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Chicago Tribune, September 4, 1933. Among murderers, there are two basic philosophies of body disposal: “lumpers” prefer to concentrate the telltale byproducts of homicide in a single location, even to the extent of creating their own private and unmarked cemeteries; “splitters” like to sow bits and bobs of their victims across the map, apparently in the belief that such distribution will foil forensics and impede identification of the deceased. I’m drawn toward the lumping school myself: it always seemed to me that the splitters are really motivated by a desire to get caught. On top of which, who in their right mind wants to take apart a human? I’m still recovering from the dismemberment sequence in Ian McEwen’s The Innocent.“Roughly hacked” seems like a telling detail for investigators: “We’re looking for an amateur here, boys, someone with no finesse. Exclude all packing plant workers from your criminal canvass.”
