ED GEIN: THE GHOUL OF PLAINFIELD

Edward Theodore Gein of Plainfield, WI was known as “The Ghoul of Plainfield” or “The Butcher of Plainfield" for the murders and the other activities he did on his farm that is seven miles outside Plainfield. Grave robbing female bodies (especially women that reminded him of his mother) and making household items out of the human remains. Bowls from the skull, heads on the posts of his bed and hanging on the walls, a human heart in the fry pan, belt from nipples, and even a human skin suit which he wore out in the night time under the moon. Ed Gein’s best known for murdering Hardware store owner, Bernice Worden. When the police found Worden, she was hung upside down, with her head missing, and cut open like a deer. After being in an isolation cell, Gein was convicted for the murders of Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan, a tavern owner. The Judge found him legally insane. He spent the rest of his life in the Institute for the Criminally Insane in Madison, WI. On July 26, 1984, Ed Gein passed away from respiratory and heart failure due to cancer. Since then, Gein has been remembered in several movie and books. Toby Hopper was inspired by Gein for his character Leatherface in the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and Jonathan Demme the same for Buffalo Bill from “The Silence of the Lambs”. Movies based on his life are “Deranged”, “In the Light of the Moon” (which was released in the US as “Ed Gein”), and “Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield”.

Serial Killers in general, not only Gein, have become an interest of many people. For some, college classes usually in Criminology. For others, they’re an obsession. For me, I just like to learn about people and why they do the things they do.

The start of my interest in Serial Killers began when I learned several of my favorite Horror movie characters, such as Norman Bates, were based off real life people. That was about age 6. At 12 years old in 1997, a former classmates Uncle was killed by Andrew Cunanan (the family really does not like to talk about the murder), which set the studying and the learning into motion. Seeing the pain that a Serial Killer could cause a family made me want to learn as much as possible. Getting books about killers, reading and re-reading them, I found that there was a spark to learn why they did what they did, what set them off, and if there was any motives.

I would even sit with my Grandpa and talk about what Serial Killers he lived to see convicted or put to death. He and I talked mostly about Gacy, Dahmer, Berkowitz, BTK, Manson, Wuornos, Bundy, Green River Killer, and Gein (there are many others he was alive to see but those are the ones we talked about the most). Grandpa knew I loved researching on Wisconsin Killers, for the simple fact that’s where we live. He remembered the day that Gein was taken into custody for the murders and the day Gein was found guilty/legally insane. After a few of the chats, my one Uncle gave me a book titled “Ed Gein: America’s Most Bizarre Murderer by Judge Robert H. Gollmar”, the Judge who found Gein guilty. The whole book followed the trial and interviewed Gein, along with some graphic photos. It was an interesting read.

My friend, David, told me about being around in the 80s in the Seattle area, and having one of his friends be killed by the Green River Killer. Cindy Smith, age 17. It’s still hard for Dave to talk about it. Another friend, John, would tell me about living in Buffalo, NY and having a friend whose father was The Bike Path Killer/Rapist, Altemio C. Sanchez. John has no problems telling about meeting Sanchez and what it was like knowing that his friend’s father was a Serial Killer. With so many things happening in the world of Serial Killers and having people in my life who have had victims, friends, or lived through trials, I can see why the interest peeked for Killers.

After reading the books, I wanted to visit the hometowns of some of the most notorious Serial Killers. My first chance was when three friends and I stayed in a room the Jeffery Dahmer had rented in Downtown Milwaukee. We did not know that at the time. Shortly after, I visited Dahmer’s hometown of West Allis, WI. Not much to be seen there. The collecting of movies and other little items from Serial Killers has been done over the years. Sort of impossible to give them up.

Most recently, my friend, Dave and I took a trip to Plainfield. Being we live 4 hours away and him being new to Wisconsin, he wanted to see the town and I wanted to see the history that is Plainfield. On our adventure to the town, we stopped at Ed Gein’s old property. Looking at it now, you could never tell there was a house there. On the property, there was a shed left. Not the one that Bernice Worden was hung in. Dave went onto the property to get some photos and right before we left for town, got some dirt (as unusual as that sounds, just knowing where it’s from is amazing). As we hit town, we looked up to see the Hardware store. The name has changed but the outside looks the same. Inside the store, everything has changed from photos past. The two of us went out back where Gein had loaded Worden’s body into her truck to take her to his house (Gein then walked back to town to retrieve his truck). Photos were taken of the front and back of the store.

The adventure took us to Wautoma to the former County Jail, which is now a Museum. Just about to close, the curator was nice enough to let Dave and me in. He took us down to the records room. First binder to catch my eye was entitled “Ed Gein”. Inside was nothing but newspaper clippings and articles that were either sent to the Museum or someone who worked there had cut out of papers. The curator told us that we could copy any and as many articles that we wanted. The curator even told us that there were possibly the courtroom transcripts from the day Gein on trial. There were 5 main ones we found. After making the copies, the curator took Dave and me around the Museum. We got to see Gein’s hunting rifle, which is under lock and key. That is when we found out about the headstone no longer being there. The curator showed Dave and I Gein’s isolation cell, which he requested for his own protection. We saw the original “No Trespassing” sign that hung on Gein’s house. The curator began telling about the “mystery” house fire and a possible hit list. He let us take photos of anything and everything. Right before we left for Plainfield again, the curator told us that Plainfield and several older community members of Wautoma want to forget Gein.

Back in Plainfield, we headed to the cemetery. There we found Bernice Worden’s headstone and the Gein family’s plot. Once again, photos were taken. Dave got a little dirt from near Ed’s plot. Seeing the spot where Ed’s headstone is supposed to be made me think “Why would anyone ruin someone’s headstone? Even if the person did of something horrible”. I guess I’ll never get that answer.

At the Museum, Dave and I copied 5 articles out the binder titled “Ed Gein”. It was full of articles from the 40s or 50s up till now days. The 5 articles seemed to tell the most about Gein’s life, within the pieces of paper.

This first was when Gein was first taken into custody for Bernice Worden’s murder. The headline “Bachelor, 50, Held After Missing Plainfield Woman’s Body Discovered in Home,” tells about the Police finding bodies where they said “a mild-mannered handy man lived alone”. The Police also found heads in plastic bags, along with 10 bodies and Bernice Worden’s headless corpse.

The second article, “Macabre Discoveries Follow Wisconsin Slaying” shows several photos. One is the farm house. Next to that photo is a picture of Worden’s truck that transported her lifeless body to the farm. Two photos of women are next. Worden and a school girl who was possibly the unidentified body found on the farm. Two photos of the Hardware store are last. One showing where Worden was killed. The other of the funeral passing on the way to the cemetery.

“Judge Bunde Rules Gein Legally Insane” is when the Judge convicted the then 51 year old Gein to Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for the murder of Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan. He was sent there for the rest of his life (he was later taken to Mendota Mental Health Institute near Madison).

The article entitled “Ed Gein’s Farm Home Is Destroyed by Flames” tells about how Gein’s house “mysteriously” burnt down. According to the State Crime Lab in the article, “There was nothing left of interest in the house of horrors”. After the house was completely gone, all that was left were a shed and the property.

The final article, “Murderer Ed Gein dies at 76,” is about Gein’s history of the murders up to his death from cancer the Mendota Mental Institute. Being a model for Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “Psycho” and the book written by Robert Bloch, under the same name. Robert Bloch lived 50 miles from where Gein lived, according to the article. The article tells about Worden’s body being found “dressed out like a deer”, Gein’s grave robbing, how he worked at the Institute, and how Gein had saved money for a dream trip around the world.

These 5 articles can tell several years of history to anyone who has never studied or heard of Ed Gein (yes there are people who have never heard of Gein). The small fee of .50 per page was nothing to obtain these amazing pieces of history. For any collector, paying that amount to get the clippings would be worth it. Items, such as movies or collector card, can be found in stores or online. To find items such as the newspaper clippings or to even see a piece of history that deals with Serial Killers, study and ask questions. I looked up information on Gein and found out about the Museum. Then at the Museum, Dave and I asked about making the copies of articles. The curator told us we could copy anything and that if we ever wanted anything else copied that, with a fee sent to help the Museum, the curator would send us the copies. If visiting a place that has a Serial Killer history, take photos and lots of them. Those last as long as any person would like. A person can have a great time just seeing and learning the sites of their favorite Serial Killers. Just, please, don’t destroy headstones or anything else that is associated with a Killer.

Being an avid Serial Killer lover, I will always find interest in them. The studying and learning of who they are and why they did what they did, will never die down. Not only Gein, but all Serial Killers. Visiting places that have a Killers history, even if they want to forget, is an adventure anyone, who wants to learn a thing or two, should take. Plus there is no shame in admitting a person likes Serial Killers.