WANTED FOR VAMPIRISM AND MURDER!

Despite the salacious, modern-period illustration by Charles Copeland that accompanies it, this article by Philip Ledward from MEN magazine August 1958 chronicles the barbarous career of German serial killer Peter Kürten from a century ago. Dubbed "The Vampire of Düsseldorf" and the "Düsseldorf Monster", Kürten was a life-long criminal who committed his first murder when he was 9 years-old.

He went on a notorious killing spree in 1929 where he beat, bludgeoned, stabbed and sometimes drank the blood of his victims who were mostly helpless women. He was eventually apprehended and subsequently beheaded on the guillotine. This all just a few years before another human monster, Hitler, rose to power.

"THEY WERE EATING ME ALIVE!"

Men's adventure magazines overflowed with supposed true tales of victims -- both men and women -- who endured attacks by all manner of enraged and hungry beasts. The most famous of course, is the iconic "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" by Mike Kamens from the September 1956 issue of MAN'S LIFE (more on that in a later post).

A minor story on this theme (it didn't make the cover) was published in the November 1957 issue of MEN. Written by Owen Griffiths "as told to Bruce McKie", it tells the unlikely tale of a Welsh miner who enters a mine shaft to recover coal to heat his house during the lean years of the Depression. No sense telling more as it's a quick read. Oh, and if you're squeamish about animals being torn apart by a horde of rodents, I'd give it a pass. Heh! Heh!

NOTE: MEN was published by Martin Goodman. If the name sounds familiar, he was the founder and publisher of Timely/Atlas/Marvel Comics.

Read more Man vs. Beast stories HERE.

BEFORE THEY WERE SCREAM QUEENS: BARBARA NICHOLS

Born Barbara Marie Nickerauer, Barbara Nichols was in her early career a showgirl and photo model as featured in this pictorial from MEN (November 1957). Some years later she starred in the science-fiction B-Movie THE HUMAN DUPLICATORS (1965). Also appearing in the film was Richard "Jaws" Kiel and Hugh "Ward Cleaver" Beaumont in his last movie role.

Miss Nichols was in many TV shows of the 1960's, including THE TWILIGHT ZONE, THE GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E., THE WILD, WILD WEST and BATMAN. She died in 1976 at the age of 47 from liver failure due to car accidents she had been injured in years before.