America's First Serial Killer

Herman Webster Mudgett, better known under the alias of “H. H. Holmes,” is considered to be America’s first serial killer. Holmes was born May 16, 1861 into a wealthy New Hampshire family. Holmes was highly intelligent and interested in medicine from a young age. Some people argue that this was his only redeeming quality; however, his knowledge is also what assisted him in his murders.

Dr. Henry Howard Holmes

Some of his first murders occurred when Holmes was a child. He allegedly trapped animals and performed surgery on them, and some accounts of his life have even lead researchers to believe that he killed a childhood playmate.

Holmes attended medical school at the University of Michigan and later moved to Chicago and took a job as a pharmacist under the name of “Dr. H. H. Holmes.” Dr. Holden ran the drugstore at 63rd and Wallace. There was almost too much trade for her to handle alone due to rapid growth in Englewood, so she was delighted to find an assistant. Trade at the drug store continued to improve, but Holmes was not satisfied with his lot. In 1887, Dr. Holden vanished. Holmes announced that he had purchased the store, just prior to her "moving out West." Dr. Holden had not left a forwarding address. This was Holmes’ typical scheme: kill people in order to attain their property. 

Two years later, he acquired a large lot across the street from the drug store and began construction of a hotel for the upcoming World’s Fair. There are no records to say what the building was actually called, but for generations, police officers and crime enthusiasts called it "The Murder Castle.” 

Photograph of the "Murder Castle"

The first floor of the building contained stores and shops, while the upper floors could be used for living quarters. Holmes also had an office on the second floor, but most of the rooms were to be used for guests. Holmes rigged the hotel with secret passageways, soundproof vaults, and locks on the outside of doors in order to assist him in his murders. Some of the rooms served as asphyxiation chambers, where his victims were suffocated with gas. All of his "prison rooms" had alarms that buzzed in Holmes’ quarters if a victim attempted to escape. It is now believed that many of his victims were held captive for months before their deaths. In the basement, Holmes installed a dissecting table and maintained his own crematory with the use of a kiln. There was also an acid vat and pits filled with quicklime where bodies could be disposed.

The castle was completed in 1892 and soon after, Holmes announced that he planned to rent out some of the rooms to tourists who would be arriving for the World’s Fair. The list of missing people when the fair closed was lengthy. How many tourists actually fell prey to Holmes is a mystery, but at least 50 who were reported to the police as missing were traced back to the hotel. This time period is believed to be the peak of Holmes' murder career.

Holmes also used other strategies for procuring victims. A large number of his female victims came through false ads that he placed in newspapers, offering jobs for young ladies. When the ads were answered, the women would then be instructed to withdraw all of their money from the bank and to to carry life insurance policies naming him as beneficiary. Thereafter, he got their money after killing them. The applicants were also instructed to keep the location and the name of his company a secret. When the applicant arrived, she would become his prisoner.

Another way Holmes obtained prisoners was by means of seducing women and marrying them. He was not a social introvert as one might expect; rather, he was a gentleman and quite charming. His politeness and humor brought customers into the drug store, especially the ladies in the neighborhood. He would then become engaged with them and kill them after securing control of their life savings. 

Drawing of Minnie Williams

Holmes got engaged to Minnie Williams in 1893 while he was also in a relationship with one of his employees, Julia Conner. He was aware of Julia’s jealous feelings toward Minnie, so he killed her. He later justifies this action when he says: "But I would have gotten rid of her anyway, I was tired of her." These women meant nothing to him and were merely pieces in his game to get what he wanted. Minnie knew of Holmes’ crimes and even became somewhat his partner, eventually even helping him. Minnie killed her own sister in order to acquire her land, and after she had done what Holmes wanted, he killed her.

After Minnie’s death, Holmes took a break from his killing streak and indulged in yet another illegal activity:  fraud. He joined with an associate by the name of Ben Pitezel and concocted a scheme to defraud an insurance company by faking Pitezel’s death.

Ben Pitezel

Pitezel purchased a $10,000 life insurance policy and the men traveled together and committed their scheme in various venues.  This scheme suffered a minor setback while they were in Texas when Holmes was arrested for attempting to defraud a drug company and was briefly jailed.

Marion Hedgepeth

During his time in jail, he met Marion Hedgepeth, a career criminal who agreed to help Holmes and Pitezel. After Holmes’ release, Hedgepeth killed Pitezel and convinced his wife (who knew of their scheme) that her husband was still alive and gave her $500 of the money in exchange for her silence. Holmes was also frightened that Pitezel’s kids might tell the authorities. So as to ensure they didn’t, he killed three of the five children.

In the end, Hedgepeth would be the man who informed the authorities of the fraud schemes and murder of Pitezel. Holmes was arrested in Boston in 1894 and tried in Philadelphia where he was sentenced to death. He confessed to 27 murders during the trial, but later increased the total to over 130. However, researchers have suggested that the real number of murders probably actually exceeded 200. Interestingly, Holmes remained unrepentant. Just before his execution, he visited with two Catholic priests and took communion with them, but refused to ask forgiveness for his crimes. He believed he could not help what he had done, nor did he believe it was wrong. It was what he was intended to do:   “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 into the world, and he has been with me since.”

He was led from his cell to the gallows with a hood placed over his head. The force of the fall broke his neck, and the rope pulled so tight that it had imbedded into his skin. Amazingly, his heart continued to beat for nearly 15 minutes after his hanging while his fingers clenched and his feet danced. This is what preempted the most enduring legend of H. H. Holmes which came to be known as the "Holmes Curse."  This curse holds belief that his spirit did not “rest in peace.” He was finally declared dead at 10:25 a.m. on May 7, 1896.

H. H. Holmes made an impact on America because he instilled a fear that had not been there before  Nothing like this had ever happened thus far in American history. People were amazed that someone who seemed so normal could be capable of killing so many innocent people, and have the ability to hide it so well. Citizens became more guarded and protective of themselves and their loved ones. This meant less late nights, fewer parties, and earlier curfews for young people. His actions caused many to lose trust in humanity. Holmes also had a huge impact on the economy. The government spent large amounts of money on investigative agencies to find Holmes, such as the Pinkerton Detective Agency. This was a massive drain on Chicago's taxpayers and put the city in a slump.  Lastly, there was an especially disturbing impact Holmes had on the media. Before his execution, Holmes sold his story to the Hearst Corporation (a mass media group in New York) for $10,000. The media became wildly enthralled with the bizarre story of the serial killer and began to make money off of his chilling story. People seemed to lose sight that Holmes had murdered innocent victims, many of whom could have easily been a personal acquaintance or loved one. Instead, the media turned the focus on how impressive his masterminding abilities were and how profound the intricacy was of his plotting.  The fixation was on Holmes and the story literally became a social phenomenon. Sadly, Holmes was given the spotlight in his gruesome plot rather than the victims and their families, who were certainly more deserving of the nation's attention and sympathy in this tragedy. 

Works Cited

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