Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Acid Bath Murderer” Pt. 1: John George Haigh

Episode Date: May 25, 2020

Born in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the 20th century, John George Haigh rebelled against his hyper-religious upbringing and opted for a life of crime. He didn't see the point in earning an honest living when he could con others out of theirs. But Haigh soon realized that he needed a way to swindle people and make sure they stayed silent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This This episode includes discussions of violence, sexual assault, and murder that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. John George Haig smiled from the back of an English pub and sipped his Merlot. The dapper 35-year-old caught the eye of a young woman who edged toward his table to join him. Normally, Haig would have loved to chat her up, but that night he brushed her off.

He had other matters to attend to. After she left, Hague waved over a man from the end of the bar, William McSwan. William grinned and hurried over. He clinked Hague's glass, and the two started celebrating. Tonight, September 9, 1944, was the night William would disappear. Haig had promised his friend he knew a place where William could lay low to avoid conscription. Somewhere the government could never. find him. After William had drunk plenty of wine, Hague led him down to the so-called safe house,

an out-of-the-way basement apartment he owned. There, Hague kept his promise. William McSwan did disappear, but he wasn't just in hiding. He was never coming back. Hi, I'm Greg Polson. This is serial killers, a parcast original. Every episode, we dive into the mind and madness of serial killers. Today we're exploring the gruesome crimes of John George Haig, also known as the Acid Bath Murderer. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone.

You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Parcast originals for free on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To stream serial killers for free on Spotify, just open the app and type serial killers in the search bar. At Parcast, we're grateful for you, our listeners.

You allow us to do what we love. Let us know how we're doing. Reach out on Facebook and Instagram at Parcast. And Twitter at Parcast Network. John George Haig murdered at least six people between 1944 and 1949. This week we'll discuss Haig's hyper-religious upbringing, his tenure as a con artist, and his plans for what he believed to be the perfect crime. Next week, we'll discuss Haig's chaotic killing spree,

and the sensational trial that followed his capture. John George Haig was born into turmoil. His father, also named John, lost his job at an electricity plant only a few months before Haig was born in July of 1909. The financial instability forced the family to relocate to a village in West Yorkshire, England. The small community made Haig feel isolated as a boy. These feelings were exacerbated by his sheltered upbringing.

He was an only child, and his mother, Emily, was 40 years old when he was born. As such, Hague's mother treated her son as a miracle and a treasure. Haig wasn't spoiled, but he was cloistered, brought up in an intensely religious atmosphere. Both John Sr. and Emily were members of an evangelical Protestant branch, which strictly followed the word of the Bible. He was an environment defined by harsh rules. Hague's father demanded obedience and got it by instilling a fear of God in his child. John Sr. regularly pointed to a tiny scar in his forehead, telling his son that he'd been marked by the devil for sinning.

He warned young Hague not to walk the same path, promising that he would also be permanently disfigured if he stepped too far out of line. But John Sr. did much more than threaten his son with his son. eternal damnation. He all but forbade Haig from enjoying anything. One of his favorite maxims was, it is a sin to be happy in this world. And they took that very seriously. Hague's parents focused not on preparing their son for an earthly life, but instead on feeding his eternal soul. He spent hours at church each week, and the rest of his time was closely supervised by his parents. In 1916, 7-year-old Haig was enrolled in a strict elementary school.

From there, he moved to a prestigious private middle school. Everywhere he went, Haig was expected to excel. This overbearing atmosphere made Haig act out. He started lying to his parents at an early age. Their standards were impossible to meet. So the only way Haig had any peace was to hide his true feelings. The stress of his deceptions also led to unusual behavior. pulling him further off the rigid path his parents had laid out.

Haig later claimed he started drinking his own urine in 1920, the same year he started private school. This could have been the first indication of Haig's penchant for sadomasochism. Vanessa's going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. Though it's possible that Hague fabricated this story, it could provide some insight into his early development.

According to psychologist Dr. Mark Griffiths, consumption of urine or urophasia appears to be most likely associated with sadomasochism. Griffiths pointed out that people who are fascinated or titillated by urine don't inherently have any mental illness or disturbing tendencies. But because urine is often associated with humiliation, those who are fascinated, who perform erophasia may be more likely to associate pain and embarrassment with sexual gratification. It wasn't the only bodily fluid that dominated Hague's thoughts. He was also racked by bloody dreams as a child. Unsurprisingly, most of these involved a crucified Jesus Christ. He claimed to be plagued by one nightmare in particular, in which he found himself lost in a forest of crucifixes. As he wandered, the crosses gradually turned to trees, and a tepid rain began to pour.

As Hague explored the forest, the rain trickled down from the canopy onto his head. He realized with horror that it wasn't water falling from the sky, but blood. Then the trees began to whip to and fro, as if they were caught in a cyclone, but there was no wind. Blood oozed from their bark. Hague tried to scream but found that he had no voice. Like the trees, he was rooted in place. As he watched, paralyzed by fear, a strange man emerged from the wood holding a cup.

He filled the glass with blood from the trees, then approached Hague and urged the child to drink. Nightmares like this one showcase the way Hague's religion both terrified him and dominated his thoughts. Every Sunday he took communion at church and was told the wine he drank was the blood of Christ. It seems likely that the prospect terrified the young boy. At the same time, it inextricably connected blood

with the concept of God's love in his mind. Because Haig grew up in such a controlling environment, it's likely that for him, religion, pain, and love were all closely intertwined. He certainly loved his father, but was also terrified of getting on the man's bad side, and he definitely didn't feel able to confess his deepest feelings to his parents. But with time, Hague grew adept at keeping his nightmares and innermost thoughts to himself. In his teen years, his teachers described him as mischievous.

Lying about living a sinless life was a necessity at home, and soon Hague found he could fool just about anyone. He may have even thought of the lies as comforting. After all, it sometimes seemed to Haig that his parents cared more about keeping up appearances than actual morality. For years, they drove into him the importance of cleanliness and maintaining an immaculate appearance. They loved that he sang in the church choir and that their friends and neighbors saw him as a god-fearing young man. Hague eventually realized that as long as he appeared to be a clean-cut church boy, people would treat him. as such. He took pains to always look his best, hoping to make up in style and personal hygiene,

what he lacked in morality. He continued this act throughout his school days. Then in 1926, at the age of 17, he graduated and began training as a mechanic. He hated it. He was more concerned with appearing to do work than actually performing manual labor. In no time, Hague abandoned his training and took a job in insurance sales. His well-kempt appearance and penchant for fast-talking made him a natural. He excelled at the company and worked his way up the corporate ladder. In 1930, 21-year-old Haig was successful enough to earn a broker job at a larger company. But though he was doing well, Haig wasn't satisfied. At one point, he scored a contract ensuring an enormous construction project in Africa. The commission was massive and what did Haig's out?

appetite for luxury. However, he didn't just want the money. Much like his superficial appearance of good character, Haig craved the benefits of working without putting in any effort. After some consideration, Haig decided the most logical way for him to get more money while doing less work was to simply steal it. He began taking money from the cash box at work. He started slowly at first, but as time went on, Haig grew bolder. His boss eventually noticed the money was missing. Haig wasn't quite reckless enough to be caught red-handed, but everyone at the insurance agency knew he was the culprit. He was fired. The embarrassment irritated him, but he decided he was better off by himself. After growing up in such a controlling

environment, Haig resented having a boss at all. He felt he was ready to take charge on his own and founded an advertising company called Northern Electric Newspapers. It's unconsored. It's unconsored. clear how successful the company was, but Haig didn't have enough money to live on his own while attempting to get the enterprise off the ground. He continued to stay at his parents' house and attend regular church services for the next few years. Despite the demands of running a business and the constraints of living with his parents, Haig dated actively. Charismatic and handsome, he found himself in high demand, but the only girl who held his interest was 21-year-old. Beatrice Hammer.

With wavy hair, a bright smile, and a headstrong attitude, Beatrice was more than a match for Hague's wit. The couple dated for several months before deciding to take the next step. In July of 1934, 25-year-old Hague married Beatrice, and the two of them moved into a house together. For the first time ever, Hague was free of his mother and father. Hague's parents hoped their son would settle down and live a quiet Christian life as they had. But they were sorely disappointed.

The moment he moved out, Hague stopped going to church altogether. To his parents, that meant that their son had chosen hell over eternal salvation. They didn't know the half of it. Now that Hague had a new home and a wife to care for, his need for money was more urgent than ever before. and he was willing to do whatever it took to get it. Up next, Hague crosses the line from Petty Thief into full-blown Conman. Now back to the story.

Outwardly, John George Hague appeared to be a man with a bright future. In 1934, the 25-year-old moved out of his parents' home with his new wife Beatrice to make a life for himself. But what Beatrice didn't know was that for Haig, the best kind of life was one where he worked the least. On the lookout for a quick money-making venture, Haig stumbled across an article in the newspaper about a car thief. The man had recently been arrested for conning a dealership out of a fleet of vehicles. The report gave Haig an idea for his own scam. He combed through the phone book and forged documents using the random names inside. Then he approached a struggling auto shop and used the documents to purchase vehicles on credit in other people's names.

He'd made a couple of payments on the cars so that the shop believed real people other than Hague owned the vehicles. Then Hague turned around and resold them for a huge profit. The auto shop still expected regular payments from the fake names Hague had used to buy the cars. But once the vehicles were resold, the payments stopped coming and it was new. impossible to track them down. Over the course of several months, he made thousands through this scam. But he couldn't keep it up forever, and eventually the grift was traced back to him. In November of 1934, Haig was arrested for fraud and sentenced to 15 months in prison.

His incarceration horrified his parents and his wife. Hague wrote to them from prison, begging for their forgiveness and swearing to change his ways once he'd served his time. It was a hollow promise, and though the lie soothed his parents, Hague couldn't convince his wife that he would change. They'd been married less than six months when Hague was convicted, and Beatrice soon learned she was pregnant. She decided to cut her losses.

After giving birth, she gave the baby up for adoption and filed for divorce. Now single, Hague was released from prison in December of 1935. Once again, he returned to his parents' home and played the part of the God-fearing son. He made a show of changing his ways, returning to church, and settling back into life under his father's thumb. His parents were so pleased. They even loaned Hague the money to found a dry cleaning business, which he started with the help of an experienced partner. At first, it looked like the investment would pay off in spades. With his talent for salesmanship, the little shop got off to a strong,

start. But though Haig was the one bringing in the clients, his associate had supplied most of the backing money, which became a problem in 1936 when Haig's partner was struck by a car and died. Without his partner, Haig struggled to maintain cash flow and had to sell off his assets. The incident convinced him once and for all that there was no justice in the world. He'd made an effort to find legitimate success, but had been punished for it. Hague left his parents' house after the failure and moved to London, vowing he'd no longer follow the rules. He wasn't going to let the law get in his way ever again. Once in the big city, Hague started dreaming up his next scam.

To make ends meet in the meantime, he started working as a secretary and chauffeur for the McSwan's, a wealthy local family. Like most people, the McSwans found Hague to be a delight. No doubt hoping to make powerful connections, 27-year-old Haig became good friends with his boss's son, William, who was around the same age. But almost as soon as his friendship with William McSwan began, Haig quit his job as their chauffeur.

He made sure to keep in touch with the McSwans, but he was in search of bigger fish to fry. This time, Haig came up with a scheme to defraud investors. First, he set up a fake legal office. using the name of a real firm with an established reputation. Through the phony office, he sought out clients who wanted to invest in local companies. Using the names of real businesses, Haig forged stock certificates and legal paperwork that made it look like he was selling genuine shares in major companies.

To make the deal too good to resist, he advertised the stock at below-market value. In designing the scheme, Haig relied on several tricks commonly employed by con artists. Dr. Frank Steyano, a computer security expert, analyzed a series of successful scams and found that many manipulated human psychology in the same fundamental ways. Many cons rely on exploiting the desperation of their targets. Dr. Steyano wrote, What matters most is not necessarily the mark's greed, but his or her personal situation. If the mark is on the verge of bankruptcy, needs a medical operation. or is otherwise in dire straits,

the offer of a solution is very hard to question. In such cases, the mark is not greedy, just depressed and hopeful. In Haig's case, he managed to court many investors by taking advantage of the strained economic climate. In 1936, England was still suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. Many people struggled to make ends meet

and were desperate to climb out of debt. Unfortunately for them, trusting Hague only put them deeper in the hole. But Hague didn't just capitalize on the financial anxiety of his victims. He piled on the pressure by giving his targets what Dr. Steyano terms, the time principle. Haig made his marks believe that the generous terms of his investment were in high demand and that prices couldn't stay low forever. Dr. Steyano describes this concept further, writing,

In many good scams, the mark is made to believe that he or he or she must act quickly or lose the opportunity. When caught in such a trap, it's very difficult for people to stop and assess the situation properly. In no time, Hague attracted a cavalcade of eager investors. He took their money, gave them fake shares in return, and shuttered his office soon afterward. The scheme was incredibly lucrative, which encouraged Hague to run the con again and again. But eventually, he got lazy. He worked the exact. He worked the exam. exact same scam so many times in a row that authorities finally caught on in late 1937. In November of that year, 28-year-old Haig was arrested. By that time, he'd milked over 3,000

pounds from his marks, the equivalent of around 243,000 U.S. dollars today. The court didn't treat Haig's second offense as gently as they had his first. He was no longer a down-on-his-luck man who'd turned to scamming to support his new wife. Now he was a sophisticated career con man, and though he did his best to charm the judge, his sentence was far from lenient. He was ordered to serve four years of hard time. The judgment surprised Hague, who'd been on top of the world for the past year. He'd assumed he could talk his way out of anything.

After all, he'd separated dozens of people from their life savings. But ultimately, Hague took his sentence in stride. Other inmates described Hague as a big talker who showed no signs of remorse for his crimes. Instead, he bragged about how he sweet-talked rich older ladies into trusting him. He advised his less-experienced prisoners to think big and to eke out every dime they could from their marks. Despite being incorrigible in the confidence of his fellow criminals, Haig maintained a polite face to the prison authorities. He hoped to get out early on good behavior.

and was helped along by the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Desperate to conserve resources for wartime, England became more willing to release prisoners early. Haig was led out a year in advance in August of 1940 at the age of 31. He found his country in desperate times. Young men were being marched off to war, and the families left behind were struggling to make ends meet. For a conman without a conscience, it was a golden opportunity. But Hague knew that every good scheme began with a foundation of trust. To earn the respect of his neighbors, he talked his way into a job as a fireman in a local community.

Over the next few months, Haig played it straight, searching for his next big score. But by June of 1941, he still didn't have many ideas. Even so, he wasn't about to commit to a little bit. an honest living. He was arrested again that summer, this time for breaking and entering and sent back to jail. Locked up for the third time, Hague had plenty of opportunities to come up with a new scam. During the day, the 32-year-old spent much of his time working at the prison tin shop, shaping things out of soft metal. During downtime, he spent countless hours in his cell, staring at the wall and imagining new ways to get rich.

Hague decided he didn't need to wait to be released to start making money. Along with a few other inmates who helped sort and deliver the mail, he began holding letters hostage. For a while, the crew successfully extorted their fellow prisoners by charging them an extra fee to receive their mail. Unfortunately for Hague, prison authorities eventually caught wind of the swindle and broke it up. He even got a few extra months added to a sentence for his role in the operation. It was just another example of his inability to think long-term. He obsessed over a new get-rich-quick scheme practically every week, but never bothered to imagine how he could get away with his plans beyond the first few days.

Hague's failure infuriated him. He thought he was smarter than the guards and the warden, and the fact that they'd caught onto a scheme was aggravating. Hague resolved that the next time he tried to scam someone, he would come up with something foolproof. The longer he spent dreaming up new criminal plans, the darker Hague's thoughts became. He realized that his previous operations had one major problem. Someone was always left around afterward to realize what Hague had done.

That's what had required him to move offices so often when he was selling imaginary stock. Eventually, he'd hoodwinked someone who was smart enough to track him down. But if there was no one left to squeal after the scam, Haig mused, he could pull off the perfect crime. If he could get rid of someone permanently, he'd be free to write checks in their name, sell their assets, and drain their bank accounts with no one the wiser. The more he thought, the more sure Haig became that his next plan would involve murder. Haig had learned plenty about killing from other inmates.

It seemed to him that nine times out of ten, They were caught because they left evidence behind for police. Haig believed that if he could come up with a way to destroy his victim's bodies, he'd be untouchable. No body, no crime. After all, he could talk his way out of anything. If the authorities had no hard evidence to tie him to the crime, he was confident there was no way he could be arrested. Hague obsessed over the idea for months. Then, one day, as he was mixing chemicals for the prison tent,

He figured out what he needed. Sulfuric acid. If he could dissolve the corpses, then his problems would likewise disappear. The only thing left to do was test out his hypothesis. To do this, Hague devised an experiment. He offered to pay a few of the inmates who worked outside for any mice they could find out in the fields. No one had any idea why Hague wanted so many mice. But if prison had taught them anything, it was not to ask too many questions.

In no time, Haig had a horde of squirming test subjects. He smuggled chemicals into his cell and dangled the field mice by their tails over glass jars of acid. Haig smiled as he watched the mice try to wriggle free from his grasp. He enjoyed watching them suffer and imagined what it might be like to watch a human doing the same. Haig carried out his gruesome tests under the cover of darkness. He found that after about half an hour, the mice completely dissolved in the acid, leaving behind a rank black sludge. Haig grinned as he stirred the revolting substance. Everything was in place. As soon as he was out

of prison, he'd be rich, successful, and unstoppable. All he had to do now was wait. When we return, Hague sets his murderous plans into motion. Now back to the story. After being released from prison in 1943, 34-year-old English conman John George Hague was determined never to go back. He'd spent the previous two years planning the perfect crime, and it involved making people disappear without a trace. But before Hague could set the wheels in motion,

he had to get back on his feet. To do that, he returned to his most reliable Marx, his estranged parents. For years, the elder Hags had been ashamed of their son's illegal activities. After raising him in a strict religious household, they were shocked and embarrassed to see Hague devote himself to stealing from the vulnerable. Just like he'd done before, Hague begged his parents' forgiveness.

He insisted that their Christian faith demanded they gave him another chance, He promised he'd been reading his Bible in jail and that he'd finally seen the light. All of Hague's cons relied on getting others to trust him when they shouldn't have. His ploys often worked by taking advantage of people's inherent psychological desire to trust. And of all people, his parents desperately wanted to trust that they'd raised their son upright. According to a study by Swiss and American psychologists, people often want to put their faith in others, Researchers have found that trusting another person causes the brain to release the chemical oxytocin, which causes pleasure. The practical purpose of this chemical response may be to encourage humans to connect and interact with one another.

But it also makes us vulnerable to being duped. Though it might have been a tough cell, the real product of Hague's austere religious upbringing was that he spent years learning exactly what he needed to say to win over his parents. So in September of 1943, Hague moved back in with his mother and father. By October, he'd milked his parents for all they were willing to give. He likely borrowed money from them yet again before going back to London and embarking on his most dangerous enterprise yet. Hague's first order of business in the city was to secure a base of operations. He rented a small apartment for himself and took a job as a salesman to raise some money.

He was as smooth as ever, and within weeks had earned enough on commission to rent a basement room in addition to his apartment. Strategically, he chose a secluded spot in a completely different part of the city from his main flat. Then Hague set to work renovating the basement. He installed a wooden workbench and bought a 40-gallon drum. Next, using the skills he'd honed, conning people for years, he posed as a scientist and engineer in order to buy corrosive acid. Over the course of the next year, he ordered the acid

in small quantities until he had enough to dissolve a human corpse. Now feeling fully prepared to dispose of a body, all Hague needed was his first victim. And he had the perfect one in mind. In August of 1944, 35-year-old Hague prowled around a pub called the Goat. It had been years since he'd last seen his target, but he felt confident that the man would still be frequenting the same bar. Eventually, he found exactly who he was looking for, William McSwan. Eight years earlier, Hague had worked as a chauffeur for McSwan's wealthy father. Now, Hague sought to reignite their friendship, all for the sake of stealing from a man who'd been nothing but kind

to him. His ploy worked. After accidentally running into William one night at the goat, Hague spent as much time with him as possible. Two weeks later, the pair were as close as they ever were. William even confided in Hague. He told his old friend that he was worried about being drafted into World War II. He was afraid of going into combat and was desperate to dodge the draft. He practically begged Hague to help him disappear. Hague never told him about his criminal past, but did imply he had connections that would allow William to lie low until the end of the war. In the meantime, Hague promised he would oversee William's finances and take custody of his checkbook. It was the kind of scenario he'd fantasized about for years. Just like his previous cons,

Hague sought out a trusting mark in a desperate situation. Thanks to the war, he didn't even need to employ the time principle on William, his work was already done for him. By the next month, arrangements were made. William made sure his parents knew he would be in hiding for an indeterminate amount of time and told them not to expect to hear from him for a while. It was an alibi better than Hague could ever have dreamed of. On the night of September 9, 1944, William McSwan followed Hague to his rented basement room. He took a tour around the strange workshop, possibly wondering why Hague had rented out such a shady place.

But ultimately, he didn't ask too many questions. He trusted his friend and was grateful for his help. As they waited for Hague's imaginary contact to whisk William to freedom, William looked over at Hague's workbench. Hague watched as William bent over to examine one of his tools. It was the opportunity he'd been waiting for. Without warning, Hague lunged at William's back and hit him three times with a heavy, blunt object. William crumpled to the floor, dead.

It had all gone exactly as Hague had imagined. Even so, he trembled for a moment standing over the corpse of his friend. This was his first ever violent crime, and the adrenaline made him anxious. After a moment, he calmed down enough to dig through Wurham. Williams' pockets. He stole his friend's wallet and watch, then probably reeling from the experience, but still in the mood to celebrate, Hague went down the street for a drink. Around 2.30 in the morning, Hague hurried back to the basement as he looked down on the body of his friend for a second time. Hague no longer felt anxious. Instead, he felt a surge of power

and anticipation. The feeling of exhilaration mingled with fear, reminded Haig of the nightmares that plagued him as a child. He recalled the forest of crucifixes, the mysterious man from his dreams, and the cupful of blood. At this point, Haig claimed he used a knife to make a small cut in the back of William's neck. Then, just like in his dream, he filled a cupful of his friend's blood. With an evil smile, he downed it all. It's impossible to know if this really occurred as Haig described it.

In all likelihood, it was a fabrication, as in later years, Hague was known to embellish his stories for the sake of his reputation. Whether or not he drank William's blood, Hague next carried his friend's body to the 40-gallon drum and hoisted it inside. Then he steadily poured sulfuric acid over the body and sealed it up. Afterward, Hague waited in the sparse basement overnight for the body to disintegrate. He could hardly sleep from the excitement and busied himself by pacing around the workshop, planning out his next steps. When he opened the drum in the morning, it was filled with the same disgusting sludge he'd seen after testing the acid on mice years earlier. Trying not to retch from the smell, Hague carefully poured the sludge down the drain in the center of the room.

When it was done, he sat back. and smiled. He'd finally done it. He was about to be very rich, and all it had taken was a touch of murder. Thanks again for tuning it to serial killers. In part two, we'll explore the height of the Acid Bath Murderer's Killing Spree.

For more information on John George Haig, amongst the many sources we used, we found the book Frenzy by Neil Root, extremely helpful to our research. You can find more episodes of serial killers and all other Parcast originals for free on Spotify. Not only does Spotify already have all of your favorite music,

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and Twitter at Parcast Network. We'll see you next time. Have a killer week. Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler and is a podcast studios original. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound design by Russell Nash, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro,

Carly Madden, and Freddie Beckley. This episode of Serial Killers was written by Tara Wells, with writing assistance by Abigail Cannon, and stars Greg Paulson and Vanessa Richardson. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat.

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