30. The Prussian Monster
Karl Denke (1860 – 1924) did not kill nearly as many people as others on this list. But unlike most of the rest, he did not order others to kill: he did that himself, up close and personal. Then he dined on his victims. Born into a wealthy farming family near Munsterberg in Prussia, Denke’s early life is shrouded in mystery. He ran away from home at age 12, and apprenticed himself to a gardener. He worked a variety of jobs, including taking a stab at farming after his father’s death, when he used his share of the inheritance to buy a plot of land. However, farming and Denke were not a great match, and working the fields soon reminded him of why had why he had run away from home as a child.
So he sold his land, and bounced around a variety of occupations for a few years. He eventually bought a small house in Munsterberg and became an organ player in his local church. Denke developed a reputation as a devout Evangelical, and became a well-liked and respected member of his community. A friendly avuncular figure, always kind and helpful to people, he was nicknamed “Vatter Denke“, German for “Papa Denke”, by his admiring neighbors. However, his standing in the community took a turn for the worse in 1924, when people discovered just who the real Papa Denke was.
