Attacking the elementary school with flamethrowers! / Gravestones and mutants
Windchill of -16°C tomorrow, with frozen conditions everywhere because the low for tonight is -7? I think I'll stay home again... o_O
Today's Flammable Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
A Catholic Elementary School in Cologne, Germany
Thursday, June 11, 1964
Walter Seifert's wife died in childbirth a few years ago and because he had tuberculosis, he had been out of work for years. Walter wrote several letters about his unfair treatment by medical officers to the head of the health department, the director of the upper city, and the head of the provincial government trying in vain to make a war pension valid. All of these failed. Several medical officers certified Walter with schizophrenia symptoms, but they did not think he was violent. Today, just after 9 AM, he proved them wrong. Walter converted a garden sprayer into a flamethrower and filled it with an easily inflammable mixture that could deliver a six-meter flame. He took his new flamethrower, a lance that was 1.5 meters long, and a homemade iron centrifuge to the Catholic elementary school at Cologne Volkhoven. The school consisted of three wood pavilions, containing six classrooms, near the main administration building.
He entered the school yard and blocked a small school gate with a wooden wedge. In the schoolyard, teacher Anna Langohr was teaching a group of girls about sports. Walter went to the first pavilion, which held four classrooms. He threw some disks in with the centrifuge, put the flamethrower into an opened window, and pulled the trigger. The wooden classrooms and the clothes of the children immediately caught on fire, and panic ensued. Gertrud Bollenrath, a teacher, began to smother the flames from the children's clothes before going out into the yard and putting herself in harm's way. Walter stabbed her with the lance. By now, the students were running all over the schoolyard and Walter let loose another deadly flame. Anna, 67, tried to stay between the students and Walter, but the flames overtook her and she collapsed to the ground.
Walter then began to approach another wooden pavilion. The teachers inside, Mrs. Ursula Kouhr and a teacher identified only as Kunz, saw him coming. They tried to shut the wing doors, but Walter tore one of them off its hinges. Ursula, 24, lost her balance and fell down. Walter stabbed the fallen teacher several times while she was on the floor, killing her. By now, the neighbors were responding to the fire and commotion in the schoolyard, so Walter fled the scene into a field. He didn't get too far as the police apprehended him in the field. He didn't get much further than that either as, during the chase, he swallowed a cap of plant poison E605.
By the time the sun set on this horrific day, Walter had died in Lindenburg. Meanwhile, men who drove the garbage trucks were able to break down the gate Walter had wedged closed, and extinguished the fire with blankets and clothes. They stopped cars in the street and had them transport the wounded students to area hospitals. The students had burns over 90% of their bodies. Eight students died from their injuries. Gertrud, 62, died just after 1:00 at Holy Spirit Hospital. Anna was in critical status for weeks, and it wasn't until October that she was able to leave the hospital. The 28 students who were wounded underwent months of long and painful treatment, which could not heal the scars completely, both physical and psychological.
Culled from: Columbine-Angels.Com
Generously submitted by: Kathleen
**********************************************************************
Now, that's what I call a true terror-art-ist! Who would think to attack a school with a flamethrower? Definitely scores points for originality.
*******
Morbid Link Du Jour!
Here's an excellent website that discusses the early gravestone image styles in Cape Cod, Massachusetts ... along with photographic illustrations. Thanks to Jessica for the link.
*******
Wretched Recommendations!
Em has a book recommendation for us:
Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body by Armand Leroi
"I highly recommend Armand Leroi's book Mutants. It manages to be inexplicably upbeat while, horribly depressing at the same time - a neat trick to be sure. Anyway, it's a beautifully written and thoroughly engrossing book, complete with a few choice anatomical illustrations and photos. It isn't just a cheap freak show in book form, but instead presents a meticulously researched picture of genetic mutation and its study, one that does not sensationalize its examples. Leroi depicts his subject clearly and unflinchingly. It's morbid fun, but the kind where you learn something and no one gets arrested for necrophilia. The quote on the back cover reads, "Who are the mutants? We are all mutants." If that doesn't scream Comtesse-worthy morbidity, I don't know what does."
Indeed!! This is the second recommendation I've had for this one, so it definitely sounds like a winner.
Today's Flammable Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
A Catholic Elementary School in Cologne, Germany
Thursday, June 11, 1964
Walter Seifert's wife died in childbirth a few years ago and because he had tuberculosis, he had been out of work for years. Walter wrote several letters about his unfair treatment by medical officers to the head of the health department, the director of the upper city, and the head of the provincial government trying in vain to make a war pension valid. All of these failed. Several medical officers certified Walter with schizophrenia symptoms, but they did not think he was violent. Today, just after 9 AM, he proved them wrong. Walter converted a garden sprayer into a flamethrower and filled it with an easily inflammable mixture that could deliver a six-meter flame. He took his new flamethrower, a lance that was 1.5 meters long, and a homemade iron centrifuge to the Catholic elementary school at Cologne Volkhoven. The school consisted of three wood pavilions, containing six classrooms, near the main administration building.
He entered the school yard and blocked a small school gate with a wooden wedge. In the schoolyard, teacher Anna Langohr was teaching a group of girls about sports. Walter went to the first pavilion, which held four classrooms. He threw some disks in with the centrifuge, put the flamethrower into an opened window, and pulled the trigger. The wooden classrooms and the clothes of the children immediately caught on fire, and panic ensued. Gertrud Bollenrath, a teacher, began to smother the flames from the children's clothes before going out into the yard and putting herself in harm's way. Walter stabbed her with the lance. By now, the students were running all over the schoolyard and Walter let loose another deadly flame. Anna, 67, tried to stay between the students and Walter, but the flames overtook her and she collapsed to the ground.
Walter then began to approach another wooden pavilion. The teachers inside, Mrs. Ursula Kouhr and a teacher identified only as Kunz, saw him coming. They tried to shut the wing doors, but Walter tore one of them off its hinges. Ursula, 24, lost her balance and fell down. Walter stabbed the fallen teacher several times while she was on the floor, killing her. By now, the neighbors were responding to the fire and commotion in the schoolyard, so Walter fled the scene into a field. He didn't get too far as the police apprehended him in the field. He didn't get much further than that either as, during the chase, he swallowed a cap of plant poison E605.
By the time the sun set on this horrific day, Walter had died in Lindenburg. Meanwhile, men who drove the garbage trucks were able to break down the gate Walter had wedged closed, and extinguished the fire with blankets and clothes. They stopped cars in the street and had them transport the wounded students to area hospitals. The students had burns over 90% of their bodies. Eight students died from their injuries. Gertrud, 62, died just after 1:00 at Holy Spirit Hospital. Anna was in critical status for weeks, and it wasn't until October that she was able to leave the hospital. The 28 students who were wounded underwent months of long and painful treatment, which could not heal the scars completely, both physical and psychological.
Culled from: Columbine-Angels.Com
Generously submitted by: Kathleen
**********************************************************************
Now, that's what I call a true terror-art-ist! Who would think to attack a school with a flamethrower? Definitely scores points for originality.
*******
Morbid Link Du Jour!
Here's an excellent website that discusses the early gravestone image styles in Cape Cod, Massachusetts ... along with photographic illustrations. Thanks to Jessica for the link.
*******
Wretched Recommendations!
Em has a book recommendation for us:
Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body by Armand Leroi
"I highly recommend Armand Leroi's book Mutants. It manages to be inexplicably upbeat while, horribly depressing at the same time - a neat trick to be sure. Anyway, it's a beautifully written and thoroughly engrossing book, complete with a few choice anatomical illustrations and photos. It isn't just a cheap freak show in book form, but instead presents a meticulously researched picture of genetic mutation and its study, one that does not sensationalize its examples. Leroi depicts his subject clearly and unflinchingly. It's morbid fun, but the kind where you learn something and no one gets arrested for necrophilia. The quote on the back cover reads, "Who are the mutants? We are all mutants." If that doesn't scream Comtesse-worthy morbidity, I don't know what does."
Indeed!! This is the second recommendation I've had for this one, so it definitely sounds like a winner.
Labels: books, death, drugs, emily, jessica, morbid facts, murder, news, pictures, school, sick, snow, sports, true crime, war
posted by Flami at 9:35:00 PM
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