A ghoul is traditionally a living person who steals from the dead, and it was quite an occupation back in the early 1900s when incidents of ghouls were widely reported in the United States.
The worst ghoul offenses took place after tragedies. Wherever a large group of people died, ghouls would literally descend upon the area and begin stripping corpses of valuable items.
1. Eagle Park Dock Collapse
On June 23, 1912, disaster struck the Eagle Park Resort in New York. A dock collapsed into the West River and took the lives of 39 people.
Getting the bodies out of the water took time. Only a few were recovered on that initial day. When night fell, the searching stopped and the ghouls fell upon the area under cover of darkness.
One report claimed:
“Ghouls added to the horror of the night. Rings were stolen from fingers of women, and pockets of many victims were rifled of valuables before police were placed on guard.”
By the next morning, body recovery was in full swing. The police formed a line around the area to keep back the hundreds of tragedy enthusiasts and a temporary morgue was set up for body identification. [1]
2. Iowa Train Disaster
In 1907, the Rock Island Limited train crashed into a freight train near Waterloo, Iowa. While at least twelve people were killed on impact, more people lost their lives when a gas tank burst into flames.
When word reached Waterloo, a relief train was sent to search for survivors, but before it reached the crash, ghouls had already arrived.
“”A man caught in the act of cutting a ring from the finger of a woman killed in a Pullman was shot by an express messenger and died shortly afterwards. Three other men seen trying to rob dead or dying victims were taken in charge by passengers and brought to this city and placed in jail. The conductor of the train later shot a man who was attempting to rob the express car while the messenger was at work assisting the injured.” [2]
3. The Great Storm of 1900
In September of 1900, a massive hurricane hit Galveston, Texas. Eight to twelve feet of water was dumped on the island and thousands of people were killed. Over 10,000 people were left homeless.
As newspapers reported the devastating news across America, looters were hard at work stealing from the dead and the dying.
“The ghouls were holding an orgy over the dead… Not only did they rob the dead, but they mutilated bodies in order to secure their ghoulish booty.”
Troops in the area, as well as private citizens, began shooting the ghouls on sight.
“A party of ten… were returning from a looting expedition. They had stripped corpses of all valuables, and the pockets of some of the looters were fairly bulging out with fingers of the dead, which had been cut off because they were so swollen that the rings could not be removed.
“Incensed at this desecration and mutilation of the dead, the looters were shot down. During the robbing of the dead, not only were fingers cut off, but ears were stripped from the head in order to secure jewels of value. A few government troops who survived assisted in patrolling the city. Private citizens also endeavored to prevent the robbing of the dead and on several occasions killed the offenders.
“It is said that at one time eight were killed and at another time four. Singly and in twos and threes, the offenders were thus shot down until the total of those thus executed exceeded fully fifty.” [3]
4. Omaha Tornado of 1913
From March 21 to 23, 1913, a series of deadly tornados struck the South, Midwest, and the Great Plains. Over 200 lives were lost and numerous homes were destroyed.
As usual, where there was disaster, there were people who would willingly make a profit off the dead. Ghouls struck the area, but the troops were ready for them in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Ghouls carried on their fiendish work all night, robbing bodies and looting stores after the storm subsided. U.S. troops drove the looters away. No one is allowed inside the lines without a pass.” [4]
5. Great Ohio Floods of 1913
After the deadly tornados came the floods in Ohio. Heavy rains caused all the major rivers to spill out and over 400 people lost their lives.
Ghouls came to profit from the tragedy, but they were being dealt with both swiftly and fatally.
“And in the wake of the waters and the fire, pestilence and famine, the looter and the ghoul are stalking.
“In all the flood stricken cities which the soldiers have reached and are patrolling, the same order has been given out relative to looters and sightseers.
“’Shoot looters and shoot to kill. If sightseers will not get beyond the flood deadlines after one warning shot, shoot them also.’” [5]
6. Cut Ears and Fingers
Flood waters devastated Otay Valley, California back in 1916. While the loss of life was not as great as with other tragedies, ghouls saw a chance to make some money.
“Looting by ghouls who cut ears and fingers from corpses of women to obtain their jewels were reported today from a flooded district to the south, where more people were fleeing greater floods than Friday’s which cost upwards of 60 lives in Otay Valley.’
Marines were sent to the scene and began shooting anyone suspected of stealing from the dead. [6]
7. Stolen Rings
Not only did ghouls feast upon mass tragedies, they also robbed graves. For example, when Clara Gunderberg passed away at a young age in 1913, her mother had her buried with her engagement ring and two other expensive rings. Seven years later, ghouls dug the young woman back up and stole all three rings.
After the ghouls stole the rings, they covered the burial hole back up, but Clara’s mom was an observant woman. While visiting her daughter’s grave, the mother noticed that the ground was soft. It was reported to the police who dug up the casket and discovered that the remains had been rummaged through and the jewelry stolen. [7]
