#häjy

[finnishcrimestory]

The wild 1800s in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland

Puukkojunkkari as a term could be translated as a “knife-fighter”. Other name for these individuals was häjyt, which means the same as the Finnish word “häijy” (eng. nasty). They were people in Southern Ostrobothnia who terrorized people with their bad behaviour, and even murders and other crimes. The first murders that were done by puukkojunkkaris happened in 1790s, but the “golden age” for them was 1820s to 1880s. The towns and villages that suffered the most of them were Lapua, Kauhava, Alahärmä, Ylihärmä, Laihia and Vähäkyrö. Puukkojunkkaris reveled as uninvited guests in weddings, stole peoples horses, wandered around towns while drunk, gambled, stole and practiced something called “yöjuoksu” (= night run), which basically means that they visited young girls during the nights and did things with them that was considered inappropriate. 

Puukkojunkkaris came from all social classes. Many of the puukkojunkkaris started their criminal way of life when they were still underage. Puukkojunkkaris were cruel and tough and they fought a lot. Many people were afraid of them, but some sort of respect was present as well. That is one of the reasons why it was hard to get them convicted of their wrongdoings, because not many people were brave enough to testify against them. The respect and even glorifying was because puukkojunkkaris were brave to object against the society and authority.

Reasons

The reasons behind why people were puukkojunkkaris are many. In the 1700s the living standard in Southern Ostrobothnia rose, and because of this weddings became grandiose events with many alcoholic beverages. Young men in Ostrobothnia did not often get a chance to inherit their own farm in their home town and earn their own wealth, which led to frustration. Some people have thought that the bad police work during that time in Southern Ostrobothnia was one possible reason, and some people suggested that violence crimes were common amongst youths. 

Reino Kallio’s (Finnish non-fiction author) theory of puukkojunkkaris is based on the idea of a counter reaction caused by social control that has been taken too far. He sees youth's violent behaviour as a protest-like rebellion against the pressure exercised by the power structure; particularly against local laws and parish discipline. The resistance that started as little more than slight mischief became branded as troublemakers and led to a path towards serious crimes. This was particularly due to the fact that parish discipline, which was stricter than general law, lowered the threshold of crime. At the time, there were many new ways of youngsters spending their free time, such as wandering around outdoors at night, which was considered a breach against the curfew and a threat to the existence of class society. Therefore, district courts started punishing people for curfew at night, as well as for other breakages against parish discipline. 

The fundamentalist church and religious revivalist movements in the 1700s and 1800s, such as pietism, also had a negative view towards young people's leisure activities due to moral reasons. This led to competition between different religious groups, first leading to tighter church discipline and then to parish discipline. The situation was brought to a head by the labour shortage due to tar and peatland burning cultivation that brought more tension to the working conditions, while the rich, house-owning population competed with each other, building baronial, 1.5 to 2-storey-high residential buildings. By invoking general regulations, masters could avoid disciplinary conflicts with their children or farmhands when there was labour shortage. Furthermore, increased drinking caused both problems to families and conflicts inside communities.

The disciplinary regulations that were normally confirmed by the governor limited and regulated in detail the already scarce free time that youngsters had: in addition to curfew at night, the celebration of dances, the publication of the bans of marriage and weddings, gatecrashing, moving, gathering, drinking alcohol, cardplaying as well as general noisemaking and loitering. Because the young age groups usually took care of the heaviest physical work (farming and such), conditional fines were introduced in the 1800s to prevent days off. In Lapua, Laihia and Mustasaari, not only farmhands, but also house-owners and crofters were banned from having free days.

At worst, parish discipline even led to group criminalization of young people, as was the case in Kauhava and Vähäkyrö in the 1770s and 1780s, in Vöyri in the 1820s and 1830s, and in the greater parishes of Laihia and Lapua a couple of decades later. Parish discipline was implemented as group punishments, and they were only taken to court in certain parishes in Southern Ostrobothnia, not elsewhere in Finland – except for a few possible exceptions. All in all, troublemaking was based on the background of a long-term crisis caused by a radical socio-economic change, which triggered youth violence due to the parish discipline managed and maintained by authorities. Finally, the emerged culture of violence also started feeding itself.

The towns who had the most hardest disclipine, had also the most crime. Strict discipline was a way to strengthen patriarchal class society which was against what puukkojunkkaris were. This created tension and conflict. These towns also had the highest murder rates, that were even higher than in the early 2000s. 

The most famous ones

Antti Rannanjärvi (left) and Antti Isotalo (right)

Antti Isotalo (also known as Isoo-Antti which basically translates to “Big-Antti”) was born 30th of August 1831 in Alahärmä. He was a farmer and later in his life one of the most known and famous puukkojunkkari. He was one of the leaders of a puukkojunkkari gang called Isoo-Joukko (= “big group”) in the years 1856 to 1867. Isotalo was married three times.

Isotalo was described as restless and one of his hobbies was horse racing. He was a talented salesman and it was said that he did not need to make people gather around him, because they were interested in him anyways. He was also fearless and fierce fighter. Because of his big size he was often asked to maintain order in big happenings and he could fight well even without a knife. He was also said to be strong even when he was over 80 years old. 

Isotalo was accused of a murder in 1858 but was released because there was not enough evidence. However in 1869 new evidence and witnesses came and he was sentenced to death by beheading. After the processing in court of appeals and senate the conviction was changed to 12 years of forced labour in Hämeenlinna. Isotalo denied the murder for the rest of his life but still viewed his conviction as earned. In the prison Isotalo’s behaviour was good. 

Despite his bad and scary reputation and his crimes, Isotalo was respected person in Alahärmä. He took part in building a school there and a youth assosiation. Later in his life he apparently calmed down and stopped his criminal life, and even found God. Isotalo died in 8th of August 1911 in Alahärmä.

Trials:

1855: Proved guilty of assault with a knife.

1856: Sentenced to fines for illegal sale of moonshine and disobeying Sabbath.

1858: Released of charges of having stabbed Matti Tönkä, sentenced to fines for openly carrying a knife without reason.

1862: Sentenced to 38 lashes of a whip and public church penalty for pickpocketing.

1864: Accused of illegal distillery of moonshine.

1869: Sentenced for appearing in court drunk, openly displaying his knife, burglary, theft and arson.

1869: Because of new witness reports, sentenced to the death penalty for the homicide in 1858. Appealed to the Senate in 1870 and received pardon, but sentenced to fines, whipping, loss of honour and hard labour for 12 years.

1882: Released from prison.

1883: Assaulted a man but only sentenced to fines.

Antti Rannanjärvi was born in 4th of April 1828 in Ylihärmä and he was the co-leader of the group Isoo-Joukko. His first fine came in 1847 when he broke the curfew. He and three other people had been wandering around Lapua at night and all of them admitted on doing it. In December 1851 Rannanjärvi and couple other puukkojunkkaris terrorized a wedding in Lapua. He stabbed one guest to death and wounded two. The main perpetrator Hermanni Mäki was sentenced to life in forced labour in Siberia and Rannanjärvi was sentenced to flogging and five years to forced labour in Suomenlinna for participating in the murder and other violent crimes. 

Rannanjärvi was arrested in 1867 by a rural police chief Adolf Hägglund who was sent to Southern Ostrobothnia to try to calm the puukkojunkkari situation down. After a long trial Rannanjärvi was sentenced to flogging and fine for drinking, breaking and entering, forgery and animal thievery. The fine was so huge that people thought he couldn’t pay it. However he could pay it because he was a rich householder, but some of his sentence he had to serve in prison by vesileipävankeus (vesi = water, leipä = bread: serving time in prison and getting only water and bread to eat). 

He continued some of the puukkojunkkari lifestyle at older age as well but he did not get in contact with the authorities anymore. Rannanjärvi was killed in 12th of August 1882 by Erkki Fränti in Tappokrooppi, Ylihärmä.

Matti Haapoja was born 16th of September 1845 in Isokyrö. He was Southern Ostrobothnian murderer and puukkojunkkari. Only three murders are known to be committed by him but some have claimed that he murdered at least 20 to 25 people as well. 

He had a difficult childhood with drunk and abusive dad who often was convicted of wrong doings. Haapoja’s older brother was also abusive and cruel to him. Haapoja left his home when he was only 11 to earn his living, first as a farmhand and in 1863 serving in the army as Matts Kanon. After serving for two years he returned to his hometown.

Haapoja got into court multiple times in the 1860s for thefts and violent crimes. He acted in the same way as other puukkojunkkari’s and was proud of his crimes. He was quoted saying: “Antti Isotalo is the king in Härmä so that must make me the king in Ylistaro”.

In 1869 Haapoja killed his childhood friend Heikki Impponen who apparently had claimed that Haapoja had stolen money from him. Haapoja got mad and hit Impponen with a knife. He was sentenced for 12 years in the Kakola prison, Turku. He escaped from there 4 times between 1870 to 1880. During his runs he stole and spent time in town markets. It was hard to restrain him since he always fought violently back. Haapoja got a lot of fame and people followed his life closely. 

In 1874 Haapoja requested for the first time that his life sentence would be changed to banishment to Siberia (= Katorga). The senate accepted his request in 1880. In Siberia Haapoja fled from the prison and spend his life as drifter. He also committed some crimes, but it is unknown how many. He however committed 4 known murders.

Back in Finland in 1890 Haapoja killed a prostitute, Maria Jemina Salonen. He strangled her in cold blood and couldn’t tell any motive for why he had committed the murder. The trial was followed closely by the press. During the trial Haapoja was in Katajanokka prison in Helsinki where he became friends with Mathilda Wrede (Finnish Swede noble who dedicated her life to helping inmates and less fortunate people), who wrote that Haapoja had found God and was a changed man. Some researchers are not completely sure whether Haapoja really had found God or if he just fooled Wrede. 

People have been doubting the finding God thing, since Haapoja tried to escape prison in 1894 and while escaping, wounded two guards, later killing one of them. When the escape failed Haapoja ran to the cafeteria which was filled with people. There he stabbed himself in the chest 7 times. He survived it but in 8th of January 1895 he hanged himself. His skeleton was kept in the Museum of Crime in Vantaa for a long time, until he was finally buried in Ylistaro in 1995.

Haapoja’s victims

Confirmed

Farmer Heikki Antinpoika Impponen, who was stabbed to death on 6th of December 1867.

Prostitute Maria Jemina Salo, strangled on 8th of October 1890.

Prison guard Juho Rosted, stabbed on 10th of October 1894.

Possible

Farmers Matti Heikkilä and Hermanni Hautamäki who were clubbed to death by an unidentified man at Hämeenkyrö on 15th of November 1869. Haapoja was in the area at the time and years later he confessed an unspecified murder "that had happened in November 1869".

An unknown man who was killed in Siberia in 1886.

A convict identified only as "Jaakko H." from Alajärvi, Finland, who was killed in Siberia in 1888.

Estonian barkeeper Rugis was killed by Haapoja in Tomsk in 1889.

"Rich-Matti" Kuivalainen, who was killed in Tomsk in 1889.

Estonian convict Gustaf Sepp vanished without a trace in Simonjovka, Siberia, in 1889, after he was last seen in the company of Haapoja.

It is possible there were more victims, but only these ten cases can be identified as certain or probable.

Attempts

Brawler Juho Tenkku who was stabbed around Christmas, 1866.

Farmer Hermanni Hösö was stabbed on 6th of December 1867.

Farmer Esa Nyrhinen was shot three times (twice in the leg, once in the face) on 12th of August 1876.

A farmer identified as "Koivuniemi from Vähäkyrö" who was stabbed when Haapoja was apprehended after his last prison escape in January 1879.

Prison guards Juho Jernvall and Sven Nyman were stabbed during Haapoja's last escape attempt.

During his last escape he had a chance to attack one more guard, but did not, because this guard had always been nice to the prisoners.

Aftermath

The violence was gotten under control when in the end of 1800s church and city councils were separated as their own units. The church didn’t take part in discipline and general views on morale. The youths need for dating was recognized, and drinking and other things weren’t seen as something to discipline them about. Also the foundation of youth assosiations and  temperance movement helped a lot. Schools also made a change. When basic schools became available to everyone from every social class, the need to teach people instead of discipline changed things. As a cherry on top, when the new criminal law in 1889s - which demanded new, more humane ways to deal with criminals - was put in place, the true winds of change blew through Southern Ostrobothnia.

[bottaslicious]

it must look weird when i talk about southern ostrobothnia in tags SO MUCH but like.... it’s a hell on earth and a paradise at the same time lmao, our culture is such an anomaly in finland and we’re totally misunderstood and i love and hate it the same time, and when you meet someone else from SO it’s an instant connection that doesn’t happen with people who are from other regions, once you find out you’re with a fellow häjy you instantly try to find out if you’re related, how far you have to trace back the family tree to find a murderer, and if you’re from the same town you instantly know their address and family history, and we speak so beautifully.... nothing but love for my land

[sanakirjasto]

Kuinka suomalaisille mainostetaan kodinkoneita…

[lookatmethere]