Holmes The Adventure Of The Speckled Band

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.

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

The genre of crime friction has many different types of elements that make it so suspenseful for the reader. The main elements that a crime fiction will have is the detective and the villain that have challenging wits. The short stories that we have looked at, are the adventures of the speckled band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle looks at the more traditional elements compare to Lamb to the slaughter by Roald Dahl and Fresh Bait by Sherryl Clark. The main elements that are in the crime fiction that may be used effectively or differently, for example the challenging wits between the detective and the villain and other things like setting, pace and victims. The three convention I will be comparing/ contrasting is the pace, the victims and the wits between the detective and the villain.

I found this story very exciting but most of all I like the part when

The reason why Dr Roylott murdered Julia was the intention that he would gain money which shows his greediness and the extent he would go to to get what he wants. Also, when he meets Holmes he treats him with hostility and bends a "steel poker" into a curve and throws

When H.H. Holmes arrives in Chicago, he looks like any other ambitious young doctor braving the journey to the Windy City to start a new life. “He walked with confidence and dressed well, conjuring an impression of wealth and achievement. He was twenty-six years old… He had dark hair and striking blue eyes, once likened to the eyes of a Mesmerist,” describes the author. Larson cites a physician, John L. Capen, “‘Great murderers, like great men in other walks of activity, have blue eyes’” (35). In including this citation, Larson clues the reader in on Holmes’ true nature in addition to eliciting a feeling of unease through his diction. With this first impression, the reader is already wary of Holmes and his actions. Larson further solidifies this distrust with the following passages. “The city had impressed [Holmes], he said later, which was surprising because as a rule nothing impressed him, nothing moved him. Events and people captured his attention the way moving objects caught the notice of an amphibian: first a machinelike registration of proximity, next to calculation of worth, and last is a decision to act or remain motionless.” (37) With this quotation, Larson explains how Holmes chose

“They tend to share certain key characteristics. They're manipulative, cold, and lack what we might call a moral compass--they know right from wrong but are not invested in that distinction. Their only concern with their ‘wrong’ behavior is getting caught, but because they are deceitful, callous and not subject to anxiety, they easily elude capture” (Spikol, 5). These sort of criminals were ones that the Chicago Police Department had never been introduced to before, causing them to change their entire perspective on cases once Holmes’ had passed. According to John Bartlow Martin, a writer for the “Harper’s Archive”, Holmes’ murder castle was filled with trapdoors, gas chambers, secret passageways, and even pits of acid used to get rid of bodies and other pieces of evidence. These were all things that the law enforcers had never even heard of in a story, much less seen or thought of in real life. It’s safe to say that Holmes drastically affected the police’s outlook on the cases in the near, and even far, future of criminals after his mystery; or at least part of his mystery had been

Dr.Holmes was born in Gilmanton, New Hampshire on May,16,1861.his parents names were as follows.Levi Horton Mudgett,father Theodate Page Price,mother. He had three siblings, Henry,Arthur,and Ellen. Dr. Holmes was found to be rather intelligent for his young age. He graduated from high school at the age of 16. He went to the University of Michigan from 1882–1884. Dr.Holmes was a physician.Dr.holmes hobbies included creating elaborate traps and labyrinths and torture.Holmes was America's

H.H. Holmes was a great example to future serial killers. An “expert” like this must have a knowledge of how to murder people and get away with it while, at the same time, get something out of it. Although he was a horrible person and admitted to murdering 27 people and was hung for his crimes, H.H. Holmes was a great example to future serial killers with his fake credibility, dishonest sources of income, manipulative personality, and ability to cover up crimes.

He might could have said that because doctors would know of all sorts of medications and poisons that could be used to kill someone discretely without arousing suspicion. If they were using a knife, they would know all the vital areas of the human body that would cause death quickly and quietly. It was suspected that Jack the Ripper had medical training because of the precision with which some of the organs were removed from his victims. Today though, doctors would have a much harder time because of forensics being able to detect poisons. So though Holmes would be right back in the old days, I'd say a forensic scientist or a police detective would have the advantage in modern times over a doctor. They could cover their trail better. Also Holmes

Holmes had everything he could ever want, which was great for him of course. His childhood was very privileged, and he enjoyed it. People told his family that he was a very intelligent kid for his age. Holmes was treated well. As he grew up, he got interested in the art of medicine. He graduated from the University of Michigan. Holmes was married twice. Holmes was treated well there as well. He passed his exam to practice medicine. He was always treated well, he was smart. He was looked as an equal. This led Holmes to animal experiment and also used corpses as experimental subjects. Holmes also stole corpses and used them to make fake insurance claims. There were rumors that indicates that he was responsible for his friend’s death. That was the first rumored victim of Homes later on he got a job in a pharmacy. Which Holmes convinced the pharmacy wife’s owner to sell him the pharmacy due to his suppose claims that the owner had “passed away”, and it was rumored that he killed the owner of the pharmacy. Then one day the wife went missing, to which Holmes claimed that she had moved to California. But it’s

As an investigator, Sherlock Holmes was not guilty for the demise of Dr. Roylott. The story, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, when in the room of Helen Stoner, waited for evidence for the cause of Julia Stoner’s death. When both men traveled to the room of Dr. Roylott, they saw that Dr. Roylott was dead, with the speckled band-the deadliest snake in India- wrapped around Dr. Roylott’s head. The cause of Dr.Roylott’s death was not Sherlock Holmes’s accountability. Dr. Roylott had knowledge about animals from India; therefore he should have been able to control the snake. Additionally, Dr. Roylott never ended up dying when trying to kill Julia,

Sherlock Holmes used his observance to come to the conclusion that occurred at the end of “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” transcribed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In April 1883, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson experienced an encounter with Helen Stoner; Helen requested that Sherlock and Watson look into the case of her sister’s death. Holmes and Watson were recommended by a mutual friend of Helen’s. Helen Stoner and Dr. Roylott lived in Stoke Moran. Dr. Roylott, Helen’s stepfather, was an aggressive man. After Helen Stoner’s mother had perished, Dr. Roylott was left with her will until each girl got married. When married each girl would get one third of the money. Helen’s sister, Julia, had

The Speckled Band by Sherlock Holmes Detective stories first became popular in the Victorian era following the emergence of organized police forces in the 1830's. Fascination with the criminal heros accompanied a corresponding interest in the methodical uncovering of crime. Public hangings were frequent and Victorian people feared crime greatly. This meant that when the detective stories came about they felt the fictional character that cracked every case became the perfect detective i.e. Arthur Conan Doyle's character, Sherlock Holmes. SherlockHolmes was actually an amateur detective not a member of the London plaice force and the Victorians had a deep resentment against the police, as they were