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Title	Ed Gein
Alternative Title	Gein, Ed; Gein, Edward; Edward Gein; Eddie Gein; Gein, Eddie
Genre	Legends -- People -- Famous
Description	John Coleman's transcribed interview of Kathie Buhr about Ed Gein. According to Buhr, there was a man who was butchering women and selling their meat to other people.
Informant	Buhr, Kathie
Collector	Coleman, John
Date of Original	1971-12
Contextual Information	Ed Gein was born August 27, 1906, in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. Gein's father was an alcoholic who couldn't keep a job, and his mother was a highly religious woman who taught her two sons that all women (except her) were prostitutes. Gein's father died in 1940. His brother, Henry, died in a fire in 1944. The two brothers were trying to burn a marsh near their farm, and they separated to get the fire under control. Gein lost sight of his brother at nightfall and called the police to help search for him. When the search party came, Gein led them right to his brother's body. Although there were signs of foul play, the coroner listed Henry's cause of death as asphyxiation. Gein was alone with his mother until she died in 1945 after a series of strokes. Gein turned to grave robbing and murder not long after his mother's death. Gein was finally arrested in 1957 after the disappearance of Bernice Worden. When police searched Gein's house they found several disturbing things, including Worden's body which had been dressed-out like a deer. Gein was arraigned on one count of first degree murder, and he pled not guilt by reason of insanity. He was found to be mentally incompetent and could not stand trial. After spending time in two separate mental hospitals, Gein was found fit to stand trial. His trial lasted only one week. He was found guilty and was sentenced to life in a mental institution. Gein died of cancer in Stovall Hall at the Mendota Mental Health Institute on July 26, 1984. Gein was the inspiration for many killers in movies. The most popular are "Leatherface" in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, "Norman Bates" in Psycho, and "Buffalo Bill" in The Silence of the Lambs.
Repository	Indiana State University Folklore Archives, Special Collections, Cunningham Memorial Library, Terre Haute, Indiana 47809
Coverage	United States -- Wisconsin -- Waushara County -- Plainfield -- 1971
Subject	Legends People Criminals Serial murderers Death Dismemberment Cannibalism Grave robbing Necrophilia
WV3 Subject	Folklore
Type	text
Material Type	Interviews
Date Digital	2011-06-01
Technical Metadata	image/tiff 300 dpi; Epson GT-20000; Epson Scan
Copyright	Digital image copyright c 2011 Indiana Folklore Collection.
Item ID	isuf-EdGein002

Ed Gein

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