was being blamed on the mysterious killer. In fact, Nelson did return to San Francisco, and on 18 November murdered a housebound widow. It would be his final killing in the city of his birth.
Six days later, Nelson was in Seattle, 1,300 kilometres to the north, where he killed a moneyed woman by the name of Florence Fithian Monks. Other murders followed: Blanche Myers of Portland, Mrs John Brerard of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Bonnie Pace of Kansas City, Missouri. Perhaps the most inhumane of all Nelson’s murders was discovered on 28 December when Marius Harpin returned from work to his Kansas City home to find both his 28-year-old wife and his 8-month-old son strangled.
The death toll rises
After lying low for several months, Nelson resumed his activities in April 1927, killing women in Philadelphia, Buffalo, Detroit and Chicago. By 4 June, the death toll had reached 20, including that of the infant Robert Harpin. All over the United States the authorities were hunting the man known through the popular press as the Dark Strangler, Jack the Strangler and the Gorilla Man. Nelson could not have escaped the accounts of his murders in the press. Perhaps he felt that his luck could not continue. Whatever the reason, on 8 June 1927, he decided to cross the international border north of Noyes, Minnesota, entering Canada at Emerson, Manitoba. Just outside the border town he was picked up hitch-hiking by a motorist bound for Winnipeg and by late afternoon had rented a room in the home of a woman named Katherine Hill. Uncharacteristically, Nelson let his new landlady be; instead of killing her, he spent a good 20 minutes talking about the Bible.
Four days later, hours before the start of what would have been her 14th birthday, the body of Lola Cowan was found beneath the bed in the room that Nelson had rented. The smell of death had led to the discovery. The girl had been dead for nearly 72 hours.
The discovery of Lola Cowan’s body followed that of another of Nelson’s victims, a young wife and mother named Emily Patterson, who had been found the previous evening. Winnipeg police and the Manitoba provincial police were already looking for the murderer, who they suspected was the ‘Gorilla Man’ responsible for the atrocities south of the border.
By the time the bodies had been found, the killer had left the city. No doubt Nelson thought he would be able to continue as he had for the previous 16 months. It took him only a couple of days to reach Regina, 570 kilometres to the west. He arrived before the discovery of the two bodies in Winnipeg. When it broke, on 13 June, the news was on the front page of every daily in western Canada, and was accompanied by a description that was all too accurate. Nelson made his way south, intending to flee into the United States and, on 15 June, was caught within 6 kilometres of the border. Nelson was placed in a jail at Killarney, Manitoba. There, the man who had four times escaped from the Napa State Mental Hospital succeeded in picking the two padlocks of his cell door. He managed nine more hours of freedom before being picked up.
There would be no further escapes for the Gorilla Man. Neither his wife nor his Aunt Lillian could help him this time. Both
On 16 August, Nelson murdered Mary Nisbet who, with her husband, owned a small apartment building. Two months later, the body of a youngish divorcee, Beata Whithers, was discovered stuffed into a trunk in the attic of a boarding house in Portland, Oregon. The very next day, a 59-year-old landlady named Virginia Grant was found behind the basement furnace of one of her buildings. Two days later, the body of yet another landlady, Mabel Fluke, was discovered.
As the city of Portland recoiled in horror, some in San Francisco maintained that the Dark Strangler still walked among them. It seemed that any crime involving strangulation was being blamed on the mysterious killer. In fact, Nelson did return to San Francisco, and on 18 November murdered a housebound widow. It would be his final killing in the city of his birth.
Six days later, Nelson was in Seattle, 1,300 kilometres to the north, where he killed a moneyed woman by the name of Florence Fithian Monks. Other murders followed: Blanche Myers of Portland, Mrs John Brerard of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Bonnie Pace of Kansas City, Missouri. Perhaps the most inhumane of all Nelson’s murders was discovered on 28 December when Marius Harpin returned from work to his Kansas City home to find both his 28-year-old wife and his 8-month-old son strangled.
The death toll rises
After lying low for several months, Nelson resumed his activities in April 1927, killing women in Philadelphia, Buffalo, Detroit and Chicago. By 4 June, the death toll had reached 20, including that of the infant Robert Harpin. All over the United States the authorities were hunting the man known through the popular press as the Dark Strangler, Jack the Strangler and the Gorilla Man. Nelson could not have escaped the accounts of his murders in the press. Perhaps he felt that his luck could not continue. Whatever the reason, on 8 June 1927, he decided to cross the international border north of Noyes, Minnesota, entering Canada at Emerson, Manitoba. Just outside the border town he was picked up hitch-hiking by a motorist bound for Winnipeg and by late afternoon had rented a room in the home of a woman named Katherine Hill. Uncharacteristically, Nelson let his new landlady be; instead of killing her, he spent a good 20 minutes talking about the Bible.
Four days later, hours before the start of what would have been her 14th birthday, the body of Lola Cowan was found beneath the bed in the room that Nelson had rented. The smell of death had led to the discovery. The girl had been dead for nearly 72 hours.
The discovery of Lola Cowan’s body followed that of another of Nelson’s victims, a young wife and mother named Emily Patterson, who had been found the previous evening. Winnipeg police and the Manitoba provincial police were already looking for the murderer, who they suspected was the ‘Gorilla Man’ responsible for the atrocities south of the border.
By the time the bodies had been found, the killer had left the city. No doubt Nelson thought he would be able to continue as he had for the previous 16 months. It took him only a couple of days to reach Regina, 570 kilometres to the west. He arrived before the discovery of the two bodies in Winnipeg. When it broke, on 13 June, the news was on the front page of every daily in western Canada, and was accompanied by a description that was all too accurate. Nelson made his way south, intending to flee into the United States and, on 15 June, was caught within 6 kilometres of the border. Nelson was placed in a jail at Killarney, Manitoba. There, the man who had four times escaped from the Napa State Mental Hospital succeeded in picking the two padlocks of his cell door. He managed nine more hours of freedom before being picked up.
There would be no further escapes for the Gorilla Man. Neither his wife nor his Aunt Lillian could help him this time. Both
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