H. H. Holmes

Holmes had been born into a wealthy New Hampshire family and was given the name Herman Webster Mudgett (America’s Serial Killers). “If Mudgett or his brother or sister were bad, their strict Methodist parents sent them to the attic for a full day without speaking or eating,. Mudgett’s father was especially abusive after he’d been drinking - which was often” (Spikol). However, his father was a wealthy and respected citizen and had been the local postmaster for nearly twenty five years (Taylor). It is surprising an important member of the community was a child abuser. The abuse of his father may be one of the

He grew up secluded with his two brothers, Henry and Arthur, and his sister Ellen. He also grew up with his parents who were devout Methodists. A common factor about serial killers is that they usually grew up in a strictly religious household. His home life was hard because of his mentally and physically abusive parents, especially his father. Researchers have found out that his father used tactics such as “prolonged isolation and even food deprivation. Furthermore, his father reportedly held kerosene soaked rags over Holmes and the other children’s mouths to “quiet them” when they cried.” (Concordia University). A child’s relationship with their parents is crucial in their development. Psychologists have researched this specific topic for years and drew the conclusion that, “Without the safety net of a secure attachment relationship, children grow up to become adults who struggle with feelings of low self-worth and challenges with emotional regulation. They also have an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety.” (How Childhood Trauma). Because of his parents neglecting, his idea of relationships was skewed, and he became isolated. He had no positive relationship to model after and that really took a toll on his social life. In fact, “It is possible that Holmes...was so traumatized by the abuse that it ultimately led to his inability to form meaningful relationships.” (Concordia University). He was bullied at school for being smarter than the rest of the class and having no friends. His most notable bullying incident was when “ Holmes, blindsided by classmates, was forced into a doctor’s office, where the hands of a skeleton were forcibly placed over his face.” (Concordia University). Holmes had a phobia of doctors and anatomy as a whole, and the event was so traumatic to him that his fear reversed itself and turned into an extreme interest, something that is not uncommon between trauma victims. The

    During the 1893 Columbian Exposition, H.H. Holmes was one of the first serial killers of America. Holmes would lure his victims into his building which he transformed into his “murder castle.” First he would manipulate his victims by coming off as a

Dr. H. H. Holmes has a passion for murder, and he hides his true personality behind an act of a charming man managing a hotel. Since Holmes uses his creativity to disrupt the lives of innocent people, he brings out the Black City of Chicago. As a result of Holmes’s passion for murder, he has to keep his psychotic talent secret. Only very few people know Holmes’s true lifestyle, and if they do, he kills them. Holmes weaves his way into to his victims’ lives to manipulate them for his personal benefit.. Even though the White City masks some of Chicago’s problems, evil still

During the construction of the “Castle” Holmes hired a carpenter named Benjamin Pitezal as his assistant because Holmes deemed him to be unintelligent and easily manipulated due to alcoholism. The victims Holmes prayed on were generally young single woman with no social ties. Holmes used a variety of methods to kill the victims. After killing the individuals; Holmes stripped the corpses of flesh and paid an individual to assemble the bones into skeleton models to sell to medical colleges for money (Wilson & Seaman, 2011). When Holmes failed to pay his debtors he and his assistant went on the run. Holmes was arrested for fraud and bonded out, however while in his jail cell he bragged to another inmate about the insurance fraud who would later reveal the crime and link to the serial killers crimes. The pair moved state to state committing frauds and petty crimes. Holmes convinced Pitezal to fake his own death so the two could collect on a $10,000.00 in another fraudulent life insurance scheme (Schmid, 2006). Holmes turned on his assistant killing not only him, but three of his young children as well. Pitezals wife alerted authorities to her missing children and husband, she was informed the remains of her husband were discovered and the realization of what had occurred with her family was uncovered. Later the

His Victims were lead by the promise for cheap lodging in his hotel.2With the World Fair happening Holmes saw the event as the perfect opportunity to commit the murders he has been. He knew that with such a big event and how many foreigners would even come that his murders would go unnoticed until it was too late, and they did. His main targets were foreign or just gullible women3; those that wouldn’t be missed or have people come looking for them, especially when millions of people are in town, they won’t be noticed

He had several stores and a restaurant in the building. The third floor had rooms and offices to rent and it contained Holmes’s bedroom but it was the 2nd floor that had the horrible secret of the building. This floor had 35 rooms all designed as killing chambers, his victims would get caught up in this maze where doors lead nowhere and once they would turn a corner Holmes would surprise them and eventually kill them. Now the basement was worst of them all he had a chute that led down there so he could easily dispose of the bodies, it was like a medieval torture chamber, acid vats, quick lime pits and crematorium and this is where he would clean his victim’s bones and mount them and sell them to local universities and medical schools. Now, I have heard of some of the things that serial killers have done but this takes the cake, it made my stomach turn.

Henry Herman Holmes was known to many as the first American serial killer. Better known as just H. H. Holmes, he committed many murders in a suburb on the south side of Chicago during the late 1800’s. Holmes once admitted to police that he killed 27 people, but many actually predict that the number of murders he committed is near 200 (Handley). So what is the real number of people that he killed? Let’s take a closer look at the facts of Holmes’ life, occupation, and the mansion that he built to determine how many people he may have actually murdered.

To clarify, Henry Howard Holmes known as H. H. Holmes was America’s first serial killer. As a child, Holmes was terrified of the doctor, however a few bullies from his school forced him to touch the real skeleton in their doctor’s office which started his obsession with human anatomy. When Holmes was a teenager he interned at his local doctor’s office and later went to Michigan State for a medical degree and became a skilled doctor. Holmes took out fake insurance policies on the bodies he used in medical school after pouring acid on their face so they were unrecognizable in order to afford college. In 1889 Holmes designed and built a hotel to assist his murders.

While he confessed to 27 murders, Holmes was only linked to nine of them. However, it is said that he is responsible for as many as 200 murders. "I could not help the fact that I was a murderer… The inclination to murder came to me as naturally as the inspiration to do right comes to the majority of persons." (Bio staff).

Not only did Holmes murder adults, Holmes also murdered children for the simple reason that he could do it. Holmes also turned some of his victims into the displays used to show anatomy at school and hospitals. Even after delivering the skeletons, no one suspected they were acquired through

He had two children, one son and one daughter. He went out of sight for six years after abandoning Clara and his son. He would always somehow come up with some con as to where he was and what he was doing during the time of his victims' deaths. The police had always questioned him, but had never really pinned anything on him. No one wanted to believe that Holmes was an evil master mind. He was so handsome and charismatic. His tall stature and piercing blue eyes made women often swoon at the sight of him. He could also talk anyone into anything at the sound of his voice and the medical, knowledgeable jargon he used. He even got an old lady to give him her husbands pharmacy after his death sometime after he arrived to Chicago. Other sources said that he killed her and inherited the pharmacy without anyone knowing what happened. Either way the old woman should have been happy that such a noble man was running her pharmacy. He was always the perfect assistant, making sure that her money was going towards helping the company in any way. He would even meet up with venders, creating a stable environment for her and her dying husband. He eventually killed her but when others would ask he stated that she had moved to California, but had no forwarding address (Taylor, Troy).

Holmes decides to convince Pitezel to take out a very large life insurance policy to scam an insurance company by staging Pitezel’s death and substituting another corpse in his place, which he assured Pitezel he would had no trouble getting ahold of. In all reality, this was Holmes’ way of getting out of the predicament he had put himself in by trusting someone too much. In November of 1893, Holmes and Pitezel leave Chicago to travel across the country and commit frauds along the way. In July of 1894, Holmes attempts to swindle another pharmacy in Saint Louis, Missouri, just as he had done when he first got to Chicago. This time, on the other hand, it does not work out for Holmes. Holmes, for the first time ever in his criminal career, he is behind bars. While in jail, he meets Marion Hedgepeth, whom he shared a jail cell with. Holmes shares the insurance swindle plan with Hedgepeth, who “gave Holmes the name of a twisted attorney that could put over an insurance swindle” (Hounded to death by ghosts of the castle he built, 1914, p. 19, col. 1-7). Holmes promises Hedgepeth five hundred dollars for the hook up with the attorney if the attorney can make the plan happen. Holmes ends up being bailed out of prison by his third wife, Georgianna Yoke, after Holmes told her false reasons why he was arrested in the first place. Once again, Holmes has received another lucky charm where he could have been in jail for much longer, and perhaps put away forever.

When comparing the fundamentals of Holmes’s backstory to that of the Shelley’s classic Frankenstein’s monster, there are many aspects that are frighteningly similar. Behind both of their backstories, they both felt excluded from the rest of society because of their differences, they experienced a harsh early development period in their lives, and most importantly, they both have deep, personal logic developed from these two other factors influencing them to murder innocent people. Though in their own minds they were enforcing justice upon the world, the results of their actions damaged the lives of innocent people to a much greater degree than improving their own. This is what makes a monster. Though appearances have played a part in the defining what a monster is for some time, the monsters of the present are not necessarily visually monstrous. In their minds and souls, the modern monster acts as the traditional monster does. Their hearts are filled with wickedness and anger, obsession, and the lust to achieve whatever they may desire, no matter if taking or destroying lives is necessary to obtain it. This is what classifies a monster in fiction and nonfiction, and in the past, present, and future. A monster can be eight-foot tall abomination, or a twenty-four year old college student from Aurora, Colorado, all a monster needs is a motivation to drive

The Sherlock Holmes stories are filled with many elements varying with mystery, adventure, and most of the times death. These stories entertained many in the late 1800s with these elements. Doyle’s stories on Holmes still remain the best of the genre (Gaydosik 121). The Homes character brought entertainment into people’s lives by his mystery solving.