Remember the horse meat scandal? Back in 2013, Britain was up in arms, because it was discovered that some of our favorite beef products actually contained hefty portions of equine goodness — 100% in the case of those Findus microwave lasagnes. Meanwhile, the French just looked on confused, thinking: “Yeah, horse lasagne, it’s delicious. What’s the problem?”
If you want a case of mistaken meat which would shock even our friends across the channel, you need only look to Germany. Back in the early 20th century, a brutal criminal sent a wave of panic through the city of Berlin, spawning an urban legend which will have you thinking twice whenever you go to munch on a currywurst.
We’re talking about the case of the Berlin Butcher — not to be confused with The Butcher Berlin, which is a burger restaurant with a respectable 4.2 star Google rating. No, the butcher we’re covering today actually has some of the worst reviews in the history of the food and beverage industry, on account of the fact he may have turned hundreds of unwitting Berliners into accidental cannibals.
The Hot Dog Man
If you had walked down the streets of Berlin in 1920, you might have spotted a strange little man running a hot dog cart outside the Silesian Train Station (now called Ostbahnhof). This was Carl Grossman, a local bratwurst slinger in his mid fifties, and a familiar face to the commuters who came and went through this crime-ridden district.
The hot dog man looked skinny in his oversized suit, with a menacing scowl seemingly permanently fixed on his mustached face. Whenever the sausage business was slow, he was also known to revert to his old profession: begging for change on the streets. Despite these humble career paths, Carl was actually relatively wealthy for this side of town.
He had held many jobs over the years, working in textile factories, butcher’s shops, farms, and even a brief stint in the military during World War One. After his medical discharge, it was rumored that he used his experience as a butcher to trade in black market meat well into the post-war period, when food was still strictly rationed.
By the 1920s, he had settled down in Berlin for a while, and was renting a tiny apartment in a building on Langestrasse. Carl wasn’t exactly popular among his neighbors, mostly on account of his sexual proclivities; he was well known for drunkenly bringing prostitutes back almost every night, and waking up the other tenants with the racket.
Whenever he didn’t feel like paying his ladies in cash, he would go searching at Andreasplatz Park for young runaways and homeless women to coerce into coming home with him. He’d flash a fat stack of papiermarks, and offer them food, shelter, and employment as his housekeeper in exchange for sex.
His live-in maids mustn’t have been doing a very good job of cleaning up the place though, because the neighbors often noticed a horrific smell emanating from Grossman’s doorway. He usually explained it was down to some spoiled chicken, left out on the window sill by accident.
Understandably, nobody really wanted to get any more involved in Grossman’s business than they had to, so they kind of just accepted his excuses and left him to it. The kinds of arrangements he was striking up with these women weren’t particularly strange in interwar Berlin, where unemployment and poverty were rife.
What was strange though, was the fact that more women seemed to enter Carl’s apartment than ever left.
Disappearances
It was around the same time that the Berlin police were battling a spate of missing persons cases. From the spring of 1918, the brutally dismembered bodies of young women had been periodically discovered in the Luisenstadt Canal and Engelbecken Reservoir. Many were never identified.
The killings continued over the next few years, and in October 1920 a woman named Freida Schubert wound up as the latest victim. She had been working as a prostitute at the time, and when the police interviewed witnesses at her usual haunts, they reported seeing her head off with a John on the evening of her disappearance.
A little more digging revealed this was none other than Carl Grossman, once again living up to his name. Police searched his apartment, and discovered Freida’s handbag. Grossman calmly explained that yes, he had hired her that night, but she had simply left in a hurry and forgotten her bag.
The cases continued to pile up for another 10 months, bringing the total number of bodies to over 20. Throughout this time, Mr Grossman became a familiar face at the local police station. Not because he was under suspicion or anything — he was just having the worst luck with his housekeepers. He filed report after report claiming that his live-in maids were robbing him then vanishing without a trace. Eventually, the police began to get sick of the sight of the guy.
By August 1921, the spate of disappearances and/or murders had reached epidemic levels. The death of 24-year-old Johanna Sonowski was the most recent, and it prompted the police to launch a renewed appeal for information in the area around the station, where it was believed the killer was based.
The Strange Sounds
The posters which they put up were spotted by several of Grossman’s suspicious neighbors, including husband and wife Helene and Mannheim Iztig. They were among the many residents who had heard sounds of violence erupting from Grossman’s room late at night, but nobody really complained unless it was keeping them up.
That was the grim reality of being an impoverished woman back then — violence was seen as a plain fact of life. And even if the violence had been reported, the police weren’t exactly in the habit of rushing to the rescue of destitute runaways. After discovering that an infamous serial killer might be living in their neighborhood, however, the Iztigs started to take the plight of Grossman’s partners a bit more seriously.
These top-tier busybodies drilled a hole in his door, and observed him hitting several women, but that’s as far as it ever went. They reported what they saw to the police, but domestic violence against ‘fallen women’ was barely even considered criminal back then.
It would be another couple of weeks before the incident which finally brought the police back to Grossman’s door. On the 21st of August, while walking through Andreasplatz Park he happened across a young woman named Marie Nietsche. She had just been released from Moabit Prison after serving a month-long sentence, and she took him up on his offer of lunch and a few drinks.
Late that night, the residents of 88/89 Langestrasse were once again awoken by the sounds of screaming on the 4th floor. But this time, it was so loud and tortured, that even that laissez-faire lot decided they had to intervene. Grossman’s landlady, who lived in the apartment above, fetched the police.
When they kicked open the door to the apartment, they found Marie on the bed with her hands and feet tied. She had been bludgeoned to death. Grossman stood over the body, in the process of cutting it to pieces.
Finally the neighbors understood that, for the past two years, they had been listening to the murder and dismemberment of innocent women, and none of them had done a damn thing about it.
The Past Arrests
Perhaps if his neighbors had been offered a peek at Carl’s criminal record, they might not have been so chill about his late-night hobbies. His most recent charge was for first-degree murder, but the list of offenses went back over three decades.
It started with a short jail sentence for begging, and then took a bizarre turn when he was arrested for an indecent act with a sheep in 1896. Things took an even darker turn the following year, when Grossman was convicted of the sexual assault of an underaged girl in Nuremberg. Following that was another case of sexual assault on two minors, which landed him a 15-year stint of penal servitude.
So how did he manage to go about his deadly business even with over 25 convictions hanging over his head? Well, throughout his youth, Grossman spent much of his time traveling around the country in search of agricultural work. It’s likely nobody in his neighborhood had any idea what he got up to in those distant rural districts.
Even if they did, some of them had a reason to keep their mouths shut. Grossman was relatively wealthy in the slums of Berlin, and he had lent out money to a good few of his neighbors, including the Iztigs.
Revelations
And that wasn’t all this good Samaritan did to enrich his local community. Remember his stint as a black market meat dealer during the war? Well, as it turns out many of the people in the area had been buying from him.
When the media caught wind of this story, they gave Grossman his iconic nickname, The Berlin Butcher, and began to indulge in some macabre speculation. See, given the hacked-up state of the bodies, and Grossman’s past work experience, the police were entertaining the idea that he might have actually disposed of his victims by selling their meat to his customers.
This means that the bratwursts at his cart might have actually contained pieces of the women he murdered. Of course, 1920s forensics was pretty much still stuck in the dark ages, so there’s no way to know for sure, but the tabloids took this angle and ran with it, turning it into the most popular version of events.
What can be said is that it wouldn’t be completely unprecedented. Another German serial killer named Karl Denke had been killing and cannibalizing homeless people around the same time Grossman was active. Denke also ran a small meat shop in his town, and was strongly suspected of selling off the meat of his victims to turn a profit from his crimes.
Whether either of the men really sold their victims as food is lost to history, as is the true extent of their crimes. As for the Berlin Butcher, reports from the time vary as to how many women’s lives he claimed. What we know for sure is that the police found blood stains believed to be from three more victims, meaning four had died there in recent months. Grossman eventually admitted to that same total during interrogations.
A newspaper report from 1921, however, puts the number much higher. Based on police reports and the killer’s personal diary, this report claimed that Grossman was strongly suspected of more than twenty killings in as many years, some of them linked to the unidentified bodies found in the reservoir and canal.
But without even a name for many of these victims, the police didn’t have much to build any additional charges on. The ones he had confessed to would just have to do. And so, in July 1922, almost one year after his arrest, Grossman was brought to trial.
Trial and Death
During the trial, the prosecution brought forward a parade of witnesses who testified to Grossman’s propensity for violence. These included several of the women who he had brought back to his apartment in the past. One woman named Erika reported being too creeped out by the guy and his strange-smelling bedsit, deciding to back out of the arrangement at the last minute.
Other survivors had less fortunate stories to tell, about how they had to endure Grossman’s sexual assaults and beatings after taking him up on his offers out of desperation. In his defence, Grossman just explained that he had killed the three women in a rage after they tried to steal money from him.
Crimes of passion were generally viewed with more leniency than cold-blooded killings, but Grossman must have sensed that his story wasn’t going to fly. On the 5th of July, just three days into the proceedings, he was found hanging dead in his jail cell.
Conclusion
Whether dished out by the state or himself, death by hanging was an inevitability for the Berlin Butcher, so he had essentially just expedited the process. With him died the knowledge of just how many victims he claimed throughout his criminal career, and whether or not those train station hot dogs were really fit for human consumption.
It’s a pretty grim tale from start to finish, but if we’re looking to take something away from it, it’d be this: if you ever find yourself in the same position as Grossman’s neighbors, do you really want to hold off on calling the police until it turns into some horrible story like this?
That and the golden rule: never buy indiscriminate meat from shady guys down the pub.
Key Takeaways
- Carl Grossman, a Berlin hot dog vendor in the 1920s, murdered and dismembered women; media speculated he sold their meat in his bratwursts.
- Neighbors ignored years of violence and horrific smells from Grossman’s apartment, enabling his crimes against vulnerable women.
- Grossman was caught in August 1921 while dismembering Marie Nietsche, whose screams finally prompted police intervention.
- With over 25 prior convictions including sexual assault of minors, Grossman evaded scrutiny by moving between rural agricultural jobs.
- He hanged himself three days into his July 1922 trial, taking the true extent of his victims and any cannibalism to his grave.
Dana Ortiz covers prosecutorial mechanics, evidentiary procedure, and how investigations unwind decades after the original case file went cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the Berlin Butcher?
The Berlin Butcher was Carl Grossman, a hot dog vendor who operated a bratwurst cart outside the Silesian Train Station (now Ostbahnhof) in Berlin in 1920. He was a serial killer who murdered and dismembered women, and was suspected of selling their meat to unsuspecting customers.
When and where did Carl Grossman operate his hot dog cart?
Carl Grossman operated his hot dog cart outside the Silesian Train Station (now called Ostbahnhof) in Berlin in 1920.
How was Carl Grossman finally caught?
On August 21, 1921, neighbors were awoken by loud screaming from Grossman’s apartment. His landlady fetched the police, who kicked open the door to find Marie Nietsche bludgeoned to death on the bed with her hands and feet tied, while Grossman stood over her body cutting it to pieces.
What was Carl Grossman’s criminal history before the murders?
Grossman’s criminal record spanned over three decades and included begging, an indecent act with a sheep in 1896, sexual assault of an underaged girl in Nuremberg in 1897, and another sexual assault on two minors that resulted in 15 years of penal servitude. He also had a recent charge for first-degree murder.
How many victims was Carl Grossman suspected of killing?
Reports vary. Grossman admitted to four murders during interrogations (including three based on blood stains found in his apartment). However, a 1921 newspaper report based on police reports and his personal diary strongly suspected him of more than twenty killings in as many years, some linked to unidentified bodies found in the Luisenstadt Canal and Engelbecken Reservoir.
What happened to Carl Grossman during his trial?
On July 5, 1922, just three days into the trial proceedings, Carl Grossman was found hanging dead in his jail cell, having committed suicide.
Was there any evidence that Grossman actually sold human meat in his bratwursts?
There is no definitive evidence. The article states that 1920s forensics was primitive, so there’s no way to know for sure. The cannibalism angle was media speculation that tabloids popularized, though it was noted that another German serial killer, Karl Denke, had been suspected of similar crimes around the same time.
Why didn’t Grossman’s neighbors report his suspicious activities earlier?
Several factors prevented earlier reporting: violence against impoverished women was seen as a plain fact of life and barely considered criminal; the police weren’t in the habit of rescuing destitute runaways; some neighbors owed Grossman money (including the Iztigs who had borrowed from him); and people generally didn’t want to get involved in his business.
What method did Grossman use to lure his victims?
Grossman would search Andreasplatz Park for young runaways and homeless women, flash a fat stack of papiermarks, and offer them food, shelter, and employment as his housekeeper in exchange for sex. He also regularly brought prostitutes back to his apartment.
What was the academic source used for this article?
The primary academic source was a JSTOR article at https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/j.ctt9qct7p.10.pdf, which the author chose because there’s a lot of fiction about this case. The academic source doesn’t push the cannibalism angle and notes that Grossman killed himself before the trial concluded, unlike most true crime accounts.
Sources
- Original Casual Criminalist video: The Butcher of Berlin and his Bloody Bratwurst
- Hero image source by MOs810 / openverse, by-sa.
