#Albert fish letter serial

Albert met and formed a sadomasochistic relationship with a young man named Thomas Kedden. It was in Wilmington, Delaware in 1910 that Fish committed his first mutilation. Sexual mutilation became an obsession that drove Fish to desperate attempts to fulfill his sick fantasies. It was there that Fish became fascinated with penis bisection. He once told the story of a male lover who took him to a wax museum. His employment did not stop his gross behavior though. In an attempt to live a normal, respectable life, Fish found work as a house painter. Although 9 years younger than Fish, Anna Mary Hoffman gave him six children. It was during this time in his life that he starting raping young boys.Īs mothers tended to do during this time in history, Albert’s mother arranged a marriage for him.

#Albert fish letter serial

A Serial Killer Hones His Skillsīy the time Fish was 20, he was living in New York City and working as a prostitute. He frequently answered mail order classified ads placed by women seeking marriage proposals with vulgar, obscene letters.įish’s youthful pastimes were clear evidence of his mental illness, however, during that time in history, there wasn’t a lot of information available for classifying and identifying serial killers in the making. This young man introduced Fish to some disgusting practices such as urolagnia, drinking urine, and coprophagia, the act of eating feces.įish would spend his weekends visiting public bath houses where he would spy on other young boys as they undressed.

The abuse had left its mark on the boy, both physically and mentally.Īt the age of 12, Albert Fish formed a relationship with a local telegraph boy. When Albert was 10, his mother had secured a government job and was able to return to for her children, removing them from the orphanage. Instead of turning from the pain, young Albert realized he enjoyed the pain inflicted upon him. Fish was frequently subjected to physical abuse. His mother was faced with the difficult decision to put her children in an orphanage until she could find a way to support them on her own.įish’s time spent in Saint John’s orphanage helped to shape him into the monster he became later in life. He took on the name Albert after a deceased sibling, after he grew tired of other children calling him “Ham and Eggs” when he was a child.īy the time Albert was 5, his elderly father had passed away. His mother, Ellen, was 43 years younger than her husband.Īlbert was the youngest of 4 living children. His father, Randall, was 75 years old at the time.

Albert Fish: A Monster Is BornĪlbert Fish was born Hamilton Howard “Albert” Fish on May 19, 1870. It was the murder of Grace Budd that sent Albert Fish to the electric chair. The fact that he not only killed but also ate children cemented his place in American history as the human version of the Boogie Man.įish claimed to have killed more than 100 children but in reality, he was only ever convicted of killing one: Grace Budd. Albert Fish owns the special distinction of being one of America’s most gruesome serial killers.