CRAZY COSSACK KILLER

Mass murderer found in Caribbean islands

Sarah Hoover

On November 16, 1951, a sick Russian serial killer, Vladimir Zaroff, was uncovered on Shiptrap

Island, in the Caribbean, after professional big game hunter from New York; Sanger Rainsford was able

to escape the grisly game of death.

Vladimir Zaroff was a Cossack cosmopolite and nobleman in the cavalry, born in 1989. Vladimir

fled to Shiptrap Island, owned by his father, after the debacle in Russia. He dedicated his life to hunting

and shooting sports, but soon grew tired of killing animals that could not “reason”.

Zaroff resorted to killing human beings, and devised a game more horrendous that imaginable.

Only one known man escaped: Sanger Rainsford. Sanger was sailing across the Caribbean in hopes of 

being able to hunt jaguars in the Amazon. Originating from New York, born in 1923, he felt hopeless

when his ship capsized in a storm, and he was left alone. Rainsford swam to Shiptrap Island, seeking

refuge.

Vladimir lured ships into dangerous waters and sailors into his palatial chateau. Soon after, the

sailors were put into a dank dungeon that Zaroff referred to as “The Training Room”, as its purpose was

to fatten up those contained in it. “… A prison of such mental instability,  as death was certain.” Sanger

called it.

The men held captive were forced to fight for their lives against the Russian general. “I was

merely given a change of clothes, meager food rations and a small knife,” Stated Rainsford. He was

promised that if he stayed alive for three days, he would be released from Zaroff’s control. If he did not

comply, he was to be painfully executed by Vladimir’s strong man, Ivan Karn. Death was almost certain

on that island.

Sanger has said “it took all my hunting strength, skill and experience to survive”. Rainsford was a

professional in the area of hunting, having written books o he matter. He had tried to outwit his pursuer

with some of the most advanced traps, such as a Burmese tiger pit and the Malay man catcher.

Rainsford sees this as the most dangerous hunt of his life.

The most disturbing of all in this story, however, was Zaroff’s collection of trophies. Rainsford

tells us that in the grand dining room were admirable animal heads on display. Alas, the library held a

much darker tale. In the place of books, human heads were all murder victims were mounted on the

wall. Its estimated a near three hundred people lost their life to this sick game.

Sanger Rainsford was able to find refuge on a passing ship, after freeing the sailors in the

training roo,. He has returned to his house in New York City and claims that he has given up hunting

because of the ordeal. He has realized that every life, no matter whom belonging to, is precious.