Freebie - Marilyn J. Bardsley

Who Was Sweeney Todd?

During the 1930s, thirteen gruesome decapitation murders terrorized the people of Cleveland. Eliot Ness was head of Cleveland’s police department for most of the killings and his inability to solve them tarnished his reputation. The serial murder case is known as “The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run” and the “Cleveland Torso Murders.” It officially ended in 1938. Eliot Ness’ chief suspect for the murders was Dr. Sweeney. These fictionalized journal entries, even though they are embellished with numerous variations from the history of this case, capture the personality of the unique individual who was Dr. Frank Sweeney.

The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run

Then I grabbed him from behind and choked him with my arm. He gasped and struggled, but I tightened my hold on his neck even more. When he became unconscious, I pulled him over to the sink and readied my knife.

How sweet is that moment of ultimate power? His soft white throat stretched out before my knife. The single deep, determined cut and his life became mine.

It’s like the thrill of the operating table. I am a primitive god surrounded by priests and priestesses, preparing for a sacred ceremony. The ritual proceeds as they lay out the naked creature before me like a sacrificial animal. I open its skin and hold in my hands its most precious possessions. As exciting as that power is, the expression of it is so often incomplete and unsatisfying. Some get well, others improve, just as often, they worsen and die, regardless of my skill. I have so little control over that.

To Read More from the Fictional Journals of the REAL Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run…

Download your FREE excerpt from The American Sweeney Todd PLUS AND get the bonus Cold Case that may or may not have been Sweeney Todd!