29. “Papa Denke” Turns Out to Be a Cannibal
On December 21st, 1924, a man passing by Denke’s house heard cries for help coming from within the dwelling. Rushing in to help, he saw a young man staggering in a corridor, bleeding copiously from a head wound. Before collapsing on the floor, the victim blurted out that “Papa Denke” had attacked him with an ax. Police were called, and Denke was arrested. A search of his house turned up identification papers for a dozen men, plus various items of male clothing whose sizes made clear they were not Denke’s. It was in the kitchen, however, where they found the real shocker: a pair of large tubs, containing meat getting pickled in brine. The meat was attached to human bones, and by tallying the various bits, investigators estimated the Papa Denke had been in the process of pickling up to thirty victims.
Police also found a notebook, in which Denke had listed the names of many more victims, with the dates of their murders going back to 1921, plus the weight of their pickled bodies. Investigators did not get the opportunity to grill Denke about his motives: he used a handkerchief to hang himself in his cell during his first night behind bars. Evidence gathered, however, revealed that he ate his victims. He also disposed of their meat by feeding it to guests, jarring it and selling it as pickled pork, or giving jars of the “pickled pork” to his neighbors as gifts.