If on the first film Toba Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" may dispute whether the story told in the film based on a true story (and which ones), then the plot for his second film "Eaten alive," the director clearly learned fromlife.And the main was the prototype of Joe Ball.Hardly anyone will tell exactly how many people had killed the man, but the stories and legends about him almost every Texan knows ...
At the end of the 1800s, when thousands of acres of Texas land remained deserted, the family settled in a small BollenElmendorf town, 15 miles from San Antonio.
The family of Frank and Elizabeth, were among the first to build a stone house in these parts, had 8 children, and each of them later took the last place in society.So, Jane Terrell in 1940 was appointed by President Roosevelt as chief postmaster of the country and held this post for 27 years.
Joseph Ball was the second child in the family.He was born on January 7, 1896 As a child, he kept to himself, and prefers to spend time alone outdoors, engaging in fishing.Being older, Joe fell in love with guns.As many hours a week he practiced shooting.When
April 6, 1917 the United States formally declared war on Germany, Ball went on the European front.Shooting skills honed at home, useful, and in 1919 he returned safely home to his hometown Elmendorf.
For a while he was engaged in the business of his father, who sold real estate and owned a grocery store.Then Joe realized that the real money can be made on the illegal trade in alcohol and engaged in bootlegging.The work was dangerous, but it is not at all frightened.On the contrary, Ball attracted adventure and the opportunity to travel throughout Texas.
When the "dry law" has sunk into oblivion, and alcohol was to be traded legitimately, Joe opened a saloon in the country, on Highway 181. The institution has several sleeping rooms, a bar where you can not only drink, butand have fun betting on cockfights.But Ball felt that to attract customers institution need something more than a traditional entertainment.He stopped the show with live alligators.
He dug a large pit behind the bar and made it a swimming pool, which has launched a five alligators, one large and four smaller ones.After the first presentation of visitors places Joe markedly increased.The highlight was feeding the reptiles.During the show, Joe Ball on the amusement of the audience fed the alligators live raccoon, cat, dog or any other animal that fell into his hands.
This cruel idea because the public likes that one a long time did not pay attention to the frequent changes of personnel in the institution, Joe.On rare question he replied that "this is only the girls and it is necessary that the drift in search of quick money."
all started with the fact that in 1934, Joe met Minnie Gottardt or "Big Minnie," as they called her friends.Their relationship lasted almost three years until Ball fell in love with Dolores Goodwin, one of the waitresses bar.Dolores told him the same, despite the fact that during the regular drinking Joe left a mark on her face splinter broken bottle.Life Joe difficult after he succumbed even before a woman.In 1937, he spun an affair with a waitress places his own 22-year-old Hazel Brown.Joe Boll problem.Having a relationship with three women who all work in his bar, the situation is not simple.
the summer of 1937, Joe was part of the problem is solved with the disappearance of Minnie.Friends and acquaintances Ball laughingly told that she left the city after the birth of a black child.A few months later, Joe married Dolores told her after the wedding that Minnie did not run away.He took her to a local beach, shot in the head and buried in the sand.It's hard to say how Dolores reacted to this recognition, most likely as a drunken delirium, but it was true.
In January 1938, Dolores was in a car accident and lost her hand.After the incident in the surrounding rumors that was not the case, the woman's hand and tore off the alligator.However, no matter how Dolores lost her arm, she mysteriously disappeared in April of the same year.Even after longer appear in public third passion Joe Boll, Hazel Brown ...
While women consistently disappeared from the life of Joe, the only ones who remained with him were his alligators.It was said that once a neighbor complained about his smell of rotting flesh coming from the pool.In response, Ball pulled out a gun and not very politely explained that he'd better take care of business if he does not want to become food for his pets.After this conversation, the neighbor moved to another city.
Although aides Ball continued to fade, his business flourished.It seemed that everything was going smoothly.Until mid-1938, when Minnie relatives who have not received all that time no message from her, did not ask questions County Sheriff's Office.Because Joe was the last person with whom I communicate and Minnie had a close relationship with him, the sheriff questioned Ball several times.But the interrogations yielded nothing and in the end, Joe was expelled from the number of suspects.
However, a few months later another family came to the reception to the sheriff.On his board came was reported missing 23-year-old Julia Turner.She also worked at Joe.People sheriff again visited by the bar Ball, but he said that Julia had some personal problems and she left town.Lacking any evidence that could disprove the words of Boll, investigators went back to the office empty-handed.
Later, the girls look around the room in a rented apartment, detectives discovered that things Julia were in place and that there was no indication that she could leave the city.The police again went to the Ball for the next interrogation.At this time, Joe said, she was in despair because of problems with the neighbors in the apartment, he lent her $ 500 and is no longer seen.
For several months, were discovered new cases of the strange disappearance of staff Joe Ball.A few times the police detectives frequented the tavern, but each time leaving her with nothing.
But September 23, 1938, Joe left the luck.One of the residents of the neighborhood told investigators that he saw Ball fed the human flesh sliced his alligator.At the same time he announced and escaped the same neighbor who confirmed that out of the pool with reptiles terrible stink of rotting meat.Hearing all this, the police decided to put Ball last visit.
When detectives arrived at the restaurant and told Joe that he was summoned for questioning in San Antonio, he realized then locked fail.Ball has asked investigators to allow him to lock up the cash register and to close the bar.After receiving permission, he walked over to the counter and pressing, opened it.Snatching, there concealed gun .45, he waved them toward the cops, and then, before they could react, put the barrel to his chest and fired.Joe Ball struck himself in the heart.
were examined every inch of the tavern Ball, its surroundings and especially the pond with alligators.At the bottom of found many human remains and matted hair.
Investigators found that the right hand Ball, the man who helped him manage the bar and the economy, there was a certain Clifton Wheeler.He splits his interrogation, found out about the fate of several missing women.Wheeler said that Joe's girlfriend, Hazel Brown, twisted romance with another man and was preparing to escape from Elmendorf to start a new life.Tolerate this Ball, which has soared over the prosecution in the disappearance of Minnie could not and decided to kill her.Wheeler has agreed to accompany the police to the place where her body was buried.
Clifton led police to the river in San Antonio, about three miles from the city.A few minutes later excavations on the terrible stench all around learned that Wheeler told the truth.First limb appeared, and then the headless torso.When Wheeler was asked where the head, he pointed to the remains of the fire.On closer inspection, it was found the jaw, some teeth and the skull - all that remained of Hazel Brown.
Clifton said that after a night of binge drinking Ball ordered him to collect some blankets and grab a few bottles of whiskey.Then they were loaded into a car with a 55-gallon barrel and went to the river.Wheeler stated that Joe gunpoint forced him to dig a grave, and then they opened the barrel.Inside was the body of Hazel Brown.Wheeler said that initially refused to help Ball dismember the body, but then still held him to Joe's was easier to cut.After this terrible work was completed, they threw the remains into the pit, and his head was burned in the fire.
Asked what he knew about the disappearance of Minnie Gottardt, Wheeler said that it suffered the same fate.Joe lured her to a secluded place and shot in the head.He killed her because she was pregnant, and he did not want it to interfere with his relationship with Dolores.Ball and Wheeler were buried in the sand on the beach and improvised, as if nothing had happened back in the bar.October 14, 1938 the police taking advantage of heavy equipment to dig the beach and found the decaying remains of Minnie.
During searches at the bar Joe Boll police were found dozens of photos of women, most of whom have not been found.To be fair to say that the Ball stay alive, he would hardly be able to incriminate the murder of these women, but there is a large percentage of probability, that most of them have finished their existence in the jaws of the monsters that lived in the pond Ball.
In 1939 Slifton Wheeler pleaded guilty to involvement in covering up the crime and was sentenced to two years in prison.After his release, he opened his own saloon, but the dark glory of the host business and interfere in the end, he was forced to leave Texas.
Alligators were donated to the zoo in San Antonio, where the rest of his life were the main attractions of the city.
Well, Joe Ball got the dubious fame, eventually developed into a legend in which he acts as the "Butcher of Elmendorf", "Bluebeard of South Texas" and "Alligator Man."Just so he could stay in the memory of future generations.
Photo source: dobizha.livejournal.com
Articles Source: dobizha.livejournal.com
