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Logan Jones

Dr. Douge OKeefe

English 1100

8 December 2017

Experiential History: H.H. Holmes, Americas First Serial Killer

It was cold as ice, and black as ink1. The year 1896, exactly nine days before

the anniversary of his birth. Dr. Herman Webster Mudgett, although he was no

longer recognized by that name of a previous life (Ekperigin, Naomi). He instead

identified as his alias that of Americas most notorious murderers Dr. H.H.

Holmes. Holmes sat in his cell, reflecting on where he had gone wrong (Selzer,

Adam). Had he killed victims too quickly, did he not dispose of the evidence, had

someone perhaps one of his workers ratted him out. All these ideas seemed

plausible, however none were true2. To truly see the fall of Holmes one must start

at the beginning of one of Americas bloodiest crime sprees.

Herman Webster Mudgett grew up in a small suburb in New Hampshire, he

married the daughter of rich family and attended medical school in Ann Harbor

Michigan where he studied cadavers (Larson, Erik). It is here that Mudgett set in to

motion the series of events that would lead to countless victims and an evil
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mastermind that was rumored to be the devil himself. Mudgett having a wife from

a wealthy family added pressure to his life, considering Mudgett himself could be

considered poor3 (Selzer, Adam). He could not provide the life she was accustomed

to, this would lead to intense arguments and add tension to an already crumbing

marriage. With a child on the way Herman Mudgett did the only thing he could

possibly think of, He bought lots expensive of furniture on credit and then sold that

furniture for an inflated price and by the time the furniture company came to

repossess the goods, the furniture along with Mudgett would be long gone (Larson,

Erik). The money gained from this fraudulent business appeased his wife, however

Mudgett became obsessed with wealth. This obsession led Mudgett to attempt even

bigger frauds. Mudgett filed insurance policies on people who did not exist, he

cleverly forged documents (such as birth certificates) to give an identity to the

person (Larson, Erik). A couple of months later Mudgett would then steal cadavers

from his hospital stage them in accidents and collect the insurance pay out.

However, soon Mudgett was under investigation for Insurance fraud. Knowing if

he stayed he would lose everything, Mudgett packed his bags and fled leaving

everything behind (Ekperigin, Naomi).

The year 1885, months before one of the worlds most prestigious and

acclaimed events would take the city of Chicago by storm. The worlds fair was
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suspected to bring thousands to the windy city, many of which were young girls

looking to make it big in the prospering city (Ekperigin, Naomi). Dr. Mudgett has

made his way to Englewood, a small suburb just outside the city of Chicago,

leaving his wife and young daughter. He decided to change his name to Holmes

since he was fleeing from a fraudulent business he had operated in New Hampshire

(Selzer, Adam). Homes desperate of income and of shelter took the position at a

drugstore on the corner of 63rd street and Wallace (Supreme Court , Pennsylvania).

The owners well to do citizens who offered Holmes a position out of the goodness

of the heart, meeting a young gentleman with no income in the streets of

Englewood4. Holmes seeing the weakness in his hosts set out to exploit it. He

asked frequently for loans, and offered to manage the business accounts of the

pharmacy. The owners agreed seeming the young doctor was more fit to manage

finances than the old couple, never suspecting that Holmes being a master theft

continuously stole money from the couple until there was nothing left. The couple

and their business was ruined, they were forced to move out of Englewood and

never knew how Holmes like a leech drained the very life out of their business5.

Holmes, using the money he swindled from his previous hosts set out on a

mission. He bought the land across the street from the pharmacy in which he

previously worked. He envisioned it to be a grand plaza contain a pharmacy, as

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well as shops, and many rooms to accompany visitors from the worlds fair

(Larson, Erik). Upon its completion Holmes marries another woman in a bigamous

relationship, with both woman not knowing about their counterparts (Ekperigin,

Naomi).

The time finally arrived for Holmes, the Worlds Fair was soon to reach

Chicago. Holmes opened his doors to the world posing as a safe place to say

during the exhibition of the Worlds fair. Holmes along with his wife began set up

the trap to ensnare their victims by contacting an old business partner of Holmes,

Benjamin Pitezel to help run his operation (Ekperigin, Naomi). Many young

people stayed at the Worlds Fair Hotel unsuspecting to the dangers it was soon to

unleash upon the world. Everything was calm and running smoothly, besides the

fact that Holmes fired workers seemingly on the daily for even the most minor

inconveniences. Many though Holmes was just temperamental and a tough boss,

however the truth was Homes did not want anyone getting to know the layout or

the secrets that his hotel might contain (Selzer, Adam). Everything changed when

Julia Smith and her daughter Pearl came with her husband, Ned Conner, who was

hired at Holmes hotel. Everything was fine until Mr. Conner discovered that his

wife and Holmes were having an affair. Mr. Conner immediately left leaving his

wife and young child alone in the hotel (Ekperigin, Naomi). Weeks after the

incident, in the middle of the night, Holmes crept from his room through secret
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passages that ran through the hotel like a labyrinth. He passed stairs that led to

nowhere, doors with no rooms behind them, lamps without fixtures and ended in

the room next to that of Julia Smith and her Daughter6. Holmes flipped what

seemed to be a light switch, and deadly gas entered the room in which Julia and

pearl were sleeping. Holmes heard them awake, he heard the pounds on the door,

the choked begging and pleading of escape, the promises of silence and loyalty,

and finally he heard nothing. Holmes had broken into a cold sweat his pulse was

rushing, his clothes were drenched, and in a panic, he unlocked the door and got to

work disposing of the bodies. He moved the bed aside revealing a trap door that

led down to a basement beneath the basement were a set of furnaces had been built

specifically designed to eliminate any trace of a corpse. Holmes dragged the small

lifeless body of pearl, unable to look at her, throwing her down the shoot and into

the pit where Pitezel was waiting to load the already warm furnace7. Holmes then

grabbed his mistress heaving her over his shoulder and dropping her firmly down

the chute. Holmes loved without question for two days, until Mr. Conner feeling

guilty about leaving his wife returned to make amends. Her being absent Mr.

Conner reported her missing to the police with suspicion on cast on Holmes. When

the police came to question Holmes he reported that she went to seek an abortion

and had not returned, and with that excuse Julia and Pearl disappeared altogether,

with all remnants of them lost (Kerns , Rebecca). With the influx of people due to
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the approaching world fair, Holmes grew more calculated and preyed on the

women seeking new lives. Systematically, Holmes along with his wife and Pitezel

would lure young women to come work at the hotel (Kerns , Rebecca). Holmes

then in the middle of the night would sneak down some dark passage and while

some poor unsuspecting girl was in a deep slumber, Holmes would flip a switch

releasing gas into their room8. Holmes grew callous and cold, He often talked to

the young women in distress acting as if was going to provide help9. On one

occasion, he even turned off the gas, only to lock the young girl in a sound proof

metal closet leaving her there to starve to death. Holmes often thought about his

murders reflecting fondly upon them, thinking how he could improve his business.

This led him down the path of selling the young womens bodies as cadavers on

the black market after their death instead of cremating them. While risk was

certainly involved, Holmes overlooked the risk in hopes to gain his fortune10.

Holmes ran his murderous business for quite some time with only minor suspicion

of the authorities but with no damning evidence of foul play, Holmes killed victim

after victim. Bringing them in like flies to a spiders web. Once the girls were

ensnared there was no hope for freedom, they might only hope for a speedy death.

Eventually, Holmes crimes caught up with him. Holmes was charged with

tax evasion, something so simple caused his empire to crumble (Kerns , Rebecca).
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Holmes immediately weighed his option sand made the decision. That night

Holmes quietly got out of bed, made his way next door and turned on the gas. His

room flooded with noxious fumes, trapping his wife, his accomplice inside.

Holmes listened to her cry for help, she cursed his name, and finally she was dead.

Holmes calmly opened the door, he looked at his latest victim, stared at her cold

lifeless body, and like he had down many time before picked her up and took her to

the nearest chute for her body to be cremated11. Holmes collected the insurance on

his wife the very next day claiming she died in a botched abortion. Holmes then

set fire to his house of horrors with many guests and workers still inside, in hoped

to make the fire look accidental. He tried to claim the insurance on his hotel,

however the insurance agency saw right through his scheme and sued him

(Supreme Court , Pennsylvania). Holmes fled with Pitezel leaving everything

behind. Upon investigation of his property law enforcement came across the

horrors it truly contained finding gas canisters with hoses leading to rooms,

trapdoors that led to the furnace, human remains such as bone and teeth that

furnace failed to consume12 (Selzer, Adam). Holmes was a wanted man, a man that

was on the run, a cold-hearted killer who was running out of options.

Pitezel took in Holmes hiding him from authorities, Holmes seeing an

opportunity turns on his closest friend and final witness of his atrocities and shoots
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him and his son in the basement of their home. He burries them in a shallow grave

and flees for Texas under a new identity (Larson, Erik). Law enforcement find him

a soon as he arrives in taxes as news of his murders reached the national scale13.

Authorities learn of the fate of his partner in crime and his son and try Holmes for

murder.

Holmes is convicted for seven accounts of murder, although it is believed he

had around 200 victims. On May 7th 1896 Holmes was silently led from his dark

cold cell, and led outside to the courtyard of the prison. The noose was put around

his neck and tightened. Holmes calmly and coldly said to his executioners Take

your time, done bungle it14 (Ekperigin, Naomi.). His executioners pulled the lever

and Holmes died of strangulation. Putting an end to one of Americas darkest, and

bloodiest crime sprees. 1

1
I do not know how the conditions were in which Homes was imprisoned, however I made the assumption that they
were not the best based off of prison conditions in that time period
2
There is no way to definitely tell but based off of (Selzer, Adam) I made the assumption because it mentioned how
Homes often reflected on his life
3
I assumed that the change in life style of Mudgetts wife caused tension between them, I was able to assume this
because in many marriages that is the case
4
I assumed the owners of the pharmacy and Holmes met on the street due to the fact that Holmes was homeless
5
Although there is no evidence what happened to the owners of the pharmacy a predominant theory is that moved
out of Chicago due to bankruptcy (Selzer, Adam)
6
I assumed this is what Holmes encountered when sneaking around the hotel, I was able to make this assumption
due to details describing the odd hotel (Kerns , Rebecca)
7
I assumed Holmes felt guilty after killing his first victims, I tried to portray this by having him unable to look at the
youngest of his victims.
8
I assumed Holmes killed the rest of his victims in the same manner in which he killed his first
9
I tried to show the evolution of Holmes into the cold calculated murder he later became, I did this by having him
toy with his victims
10
I tried to show Holmes motivation and hunger by having him overlook immediate risk for his fortune
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11
I showed the final step in his progression by showing how coldly Holmes treated his wife, how it was so easy to
kill someone he loved
12
While I am not sure what police found, I made the assumption due other historical accounts of bone being difficult
to destroy in fire
13
I assumed that News of Homes murders helped with his arrest, It was never directly stated how he was discovered
in Texas
14I tried to show Holmes cold evil demeanor even when faced with death by having him not speak besides to
criticize his executioners
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Work Cited

1. Ekperigin, Naomi. H.H. Holmes. Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 16 Oct.

2017, www.biography.com/people/hh-holmes-307622
2. Selzer, Adam. H. H. Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil. Barnes &
Noble, SkyHorse Publishing Inc. , 4 Apr. 2017, www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hh-holmes-
adam-selzer/1124829981
3. Supreme Court , Pennsylvania. Commonwealth v. Herman W. Mudgett, Alias H.H.
Holmes, Appellant . Pennsylvania State Reports , vol. 174, Pennsylvania Supreme
Court , 1896, pp. 211263.
4. Kerns , Rebecca, et al. Herman Webster Mudgett Dr. H.H Holmes or Beast of Chicago
. Department of Psychology, doi:10.1107/s0108768104025947/bm5015sup1.cif.
5. Larson, Erik. THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY. Vintage, 2004.