The United States has a dark history of crime and has produced some of the most notorious names. However, none are quite as horrifying as Herman Webster Mudgett, otherwise known as H.H. Holmes. Holmes is often mentioned as being America’s first serial killer. Holmes was a lifelong criminal, con-artist, doctor, and a stone-cold murderer whose brutal killings culminated in his heinous “Murder Castle”- a labyrinth hotel erected for death.

The Creation of a Killer

Holmes was born in 1861 in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. At a young age, he exhibited the early warning signs of cruelty and deception. When he was a child, he was reportedly fascinated with dead animals and conducted “experiments” on them. His intelligence and allure allowed him to maneuver life with ease. When he reached college age, Holmes attended the University of Michigan Medical School, where he gained considerable knowledge of the human anatomy- insight that he would later use for nefarious purposes.

Holmes frequently changed his identity and swindled people out of money, earning him the distinction of being a master fraudster. His plunge into the darkest shadows of murder began when he moved to Chicago in the later part of 1880s. It was then that Holmes began construction on his most horrific creation- the Murder Castle.

The Hotel of Horrors: The Murder Castle

In 1893, the World’s Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago. The fair attracted visitors from across the country. It was at this time that Holmes opened his three-story hotel. What arose as a grand hotel was, in reality, a death trap. The building later termed the “Murder Castle”, was filled with secret rooms, hidden passageways, trapdoors, soundproof bedrooms, gas lines, and at the basement, a crematorium.

Guests of the Murder Castle would check in, but never check out. Holmes had murder in mind when he built his castle. So many of the rooms were created as death chambers because many were airtight and could be filled with deadly gas. There were also body chutes that led directly to the basement. Bodies would arrive there, be stripped of their flesh, dissected, and often sold to the medical schools.

Victims and the Arrest of Holmes

The total number of Holmes’s victims remains a mystery. When he was finally caught, he confessed to twenty-seven murders but experts believe that the number may be closer to two hundred people.

Many of his victims were women who found their way to Chicago looking for employment or to experience the fair. Holmes would lure them and seduce them into staying in his hotel, then ultimately murder them.

Holmes’s downfall arose from his multitude of fraud schemes and not from his killings. In 1894, Holmes was finally arrested in Boston, Massachusetts for insurance fraud. During the investigation, the police discovered the abominations that occurred at the Murder Castle. When the authorities were able to search the building, the rooms were already torn down. They were able to locate human remains, lots of bones, and lots of evidence of tortures that took place there.

By the time 1895 came around, Holmes was finally convicted of murder and on May 7, 1896, he was hanged at the gallows. In the final twist of fate, Holmes asked to be buried in concrete to make certain grave robbers would not dissect his body, as he had done to all his victims.

The Legacy of Holmes

True crime enthusiasts have been gripped by H.H. Holmes's story for well over a century now.

A book written by Erik Larson titled The Devil in the White City prompted Holmes’s legend to continue to persevere through the years. Larson blended together tales of Holmes and Chicago’s World Fair, and TV adaptations and documentaries continue to be made (including rumors of DiCaprio portraying Holmes on the big screen).

The crimes that Holmes committed still continue to be some of the most horrific, gruesome, and shocking in U.S. history. His Murder Castle remains an eerie reminder of how evil can lurk behind the most charming of facades. The original building no longer exists, as it was demolished. However, the dark tales of H.H. Holmes persist and haunt true crime enthusiasts to this day.

Written by Rachel DeMicco

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SOURCES
https://www.britannica.com/biography/H-H-Holmes

https://www.biography.com/crime/hh-holmes

https://harpers.org/archive/1943/12/the-master-of-the-murder-castle/

America’s First Serial Killer: H.H. Holmes and his Murder Castle

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