In 1861 Herman Webster Mudgett was born to a respected New Hampshire family. In childhood he was fascinated with skeletons and soon became obsessed with death. Mudgett changed his name to H.H Holmes and studied medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.
While a student, Holmes stole cadavers from the laboratory, disfigured them and then planted the bodies as if they were killed in accidents. His passion for death had started early in life but his criminal skills began in medical school; it was only then he collected on fake insurance policies.
Holmes was a very good medical student. In 1884 he passed his exams easily and in 1885 he moved to Chicago where he worked at a pharmacy as Dr Henry Holmes. When the owner of the business passed away, Holmes convinced the widow to sell him the shop in 1887. Holmes hired the Conner family from Iowa to work in the shop and keep the books, and the widow was never seen again!
Holmes married a few times, often to more than one woman at the same time. Emeline Cigrand became Holmes' personal secretary but after accepting Holmes' marriage proposal, Cigrand disappeared. Soon after, Holmes sold an articulated female skeleton to a nearby medical school. Holmes later confessed to locking Cigard in the vault, before raping and murdering her.
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Holmes' Murder Castle in Chicago
While a student, Holmes stole cadavers from the laboratory, disfigured them and then planted the bodies as if they were killed in accidents. His passion for death had started early in life but his criminal skills began in medical school; it was only then he collected on fake insurance policies.
Holmes was a very good medical student. In 1884 he passed his exams easily and in 1885 he moved to Chicago where he worked at a pharmacy as Dr Henry Holmes. When the owner of the business passed away, Holmes convinced the widow to sell him the shop in 1887. Holmes hired the Conner family from Iowa to work in the shop and keep the books, and the widow was never seen again!
Holmes married a few times, often to more than one woman at the same time. Emeline Cigrand became Holmes' personal secretary but after accepting Holmes' marriage proposal, Cigrand disappeared. Soon after, Holmes sold an articulated female skeleton to a nearby medical school. Holmes later confessed to locking Cigard in the vault, before raping and murdering her.
H.H.Holmes
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Knowing the World Fair was coming to Chicago, Holmes bought the undeveloped land across the street, and began building his hotel at 63rd and South Wallace Sts Englewood. Construction took two long years because Holmes was constantly changing labourers. By keeping turnover high, Holmes easily hid its layout from the world.
On the ground floor of Holmes’ three-storey Murder Castle, thousands of people enter the shops, some operated by Holmes and some leased to local merchants. They knew nothing of what was happening above.
The angled, narrow corridors had poor lighting. Most of the rooms were rigged with gas pipes connected to a control panel in Holmes' closet. Stairways that led nowhere were interspersed with locked doors to which only Holmes had the key. And Holmes' personal office contained a walk-in bank vault, leaving the victims to suffocate. There were trap doors, secret passage ways, hidden closets with sliding panels, peepholes, doorways opening to brick walls, soundproofed bedrooms that were either airtight and lined with asbestos-coated steel plates, false battlements and wooden bay windows were covered in sheet iron.
Holmes' medical training paid off. The basement was designed for a good surgeon; it had a dissecting table, surgeon's cabinet, stretching rack and crematory. Sometimes he would send the bodies down the greased chute, dissect them, strip them of the flesh and sell them as skeleton models to medical schools. Or he placed the bodies into pits of quicklime vats or burnt them in the furnaces. Charles Chappell was an articulator i.e he could strip flesh from human bodies and reassemble the bones to form complete skeletons. Holmes paid Chappell to articulate a cadaver, then to sell the skeleton to a medical school.
When completed in 1891, Holmes placed ads in newspapers offering hotel jobs for young women and advertised the Castle for guests. He also placed ads presenting himself as a wealthy man looking for a wife. In May-October 1893 the Chicago World Fair was opened, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of America. The event attracted millions of people from all over the world.
All of Holmes’ employees, hotel guests, fiancés and wives were required to have life insurance policies. Holmes paid the premiums, as long as he was the beneficiary. Most of his fiancés, employees and guests suddenly disappeared, leaving Holmes to collect the insurance.
On the ground floor of Holmes’ three-storey Murder Castle, thousands of people enter the shops, some operated by Holmes and some leased to local merchants. They knew nothing of what was happening above.
The angled, narrow corridors had poor lighting. Most of the rooms were rigged with gas pipes connected to a control panel in Holmes' closet. Stairways that led nowhere were interspersed with locked doors to which only Holmes had the key. And Holmes' personal office contained a walk-in bank vault, leaving the victims to suffocate. There were trap doors, secret passage ways, hidden closets with sliding panels, peepholes, doorways opening to brick walls, soundproofed bedrooms that were either airtight and lined with asbestos-coated steel plates, false battlements and wooden bay windows were covered in sheet iron.
Holmes' medical training paid off. The basement was designed for a good surgeon; it had a dissecting table, surgeon's cabinet, stretching rack and crematory. Sometimes he would send the bodies down the greased chute, dissect them, strip them of the flesh and sell them as skeleton models to medical schools. Or he placed the bodies into pits of quicklime vats or burnt them in the furnaces. Charles Chappell was an articulator i.e he could strip flesh from human bodies and reassemble the bones to form complete skeletons. Holmes paid Chappell to articulate a cadaver, then to sell the skeleton to a medical school.
When completed in 1891, Holmes placed ads in newspapers offering hotel jobs for young women and advertised the Castle for guests. He also placed ads presenting himself as a wealthy man looking for a wife. In May-October 1893 the Chicago World Fair was opened, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of America. The event attracted millions of people from all over the world.
All of Holmes’ employees, hotel guests, fiancés and wives were required to have life insurance policies. Holmes paid the premiums, as long as he was the beneficiary. Most of his fiancés, employees and guests suddenly disappeared, leaving Holmes to collect the insurance.
Photo credit: Chicago Historical Society
Post-World Fair Chicago’s economy slumped; so Holmes abandoned the Castle and focused on insurance scams, meanwhile committing random murders. During this time, Holmes stole horses from Texas, shipped them to St Louis and sold them – making a fortune with accomplice Benjamin Pitezel. He was arrested and imprisoned.
While in gaol, he devised an insurance scam with cellmate Marion Hedgepeth. Holmes would take out a valuable insurance policy, fake his own death and provide Hedgepeth with $500 in exchange for a helpful lawyer. Holmes did try his plan but the insurance company was suspicious and refused payment. Holmes then attempted a similar plan in Philadelphia, asking Pitezel to fake his own death. But Holmes killed Pitezel and collected the insurance anyhow!
In 1894 Hedgepath told police about Holmes’ scam. The police tracked Holmes, arresting him in Boston for insurance fraud. Almost accidentally, Chicago police investigated Holmes’ Castle where they discovered his tortures and murders. The bodies they found were so badly dismembered and decomposed, the number was unclear.
How did the crisis get so far? Because of the World's Fair and limited police procedure, missing persons had barely been investigated. And more difficult still, Holmes' innate charm could smooth over any major worries that neighbours and families were pursuing.
While conducting their investigation in Toronto, police discovered the dead Pitezel children who had gone missing sometime during Holmes’ insurance fraud spree. Linking Holmes to their murders, police arrested him and he then confessed to 28 other murders. Holmes' 6-day trial began in Philadelphia in late 1895. Throughout, he was charismatic to the day of his execution: May 1896. He was 36.
A man named AM Clark purchased the Murder Castle soon after the police investigation. Clark intended to capitalise on the Castle's notoriety and reopen it as a tourist attraction. However in August a watchman saw flames and explosions from the bedroom windows and the roof had collapsed. Only the first floor was salvaged and served as a bookshop until the Castle was sold in 1937. It was then pulled down.
After Holmes’ death, men who'd had dealings with Holmes came to violent ends. The last was Pat Quinlan, suspected accomplice and former Murder Castle caretaker. In March 1914, Quinlan committed suicide via strychnine.
In the next post I will examine a similar mass murderer (in Britain), and draw some conclusions.
While in gaol, he devised an insurance scam with cellmate Marion Hedgepeth. Holmes would take out a valuable insurance policy, fake his own death and provide Hedgepeth with $500 in exchange for a helpful lawyer. Holmes did try his plan but the insurance company was suspicious and refused payment. Holmes then attempted a similar plan in Philadelphia, asking Pitezel to fake his own death. But Holmes killed Pitezel and collected the insurance anyhow!
In 1894 Hedgepath told police about Holmes’ scam. The police tracked Holmes, arresting him in Boston for insurance fraud. Almost accidentally, Chicago police investigated Holmes’ Castle where they discovered his tortures and murders. The bodies they found were so badly dismembered and decomposed, the number was unclear.
How did the crisis get so far? Because of the World's Fair and limited police procedure, missing persons had barely been investigated. And more difficult still, Holmes' innate charm could smooth over any major worries that neighbours and families were pursuing.
While conducting their investigation in Toronto, police discovered the dead Pitezel children who had gone missing sometime during Holmes’ insurance fraud spree. Linking Holmes to their murders, police arrested him and he then confessed to 28 other murders. Holmes' 6-day trial began in Philadelphia in late 1895. Throughout, he was charismatic to the day of his execution: May 1896. He was 36.
A man named AM Clark purchased the Murder Castle soon after the police investigation. Clark intended to capitalise on the Castle's notoriety and reopen it as a tourist attraction. However in August a watchman saw flames and explosions from the bedroom windows and the roof had collapsed. Only the first floor was salvaged and served as a bookshop until the Castle was sold in 1937. It was then pulled down.
After Holmes’ death, men who'd had dealings with Holmes came to violent ends. The last was Pat Quinlan, suspected accomplice and former Murder Castle caretaker. In March 1914, Quinlan committed suicide via strychnine.
In the next post I will examine a similar mass murderer (in Britain), and draw some conclusions.