Cannibals-the Cossacks in the steppes of Ukraine: horror of the XVIII century about a gang of cannibals Paul Macapure

In 1927, the historian Mykola Gorban found in the Kharkiv historical archives of the documents of the investigation conducted in the turbulent eighteenth century. Shocked to read the researcher wrote the essay "the Thief of Macapure" where is all the looting, cannibalism and the pagan cult of the Zaporozhye Cossacks. In their atrocities a gang of thief Paul Macapure rivals Jack the Ripper and Chikatilo. The tragedy of the story gives and the fact that most fanatics escaped punishment.

Paul G. Shulzhenko was born in the village of Priluki regiment Turns out that in today's Chernihiv region. In the investigation it was said that he was tall, with broad shoulders and traces of a whip on the back. The neighbors called Shulzhenko of Macapure as Ukrainian peasants called untidy, slovenly people. Family life Paul went wrong, he left his wife and wandered around the farms, from time to time odd jobs here and there.

In 1735 Macapure joined a gang of 40-year-old Michael Mishchenko, which was also two young men — the Mayor and Pivnenko Andrey Pashchenko. The former laborers were stealing horses and robbing travellers in the steppes between the cities of Pryluky and Zolotonosha. Horses sold at fairs, and the loot handed the hostess of the Inn Dudnik.

One night of Macapure robbed the house "znachkova friend" by Domaradzki, who was a confidant of the Hetman. For this crime he was in the Priluki prison, where horse thief, "beaten with whips", but he managed to escape. Three years of Macapure hunted robbery and in 1738 stole a horse from the stables launched "bunchukovyh friend" by Andrey Gorlenko, and this was a serious offense with significant consequences.

Title bunakovo gave the retired colonels and Gorlenko in the Hetman Ukraine was considered an influential man. Servants Gorlenko the thief found and while horses are not nassisi, Macapure year kept in the regimental jail of Priluki. The winter of 1739, Paul became the "torturers" or, more simply, the prison executioner. Great post but the offender escaped and began its bloody history.

First of Matsapura a donkey in the farm Romania, where six thugs have ganged up. But on the way thieves robbed the caravan of merchants carrying a load of vodka. The seven merchants were killed, their bodies buried in the snow. The investigation of Macapure admitted that he loved to torture prisoners and fry them heel. Loot the bandits were divided, some vodka drink, and the rest is handed over to reliable pubs. Cheap horses sold at fairs.

In the spring of 1740 the gang was joined by four of the Zaporozhye Cossack Mykhailo Makarenko, Denis Gritsenko, Martin Revicki and Gaydamak Ivan Taran is a demonic figure. The robbers settled in the vicinity of the village Mokiivka, and its base chose barrow As mined even when the Polovtsy. In the first RAID on passing traders, they took five wagons, loaded with vodka. Three of the victims were clubbed to death, two were released for ransom.

From now on, in modern parlance, the gang Manapouri became "outlaws". In one day they killed the shepherd grazing herd of cows and two drovers of horses. The next morning, mad from the blood of the murderer met in the desert the peasant woman who was raped. The next day they grabbed a woman from the village of Hurivka, and later in the vicinity of the village Rudka, fanatics stole two Putnis. All the captives were raped, beaten with sticks and buried.

A few days later on Nosovsky way, history repeated itself. Caught woman raped and killed, and Martin Revicki cut from the body of the murdered piece of meat, which is cooked on the mound As. During one of the raids into the hands of bad people got pregnant woman and Zaporozhets Taran suggested accomplices to carry out the old Cossack ceremony. Apparently, what happened next is an echo of the pagan steppe of magic that existed in the Cossack environment.

Taran said that can identify someone from the gang will be caught and who will escape punishment. All agreed. Zaporizhia Cossack stabbed murdered woman stomach, took the fruit, looked him in the face and came to the conclusion that they would soon be caught. Baby Taran threw in a bag and take with you to the Telepen. On the mound subman cut out the heart and then roasted it in the fire. Murderers were planted heart: who will catch it — will escape punishment, and who will drop — to the end. Heart caught Taran, Revicki, Rudy, Gritsenko and Makarenko. The rest of the Cossacks said that they will soon be caught.

After divination the body of the baby has eaten. The sorcerer Ivan Taran claimed they will in the robbery luckier and bolder. He became the spiritual leader of a gang of cannibals, which has grown to 16 people. Now they are not just robbing people, but ate them on an ancient burial mound. Unthinkable levels of violence in the Telepen has attracted the attention of the authorities, the thieves decided to split up. Macapure joined the gang of his old PAL Klima plows.

Near the small village of Smotryky leader of cannibals caught centesimal captain Dorosh Bozhko, who for three months were hunting for Manaparai. During interrogation and torture in the office of the city Lubny arrested blabbed about what he did. Heard shocked squadrons leadership, and to surprise him was difficult. Under arrest were the members of the gang — Mishchenko, Pivnenko and Pashchenko. Began an unprecedented investigation, but the search for the rest of the humans came to nothing. 30 Sep 1740 Military General Court decided:

During the investigation of Macapure-Shulzhenko has escaped from the prison of the city of Glukhov. When the guard was asleep, the cannibal could leave the camera and hide Krolewiecka on the way. Using horse bone and wood branch, he took off the leg shackles and hid in the village of Cover. Local residents noticed the stranger and handed it to the authorities.

Macapure were instructed to cut off the fingers on the hands and feet, trim ears and nose, and then impaled. Others caught were supposed to be quartered. 22 Dec the sentence executed. The chief ideologist of cannibalism — the Cossack-the sorcerer's Ivan Taran and the rest of the fanatics escaped punishment. Acts of the gang permanently etched in people's memory. Paul Shulzhenko of Macapure was then Chikatilo and his nickname was used as a synonym for killer and executioner.