The Monster of Cinkota: Unveiling the Horrors of Bela Kiss

By Eddie Samuel

Delve into the shadowy world of one of Hungary's most enigmatic figures—a man whose ghastly deeds at the dawn of the 20th century left a legacy that still haunts the annals of criminal history. This book offers an exploration of a charming yet brutal predator whose sophisticated method of preserving his victims in metal drums shocked a nation and challenged the existing limits of law enforcement and forensic science.

Set against the backdrop of a seemingly tranquil Hungarian town, the narrative weaves together the chilling details of the murders, the psychological profile of a complex antagonist, and the desperate hunt that ensues. It examines not only the brutal crimes but also the societal impact that reverberated through the small community and beyond, eroding trust and forever altering perceptions of safety.

As the story unfolds, it reveals the painstaking efforts of detectives faced with the then-nascent field of forensic science and the frustrating battle against time and borders. This account also probes the broader implications of his acts on future criminal investigations and law enforcement methodologies, reflecting on how one man's legacy of terror reshaped criminal justice approaches in Hungary.

Engaging, meticulously researched, and thought-provoking, this book is not just a recount of historical events but a sober reflection on human nature and the darkness that can lurk behind a veneer of civility. It invites readers to ponder how well one can truly know one's neighbors and what secrets the shadows might hold.

• Language: English
• Publisher: SD
• Release date: May 7, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224641727

Book preview

1

the quiet town of cinkota

The Hungarian town of Cinkota, nestled in hills just outside Budapest, had once been a typical, picturesque enclave with cobblestone streets, small houses and the smell of fresh-baked bread rising from kitchen windows every morning.

In the early 1900s, villagers would know all their neighbours by name, hear complicated news dictated in the main square of the village and believe that life was predictable and safe. It was a place where the lives of its villagers followed a homely rhythm, it was a retreat from city trauma and a haven for families where children could play with homemade toys and shopkeepers would welcome customers with the friendliness of daily faces.

People from all around the area would travel to its modest markets for fresh produce, homemade crafts and fellow villagers and those who resided here were proud of their traditions which they would celebrate faithfully and that made them feel secure.

There was no better place around for belonging. But the small haven of Cinkota's caring community hid an unseen evil. No one could ever have guessed that tinsmith Bela Kiss, a respected man with discernible generosity, was hiding unimaginable monstrosity behind his welcoming smile.

In a village like this, where everyone thought they could understand their neighbours, it would have been hard to believe that there was something terrible happening. Bela Kiss was a man of contradiction. He was a gentleman, courteous and courteous who would have carried out his pristine clothes and look like the deeper townspeople. He was considered an adept in his profession, and around the area which included many technical work he did for his fellow villagers. And behind the eyes of the man who steamed with intelligence was a man who was making the game of fraud.

He was very good at gaining trust and telling tales, so long that nobody thought about his real intentions. In the days of Bela Kiss, the doors to his home, on the edge of town, were open wide. Bela Kiss was known to never be a stranger. Friends and strangers would often call in at the Kiss's, a laborious hospitality and a taste of its fine wine made people leave a good impression. At 40 years of age, Bela Kiss seemed an odd bachelor. He lived on the sidelines of his life uninterrupted, sometimes inviting his neighbors for dinner, telling them the latest made up adventure, or one of his numerous, amusing stories. Behind this facade the mysterious house concealed incredible secrets. Neighbors who did not see flight, listeners, and strange watcher would stay away. But rarely have people made unneeded inquiries or doubts about him, because everything would fit perfectly.

Bela Kiss was a master of illusions.

Only from the beginning of the story we already distracted many unnoticed disappearances, whispered conversations that took place in the night, a waiter watching a maid, nodding slowly near the windows. People begin to feel this strange cold in the stomach growing stronger and stronger. The gigantic secrets of the Kiss home have very quietly and surprisingly disappeared. Because what Bela kept in the cellar he took out into the garden.

No one can notice the systematic arrangement of the soil and every other object in the family home was adjusted in an unbelievable fashion. There were other signs as well. The soil from his garden looked completely different, and the farmed flowers would bloom only among a few meters while the flowers farther from that point would simply disappear.

And more things were lost in that house. The police accepted it probably with the cause of the disappearances. But the invitation of a postal error to the women who did not win the reward after Bela was mobilized made his neighbors feel uneasy. The ladies returning to the fire extinguishment letter sent secretly to the authorities to begin an investigation. The once peaceful town was in an uproar.

What people had written off at first as mere whispers were now being spoken of as rumors. However, in a place like Cinkota, the whisper of disbelief was as powerful as truth. They could not bring themselves to even consider someone from within the community being capable of such a thing.

The ones who walked by his house would have never been able to guess that, from behind those regular everyday looking walls, such evil dwelt. The setting of war grew closer, and the once quite town started to now and then feel the impact of what was happening around it. Men were demanded to the front to lend their strength to the country.

The obstinate neighbors had no other choice but to let it happen. Kiss himself was demanded to the front also - he left behind the house which less than a month later started to twirl in a nest of lies.

The war never remained just, it is usual for society to lie to everybody, and the chaos of the events and the events caused most of the truth to be covered up, when they raised a voice from the lands of Kiss' house, the word roared through Cinkota, turning a quiet town into a place from a tale.

early life of bela kiss

Born in 1877, in rural Hungary, Béla Kiss was the son of a poor peasant. At the time of his birth, no one could have suspected the dark future that lay ahead of him. Kiss's father was a man of little words and strong hands, typical of the peasantry of the time, and his family's poverty meant that