America’s First Serial Killer May Have Been This Forgotten Socialite From Minneapolis
😱 Uncover the twisted tale of Harry T. Hayward, the “Minneapolis Svengali,” a charming socialite by day and a ruthless killer by night! 💀 #Minneapolis #TrueCrime #MinnesotaHistory
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Did you know America’s First Serial Killer may actually be from Minnesota? In the annals of American true crime, one name has been largely forgotten, overshadowed by the likes of H.H. Holmes and Jack the Ripper. But the chilling confessions of Harry T. Hayward, the “Minneapolis Svengali,” reveal a man whose heinous acts rival those of history’s most notorious serial killers.
From his early days as a manipulative and cruel child to his final moments on the gallows, Hayward’s story is a haunting reminder of the darkness that can lurk behind a charming facade.
Born into a life of privilege and opportunity, Harry T. Hayward seemed destined for greatness. But beneath his polished exterior lay a twisted mind, shaped by a fascination with atheism and a propensity for cruelty. As Hayward navigated the upper echelons of Minneapolis society, his darker impulses began to take hold, setting the stage for a series of crimes that would shock the nation.
🎩 A Gilded Age Socialite and Ruthless Criminal
Born circa 1865 in Macoupin County, Illinois, Harry T. Hayward’s family relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, when he was an infant. His early life was marked by a brief return to Illinois and a transition from private to public school. Even at a young age, Hayward exhibited troubling behaviors, such as bullying and animal cruelty, as recounted by his school acquaintances.
📚 The Shaping of a Criminal Mind
Upon graduating high school, Hayward initially found employment as a clerk. However, by the age of 20, he had developed a severe gambling addiction. Hayward’s worldview was heavily influenced by atheistic literature, which he used to rationalize his self-centered and criminal behavior. Despite briefly receiving Catholic religious instruction while on death row, Hayward remained committed to his atheistic beliefs.
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💔 The Fateful Encounter with Katherine Ging
In January 1894, Hayward crossed paths with Katherine “Kitty” Ging, a tenant in his parents’ Ozark Flats building on Hennepin Avenue and Thirteenth Street. Manipulating Ging into lending him large sums of money for gambling, Hayward repaid her with counterfeit currency and privately referred to her as “an easy mark.”
As Ging persistently demanded repayment, Hayward’s resentment towards her grew, culminating in a chilling conversation with the building’s janitor, Claus Blixt, in which he expressed his desire to harm her.
🔪 The Murder of Katherine Ging and the Unraveling of Hayward’s Plot
On December 3, 1894, Ging’s body was discovered near Lake Calhoun, shot behind the ear. It was later revealed that Hayward had convinced her to purchase a $10,000 life insurance policy with himself as the sole beneficiary.
Despite initially feigning concern and assisting in the search for the killer, Hayward’s scheme unraveled when his brother Adry confided in a family friend, Levi Stewart, about Harry’s involvement. Adry revealed that the triggerman was Claude Blixt, leading to the arrests of both Blixt and Hayward.
📰 The “Minneapolis Svengali”
Following his arrest and prosecution for the murder of Katherine Ging, the newspapers of the era dubbed Hayward the “Minneapolis Svengali” for his uncanny ability to manipulate and influence those around him. This moniker, derived from the fictional character Svengali in George du Maurier’s 1895 novel “Trilby,” underscored Hayward’s charming yet sinister nature.
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⚖️ The Trial of the Century
Harry Hayward’s trial for first-degree murder commenced on January 21, 1895, before Judge Seagrave Smith. The prosecution, led by Hennepin County Attorney Frank M. Nye, relied heavily on the testimonies of Claus Blixt and Adry Hayward.
The defense team, consisting of William Erwin and John Day Smith, unsuccessfully attempted to have Adry’s testimony ruled inadmissible. Hayward took the stand himself, denying all allegations. After a lengthy trial spanning 46 days and involving 136 witnesses, the jury found Hayward guilty on March 8, 1895. Judge Smith sentenced him to death by hanging.
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🗣️ Confessions of a Killer
In the days leading up to his execution, Hayward participated in a series of interviews with his cousin Edward H. Goodsell, admitting to a litany of crimes, including illegal gambling, arson, and three additional murders.
His victims included a young woman in Pasadena, California, a man in Long Branch, New Jersey, and a brutal killing of a “Chinaman” in a New York City gambling den. Hayward’s confessions painted a picture of a remorseless and sadistic individual, displaying traits now associated with serial killers.
🪢 The Final Act
On December 11, 1895, Harry T. Hayward was hanged at Hennepin County Jail. In his final moments, Hayward maintained his flippant and performative demeanor, cracking jokes and requesting cheers from the spectators.
At the behest of John Day Smith, Hayward publicly proclaimed his faith in Jesus Christ before his execution. The hanging was botched due to a mis-measured rope, resulting in Hayward slowly strangling to death.
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🧠 A Morbid Fascination
Following Hayward’s execution, his brain was removed and examined according to the pseudoscience of phrenology. Doctors concluded that Hayward was a “degenerate biological phenomenon,” exhibiting traits somewhere between a “savage” and a “lunatic.” The morbid fascination with Hayward’s case persisted long after his death, with rumors circulating about his secret resurrection by the Freemasons.
🎶 Immortalized in Song
The murder of Katherine Ging and Hayward’s role in the crime were immortalized in the 1895 murder ballad “The Fatal Ride,” written by Joseph Vincent Brookes under the pseudonym “Marius.”
The song, borrowing its tune from the 1893 composition “The Fatal Wedding” by Gussie Davis, ensured that Hayward’s notoriety would endure in popular culture. Here are the haunting lyrics to this old tune…
“The Fatal Ride” (The Harry T. Hayward Song)
Minneapolis was excited, and for many miles around,
For a terrible crime committed, just a mile or so from town.
It was a cold and winter’s eve the villain did reply
“Tonight she takes that fatal ride and she shall have to die.”
Then tell the tale of a criminal, Kit was his promised bride.
Just another sin to answer for, just another fatal ride.
When for pleasure she went riding little did she know her fate
That took place on that lonely night on the road near Calhoun Lake.
She was shot while in the buggy, and beaten, ’tis true to speak,
Until all life had vanished, then was cast into the street.
Then tell the tale of a criminal, Kit was his promised bride.
Just another sin to answer for, just another fatal ride.
Oh, how could he have done that deed, so terrible to do?
Oh how could he have killed a girl with a heart so kind and true?
It was a cold and bloody deed, it was a terrible sin,
To take the life of one so true as she had been to him.
Then tell the tale of a criminal, Kit was his promised bride.
Just another sin to answer for, just another fatal ride.
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🔍 America’s First Serial Killer?
In recent years, the crimes of Harry T. Hayward have garnered renewed attention, with some historians and true crime enthusiasts, such as Jack El-Hai, positing that Hayward may have been America’s first serial killer.
If the additional murders confessed to by Hayward are proven true, his crimes would predate those of the infamous H. H. Holmes and be contemporaneous with Jack the Ripper.
While the full extent of Hayward’s crimes may never be known, his chilling legacy as the “Minneapolis Svengali” continues to captivate and unsettle more than a century after his death.
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