Two Strange States entries simply were n’t enough to contain the oddities in America ’s preferent vacation goal . Here ’s another . Warning : You probably should n’t learn this one while you ’re eating tiffin .
The Morbid Obsession of Carl Tanzler
Love for a woman exalt Edward Leedskalnin tocreate the beautiful Coral Castle . But for Leedskalnin ’s Florida contemporary , Carl Tanzler , crush lead him down a much darker , more disturbing path .
Tanzler , also know as Count Carl von Cosel , was a German immigrant who came to Zephyrhills , Florida with his family in 1926 . However , he soon allow for his married woman and children to take a job in Key West as a radiotherapist for the U.S. Marine Hospital . While there , he met a beautiful young fair sex 32 years his junior named Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos , considerably have it away as Helen ( top , in a photo courtesy of theFlorida Keys Public Library ) . Helen had been diagnosed with tuberculosis , and Tanzler visited her at her family ’s home often , essay to treat the disease with x - beam auto and other forms of untested science . by and by , Tanzler professed his dear for her , declaring that he had been searching for her his whole living .
Since he was a boy , Tanzler report suffer visions of his ancestor , Countess Anna Constantina von Cosel , who died in 1765 . Tanzler claimed the Countess sent him an image of his one straight love : a dark - hairy cleaning lady , whom Tanzler said gibe Helen exactly .
woefully , Helen died in 1931 . Her funeral was paid for by Tanzler , as was the mausoleum he convinced the family to build rather of having her swallow . This allowed him the chance to visit her graveside every evening and sing her pet Spanish tunes to her . While there , he claimed that Helen often speak to him , calling to him from beyond the grave , begging him to take her plate . And so he did , sometime in April 1933 .
It was n’t long after being exposed to the elements that Helen ’s body start to decompose . After range her in his bed , Tanzler tied her bones together using piano telegram and apparel hanger . subsequently , he replace the eyes with glass orbs , made a wig out of her hairsbreadth as it fell out , and replaced her skin with a combination of plaster of Paris and silk hit it up in wax . To serve the trunk keep its form , he gormandise it with rag week . He put her in a dress , stockings , and gloves , and applied makeup to give her a more natural appearance . In order of magnitude to mask the odour of the body , he regularly doused her in perfume .
Tanzler lived with the clay of his beloved for seven years , sleeping next to her every night . It was n’t until 1940 , when Helen ’s sis heard rumors that Tanzler might have her babe ’s cadaver , that the self-assurance were called in to enquire . Helen ’s body was base and an autopsy was execute after which , as if she had n’t already suffer enough indignity , her body was put on public display for three days and was viewed by over 6000 Floridians . She was later buried in an unmarked tomb .
In 1972 , a Dr. that attended the autopsy would make one concluding , disturbing revelation about the trunk — a tube had been found inserted in the vaginal area so Tanzler could sham intercourse . This fact was not name when Tanzler was arrest and charged only with “ maliciously disturbing ” Helen ’s grave . It ’s hard to believe , but many people at the time felt sorry for him , say he was just “ an freakish romanticist . ” Maybe if they ’d been given the whole history …
Believe it or not , there ’s even more strangeness in Florida , so we might have to melt down another entry tomorrow . In the meantime , check out our Strange States archivehere .
