March 3, 1819 - Edward Rulloff
Rulloff spent decades moving between genuine intellectual pursuits — linguistics, law, medicine — and a parallel life of theft, violence, and murder, the two tracks running simultaneously rather than in sequence. His facility for reinvention allowed him to operate across multiple states and identities, making him difficult to track and prosecute during his lifetime. The breadth of his legitimate credentials made his criminal history all the more disorienting to contemporaries, and his case drew serious attention from figures like Mark Twain, who wrote about him in the press.
From Wikipedia
John Edward Howard Rulloff (also known as Ruloff, Rulofson, or Rulloffson, as well as several aliases; 1819/1820 – May 18, 1871) was a Canadian-born American medical doctor, lawyer, schoolmaster, photographer, inventor, carpet designer, phrenologist, and philologist, in addition to a career criminal and serial killer. This dichotomy was exemplified in the title of a 1871 biography, The Man of Two Lives!. He was also known as "The Genius Killer". Rulloff's brain is said to be among the largest on record.
Further reading
- Edward H. Rulloff
A haunting account of Edward Rulloff's life told through his own chilling words, evoking the lasting shadow cast by this notorious killer.
View on Amazon → - Rogue Scholar
A compelling portrait of the 19th-century criminal and self-styled scholar Edward Rulloff, whose story raises timeless questions about intellect and morality.
View on Amazon → - All That Is Wicked
Crime historian Kate Winkler Dawson explores the case of serial murderer Edward Rulloff, whose remarkable intelligence led 19th-century investigators to study his brain for clues to criminal behavior.
View on Amazon →
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