Maniac hairdresser: what was that? (8 photos)

He wasn't interested in material things, he wasn't interested in sexualized child abuse (or any kind of infliction of pain, for that matter). While hiding as much as possible, he entered other people's houses, remaining in the memory of the victims as just an unpleasant dream. But the girls and young women could not sleep normally for a long time afterwards.





On the shores of the Gulf of Mexico is the town of Pascagoula. Or rather, it was... In 2005, when the city's population was just over 26 thousand citizens, it was completely destroyed by Katrina.

According to the 1940 census, only 4 thousand people lived here, mostly fishing families.

During World War II, a shipyard, one of the world's largest oil refineries, and a naval base were built in Pascagoula. People began to come to the city and just at the same time very strange things began to happen in the town.



Mary and Laura Biggs

On June 5, 1942, the girls who lived in the Convent of Our Lady were awakened by noise in the bedroom. It was very dark, but they were able to make out the silhouette of a man hastily climbing out of the window.

Edna Haydel (12 years old) and Mary Biggs (11 years old) screamed in horror and the nuns and other pupils immediately rushed into the bedroom. They could not see anyone also because the city of Pascagoula was strategically important and at night the electricity was completely cut off.

The nuns brought candles and what they saw in the light came as a shock to everyone: Mary and Edna had several strands of their black hair noticeably cut off. At the same time, Laura, Mary’s sister, who was in the room at that moment, was not only not injured, but also did not wake up until the girls made a noise.



Mary was the only one who could give any description of the man: short stature and a very plump figure. It was not possible to see his face in the darkness, but in his hand there was a distinct flash of something similar to a knife or razor.

Journalists who learned about the incident decided that it was just a terrible dream that two girls had had, and the city authorities decided so along with them. But they were wrong...

Three days later, on June 8, the criminal broke into the bedroom of six-year-old Carol Pittie. In the middle of the night, she suddenly woke up and saw that a significant part of her hair had been cut off. Some of them were scattered near the bed, and the strange fetishist took the rest with him.

Nobody heard anything. Neither Carol herself, nor her twin brother, sleeping in the next bed, nor her parents in the room across the wall. Carol said she felt someone's presence, but thought it was just a dream.

On both June 5 and June 8, the man climbed into the rooms through the windows on the first floor, cutting the mosquito net.



After the second time, everyone had no time for jokes. Journalists immediately came up with the nickname “Ghost Barber” for the strange man, which was quite true - he appeared from the darkness of the night and disappeared there absolutely quietly and unnoticed. And the victims considered it something otherworldly, or a nightmare. If it weren't for the cut off hair, no one would have thought that this was reality.



After covering the events in the press, it became known that the attacks in Pascagoula were not the first for a long time and that the “ghost” allegedly climbed into other houses in the city and suburbs. There have been cases where victims woke up before getting a haircut, but more often they discovered a new haircut only in the morning. They did not understand that he was a serial maniac and did not contact the police, thinking that it was just someone's stupid joke.

Police have offered a $500 reward to anyone who provides information about the brazen hairdresser. The military took a risky step and did not cut off the electricity in the city for several nights, hoping that this would help catch the “ghost”, or at least get a better look at it. But nothing helped.



At night, June 15, the maniac snuck into Mrs. Taylor's room. In the morning she first saw a cut mesh on the window, and rushing to the mirror she discovered that part of her curls had disappeared.

At the same time, Mrs. Taylor reported that she did not feel well in the morning, which was something new in the statements of the victims. Experts came to the conclusion that chloroform was used on her and the police began to fear that from now on the criminal would first neutralizetheir victims, and only then grab scissors or a razor. And who knows what he will start doing later, given that the victim will not scream, resist and will not see him.

However, the sudden nightly visits from the “ghost” stopped. And already in mid-August 1942, Pascagoula newspapers came out with the headlines: “Ghost Barber” Arrested!”

William Dolan (57 years old), a local resident, a very short and well-fed man, was first arrested for a completely different offense.

On the night of June 13, an unknown man snuck into the Heidelbergs' house and began beating the couple with an iron pipe. After beating them, he ran out of the house without taking anything with him. The Heidelbergs were unable to name the reasons for the attack or describe it. But Heidelberg's father was a local judge who said his son was attacked by William Dolan, a professional chemist with whom he had once been good friends. Afterwards they quarreled over money, so much so that their conflict lasted for many years, with insults to each other and mutual lawsuits.



William, and next to his wife Lucy

The police went to Dolan's house, but did not find a pipe or clothes stained with blood, but William had a lot of cut hair and excellent hairdressing scissors. When asked where he got such a strange set, the man could not answer.

Dolan was arrested on June 16, the day after the attack on Mrs. Taylor. At first he was charged with an attempt on the life of the Heidelbergs, but in August they began to “split” into the case of an attack on girls and young women. The police argued that as soon as he was arrested, all attacks immediately stopped. And Dolan made his way into the Heidelbergs’ house in the same way as the “ghost barber” entered other houses - he cut the mesh on the window.



Dolan refused to admit his guilt in all crimes. He maintained and proved his innocence both during the investigation and at trial. By the way, he was tried only for the last attack on the spouses. Investigators were never able to prove that it was he who cut off the hair of Pascagoula residents at night. But even if they could prove this, they could not charge him with anything other than illegal entry. Dolan did not abuse anyone, did not cause severe physical harm to anyone, and only stole hair.

William Dolan was sentenced to 10 years behind bars. In 1948, he was released early and left Pascagoula, leaving behind his wife and stepdaughter. The next time he came to the attention of the police was only in 1954, in California: they arrested a homeless man and found out that it was Dolan (based on fingerprints). What happened to him next is unknown.

Residents of Pascagoula are confident that Dolan was the “ghost hairdresser” because immediately after his arrest, all nightly haircuts for girls and young women stopped.

But there are those who believe in Dolan’s innocence, both in the story of the haircuts and in the attack on the Heidelbergs. Not a single concrete piece of evidence was ever presented, and the local judge had reasons to “close” his long-term enemy.