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Carl Panzram ( 1891 – September 5 , 1930 ) was an America n Serial Killer . While imprisoned, Panzram wrote an articulate Autobiography about his life and his descent into crime. Many of the claims he made are unverified, but his memoir remains a powerful, memorable work--intelligent, unrepentant and seething with anger. EARLY LIFE He was born Charles Panzram in Minnesota in 1891 , the son of Prussia n Immigrant s, John and Matilda. He was raised on his family's farm and logged his first arrest at the age of eight for being Drunk and disorderly. By his teens he was an Alcoholic and was repeatedly in trouble with the authorities, usually for Burglary and Theft . He ran away from home at the age of 14 and was Gang Rape d by a group of hobos, one of many incidents that added to his hatred and rage for what he saw as an uncaring world where 'might is right'. In adulthood, Panzram was a prolific Thief , but he was frequently caught and imprisoned. Utterly defiant, Panzram would get into trouble by attacking guards and refusing their orders, which led to his being subjected to beating and punishments that verged on Torture . He often escaped from Prison s, once getting Revenge on a judge who jailed him by breaking into the judge's house and stealing thousands of dollars. Panzram travelled extensively too, even ending up in Scotland at one point, where he served time for burglary. In his Autobiography , Panzram wrote that he was 'rage personified', and he would often rape men whom he robbed, not because he was necessarily Homosexual but because it was his method of dominating and humiliating people. He also engaged in Vandalism and Arson , at one point considering an ambitious plot to scuttle a British warship docked in New York harbour in order to provoke a war between Britain and the USA. MURDER SPREE In s with him. Once in the Swamp s, however, Panzram shot all six men to death, hacked them up and fed them to the crocodiles. Back in America, Panzram shot a man dead for trying to rob him. He also raped and killed two small boys, beating one to death with a rock and Strangling the other with a belt. IMPRISONMENT AND CONFESSION In 1928 , Panzram was arrested for burglary, and in light of his extensive criminal record, he was handed a 25-year sentence (he was not yet suspected of murder). "I'll kill the first man that bothers me," Panzram told the judge, and sure enough, a few months later he killed Robert Warnke, foreman of the prison laundry in Leavenworth , battering the unfortunate victim to death with an iron bar. To his evident delight, Panzram was sentenced to death. He refused to Appeal , even threatening to kill Human Rights groups that attempted to appeal on his behalf. While on Death Row , Panzram was befriended by a young, Liberal -minded prison guard named Henry Lesser. Lesser gave Panzram some writing materials which the prisoner used to write his autobiography, detailing his crimes and his Nihilistic Philosophy : "In my lifetime I have murdered 21 human beings, I have committed thousands of burglaries, robberies, Larcenies , arsons and last but not least I have committed Sodomy on more than 1,000 male human beings. For all these things I am not in the least bit sorry." Carl Panzram was hanged on September 5 , 1930 . When asked by the executioner if he had any last words, Panzram barked, "Hurry it up, you Hoosier bastard! I could kill 10 men while you're fooling around!" The as Panzram and Robert Sean Leonard as Lesser. EXTERNAL LINKS
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