Herman Webster Mudgett, A Notorious Criminal In The 1800's

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

In the years leading up to the world fair, Holmes had been perfecting his “castle” that was built upon his pharmacy. His house, nicknamed the “Murder Castle”, was filled with mazes, trap doors, and multiple torture chambers, including an incinerator to burn the remains of his victims. With the promise of a warm, clean bed, he lured fair-goers and young women who moved to the big city alone to further their careers were attracted to the young doctor. Holmes had relations with some of his guests, at one point getting Julia Conner pregnant in 1891, but he used his new found “hobby” to dispose of the problem (Larson 146). Holmes was eventually charged with insurance fraud and stood trial for the murder of Mr. Benjamin Pitezel, he was estimated to have killed between 20 and 200 people (“H.H” 2). Even though he was only charged on one count of murder, once in prison he admitted to killing 27 people in his time in Chicago. Holmes was hung on on May 7th, 1896, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the homicide of Mr. Pitezel (“H.H.” 1-2). The disturbing legacy of Herman Webster Mudgett lived on in the form of H. H. Holmes as America’s first serial killer.

Serial Killers are nothing new to today’s society. Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy shocked our nation with their violent, brutal, and at times unbelievable crimes, although none of them were as notorious as Herman Webster Mudgett better known as Dr. H.H. Holmes. A man that carried himself as a smart, intellectual member of society, but in reality he was a smooth talking conman and very disturbed individual. A man who designed and built a building with torture rooms that would serve as his play house. Being born and raised in Chicago, I enjoy learning about its rich history. I had heard about this serial killer before, but I was not aware of his complete story. I am taking this

He was born on March 14, 1921 in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia. He developed a philosophy to live by in his early life for which he credited his success. His motto to live by was to work hard and place his trust in God. His father was a financially poor insurance salesman, beaten by the Great Depression. Because of his Father’s failures, he trusted his Mother as his confidant. His mother also provided financial support for the whole family, making her seem more and more capable of helping Truett with his financial stability. He decided to help his family out by selling Coca-Cola, operating a paper route, and performing odd jobs continually to contribute. (” New Georgia Encyclopedia”)

Have you ever known a psychopath who finds pleasure of going around and murdering thousands of people? In Erik Larson’s nonfiction novel, A Devil in the White City, published in 2003, he sets the scene around the World’s Fair in Chicago. During this time, the city preoccupies themselves with the new construction and excitement of the fair that it draws away attention from the rather secretive, sly, serial killer, H.H. Holmes. Larson uses figurative language, imagery, and juxtaposition throughout the entire novel to develop just how sinister natured Holmes truly is.

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.

David Owen Dodd was born in Victoria County, Texas on November 10, 1846. Records provide little information of Dodd’s childhood, the youngest records we have of him is at age 10. When Dodd was 10 years old, his family returned to arkansas and settled in Benton. It was in Benton that Dodd attended school for the very first time. In the fall of 1861, the Dodd family packed up and moved to Little Rock to be closer to Dodd’s sister Senhora. Who was in Little Rock to live with her aunt and attend school in the capital. Dodd then transferred to St. John’s College, the Dodd family remained in the capital city until August of 1862. David Owen Dodd then traveled to Monroe, louisiana with his father, leaving his sister and mother in the capital city.

1884 to 1886 he lived in Mooers Forks, New York City and Philadelphia. He was accused of the disappearance of a young boy in New York and the death of a boy in Philadelphia (Holmes). H.H Holmes denied having any form of involvement to either cases. In 1886 Holmes moved to Chicago, Illinois. When he moved to Chicago that is when he formally changed his name to Henry Howard Holmes, but better known as H.H Holmes. In Chicago he acquired a pharmacy (H.H Holmes).

H.H.Holmes, also known by his birth name, Herman Webster Mudgett was the first recorded serial killer in America. He killed as many as 250 people, maybe more. He built a hotel that was later known as the murder castle. H.H. Holmes built a small boys dream of a haunted house with different passageways, walled-up rooms and trap doors. The beautiful architectural building built across the street from a pharmacy, where Holmes worked as a doctor.

Herman Webster Muddgett or also known as H. H. Holmes was one of the so called first mass murders, Beginning with small harmless things such as stealing corpses from his school, and using them as insurance claims to, moving off to Chicago and becoming a pharmacist also moving in with a married couple and waiting for the right moment to hop on his rise to victory or at least what he thought was a great achievement, to murdering innocent people his tower of torcher, his castle of murder just to please his sick twisted mind.

Herman Webster Mudgett, better known under the alias of Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, was one of the first documented American serial killers in the modern sense of the term.

Erick Larson wrote in Devil in the White City, “I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing – I was born with the Evil One standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered in the world, and he has been with me since” (Troy, Taylor). This statement was a quoted confession from Dr. H. H. Holmes himself in 1896. Holmes was the first major serial killer in America, even though he came after many others in his time. Thomas Neil Cream, the Austin Axe Murderer, the Bloody Benders, and Jack the Ripper came before him. His name was originally Herman Webster Mudgett. He was born on May 16th, 1860 in Gilman, New Hampshire. He was raised by his mother

In doing so he encounters many obstacles, trying to outshine France's Eiffel Tower. Which he did with the magnificent Ferris Wheel. The second plot is continued with H.H. Holmes, known as the Chicago´s first serial killer, constructing his “murder castle” where he lures innocent tourists of the World’s Fair and murdering them. Larson illustrates a comparison between H. H. Holmes and Daniel

     He was born in New York City in 1858, he was the second of four kids. He went to

For a while, Holmes told them that she had gone out of town to be with some family. Later, the truth got out and people spread it around the city creating awareness of the issue. Mrs. Holton was one of Holmes’ many victims and her tragic story has added another perspective to the issue of homicide. After this book was published, the many that read it became more aware of the cruelty of homicide. The different perspectives included allow people to comprehend the history of Chicago and realize that anyone can encounter this type of situation. Therefore, social history is seen in this book because her personal story as well as the all other victims’ stories gave Larson’s audience an insight of the events and about the issues conferred. Holmes’ story was put into this book to give the readers an understanding of the events that took place during the time of the Chicago World’s Fair. With this understanding, the audience is able to further realize how cruel homicide is and that one must be careful when interacting with strangers. This publication was recognized by thousands and acted as an aid to spread awareness of the matter.