Albert Fish

On June 3^rd 1928, a man going by the name of Frank Howard arrived at the Budd household in New York City under the pretense of wanting to interview 18-year old Edward Budd for a job as a farmhand. The Budd family invited Mr. Howard to stay for lunch and at this point he met 10-year old Gracie Budd. After lunch, Mr. Howard excused himself stating that he had to go to a birthday party for his niece but that afterward he would return to pick up Edward and take him to his farm. He gave Edward and his friend money to go to a movie while he invited Gracie to go with him to his niece’s birthday party and promised to return her by 9 o’clock. Her parents agreed and Gracie was never seen again.

The police discovered that there was no “Frank Howard” and that the address given for the birthday party was false. Despite all efforts, the police were unable to locate “Mr. Howard”. As of 1934, the case remained open with only one detective, actively working on solving the crime.  Occasionally, the detective would leak false information to the newspaper to see if it would get a reaction. On November 2, 1934, a small blurb was published in the newspaper stating falsely that there had been a break in the case and that an arrest was soon to follow. Two days later, an illiterate Mrs. Budd received a letter in the mail:

 

“My dear Mrs. Budd,

 

In 1894 a friend of mine shipped as a deck hand on the Steamer Tacoma, Capt. John Davis. They sailed from San Francisco for Hong Kong China. On arriving there he and two others went ashore and got drunk. When they returned the boat was gone.

 

At that time there was famine in China. Meat of any kind was from $1 to 3 Dollars a pound. So great was the suffering among the very poor that all children under 12 were sold for food in order to keep others from starving. A boy or girl under 14 was not safe in the street. You could go in any shop and ask for steak – chops – or stew meat. Part of the naked body of a boy or girl would be brought out and just what you wanted cut from it.  A boy or girls behind which is the sweetest part of the body and sold as veal cutlet brought the highest price.

 

John staid there so long that he acquired a taste for human flesh. On his return to N.Y. he stole two boys one 7 one 11. Took them to his home stripped them naked tied them in a closet. Then burned everything they had on. Several times every day and night he spanked them – tortured them – to make their meat good and tender.

 

First he killed the 11 year old boy, because he had the fattest ass and of course the most meat on it. Every part of his body was Cooked and eaten except the head – bones and guys. He was Roasted in the oven (all of his ass), boiled, broiled, fried and stewed. The little boy was next, went the same way. At that time I was living at 409 E 100 st. near, - right side. He told me so often how good Human flesh was I made up my mind to taste it.

 

On Sunday June the 3 – 1928 I called on you at 405 W 15 St. Brought you pot cheese – strawberries. We had lunch. Grace sat on my lap and kissed me. I made up my mind to eat her.

 

On the pretense of taking her to a party. You said Yes she could go. I took her to an empty house in Westchester I had already picked out. When we got there, I told her to remain outside. She picked wildflowers. I went upstairs and stripped all my clothes off. I knew if I did not I would get her blood on them.

 

When all was ready I went to the window and called her. Then I hid in a closet until she was in the room. When she saw me all naked she began to cry and tried to run down the stairs. I grabbed her and she said she would tell her mamma.

 

First I stripped her naked. How she did kick – bite and scratch. I choked her to death, then cut her in small pieces so I could take my meat to my rooms. Cook and eat it. How sweet and tender her little ass was roasted in the oven. It took me 9 days to eat her entire body. I did not fuck her tho I could have had I wished. She died a virgin.”

 

As Mrs. Budd could not read, she had given the letter to her son Edward who quickly took it to the police. The detective realized that the letter writer knew details of the crime that were not released. Eventually through tracing the originating source of the envelope, police found and arrested “Frank Howard” – Mr. Albert Fish.

The Rational choice theory explains crime as the result of weighing the pros and cons of violating the law through careful planning and thought. If the risks do not outweigh the benefits then a person may make the rational decision to follow through with an act.

            Prior to kidnapping Gracie Budd, Albert Fish in his confession admitted that he had originally planned to kidnap and torture Edward. After the first visit at the Budd household Fish purchased a cleaver, saw, and butcher knife which he wrapped up and left at a newsstand before he went back into the Budd home. He had rationalized that despite his elderly, frail appearance, he would be able to overpower Edward and his friend. It was only after he met Gracie that he decided she would be his victim instead. With this planning, Fish is clearly using rational choice to plan out the details of his crime. Clearly he evaluated the risks associated with kidnapping an 18 year old boy and his friend and rationalized that he was capable of doing so. He also showed further planning by purchasing the materials needed to cut up the bodies.

The trait theory of criminality explains that crime is a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits. One of these theories, the psychodynamic approach, explains that criminal behavior “is a function of unconscious mental instability and turmoil.” (Siegel, 2007). Prior to the trial, many alienists (19^th century psychiatrists who specialized in determining sanity) interviewed Fish in an attempt to determine whether he was competent to stand trial. He was declared competent but was diagnosed as a “psychopathic personality without a psychosis.” Interviews brought to light Fish’s dark, life-long sadomasochist tendencies. He admitted to mutilating about one hundred children, 15 of whom are thought to have been killed. He believed that “God had ordered him to torment and castrate little boys” and that if what he was doing was wrong an angel would have stopped him. A key defense strategy in the trial was simple - how could a person who cannibalizes children be considered sane? Clearly no rational or sane person would commit such a crime.

            The jury found Albert Fish guilty and the judge sentenced him to death by electrocution. Fish thanked the judge for the sentence because as one reporter wrote “his watery eyes gleamed at the thought of being burned by a heat more intense than the flames with which he often seared his flesh to gratify his lust.” (Bardsley, 2008)