H.H. Holmes

H.H. HolmesBy: Alyssa Zajac

Herman Webster MudgettBorn Herman Webster Mudgett on May 16, 1861, Gilmanton, NHAbused by his father from a young ageSaw a real human skeleton in a physicians office.Experimented on animals in the woodsGraduated high school early

Was terrified yet fascinated by skeleton, conquered his fear, and developed a curiosity of the human body2

Doctor Henry Howard HolmesSeptember 1882 enrolled in the University of Michigan Medical School The Medical students were required to rob gravesStarted insurance scams Cons across the Midwest 1884, Graduates and becomes Dr. Henry Howard Holmes.

Studied Chemistry and AnatomyMichigan Medical School ~ best known for emphasis on dissection Herman Robbed graves for college because they needed SOMETHING to dissect, also did it for $$ (Scheming already)

Substituting an unidentified cadaver in replace of a loved ones corpse, and get away with the money

Cons- Drugstore clerk, asylum attendant, teacher, and doctor

Graduated, became a doctor, became Harry Howard Holmes because he was afraid folks would come forth with accusations of fraud, poisoning, or death.

3

Chicago1871, Chicago fire destroyed city.Holmes arrived in Englewood, finds work at E.S. Holton drug storeEverett Holton suddenly Dies of natural causes and his wife disappears after selling the store to Holmes

Rebuilding of Chicago resulted in numerous financial opportunities. City was booming

4

The Castle1888 Holmes buys the building across the street.Starts designing blueprints for a hotel.Often called The Castle because it was so grand.Would often fire workers to get cheap labor.

Specifically designing torture rooms. Finishes in August of 1888.

Ironically at that same time, Americans were flipping out after hearing about Jack the Ripper, Gee, glad we dont have any serial killers, here!

Workers spent months building it, hed hire and fire, hire and fire to secure his plans and get away with paying very little for labor.

HOLMES NAMED IT WORLDS FAIR HOTEL

5

Hotel DesignsInstalled a huge bank vault1st floor had a pharmacy, jewelry store, barber shop, and blacksmith shop.3rd floor Holmes rented out rooms, legitimate offices, and Holmes bedroom.2nd floor 35 rooms, many specifically designed as killing chambersInstalled a bank vault into a room while under construction, built the room around it. The bank wanted to repossess the vault, and he was like, Sure thing, come get it, but if you damage my building, Ill sue you for everything youve got

Maze, lab, trap doors

Design had numerous staircases, doorways to confuse and frighten guests (Victims). There was even a trap door that led directly to the basement

Many rooms were lined with asbestos to make them sound proofIn Holmes room, there were controls, he could lock someone into their room, go into his room, pull a lever, and toxic gas would be released into the room.6

The BasementAcid VatsCrematorium disguised as a glass bending furnace.Quick lime pitsTorture devices, such as elasticity testerSold cadavers and skeletons to medical schools, made a killing.Dissection table

Benjamin Frelon Pitezel1889. Pitezel had a wife and 5 childrenHad bad luck holding down a job the past ten years.Got into some trouble for petty larceny and forgery.Desperately searched for ways to provide for his family.Saw an ad seeking carpenters for a new building in Englewood.

Wife- Carrie

Became a heavy drinker because he was and couldnt get a job

Became Holmes right hand man8

Worlds FairMay 1st 1893, Worlds Columbian Exposition becomes open to the world in ChicagoOver 300 beautiful buildings along lake MichiganOver 2o million people attended from May 1st to October 30th Only a few miles away from the fair, the hotel was perfect lodging for touristsHe renovates the upper floors of the hotel, bringing in modern luxurious furniture to bring in touristsFurniture that he bought with credit and never intended to pay off.

Tourists make the perfect victims, they tell relatives they are going to Chicago to see the Columbian exposition, they dont call home, they are unknown in the city, and many never make it back home.

HOLMES NAMED IT WORLDS FAIR HOTEL9

Ladies Man1890, Julia Connor, an employee and mistress, became pregnant and proposed1892, Emeline Cigrand, Holmes mistress and private secretary, went to get papers1893, Minnie Williams, owned a property in Texas worth $40,0001894, Georgiana Yoke, Holmes 3rd wife, married her under Henry Mansfield Howard

Julia and daughter PearlShe got pregnant, asked Holmes to get married, he agreed but only if he could perform an abortion.She agreed and then her and her daughter pearl were never seen again.A week later he sold a fresh skeleton to Hahnemann Medical College for nearly $200Emeline Cigrand, Holmes sent her to the vault for some papers, locked her in, and suffocated herWeeks later the University of Chicago acquired a female skeleton from Holmes. Minnie Williams,Holmes took her and her sister Nannie out to the fair, and then murdered them, after having Minnie sign over the Fort Worth property to him.Georgiana Yoke,3rd wife, lived out her entire life.

10

The Pitezel PlanPitezels drinking worsened Holmes began to worryHolmes persuaded Pitezel to go in on an insurance scheme with him.November 1893 Holmes &Pitezel leave for Philadelphia

Holmes knew that Pitezel knew about what went on in the hotel, and feared he would drunkenly spread the word, So he devised a plan.

Holmes persuaded Pitezel to take out a very large insurance policy on his life. The plan was to stage his death in Philadelphia (where the insurance company was located) and Holmes was going to substitute a cadaver, and Pitezel would then go into hiding for a while, and they would collect his insurance money and split the profits.

Pitezel got close and figured he was safe. 11

PhiladelphiaJuly 1894 Holmes arrested in attempt to swindle a drug store, Promises criminal Hedgepeth $500Weeks later Holmes and Pitezel arrive in Philadelphia.Set up a phony patent dealing shop, an inventor walks in and discovers Pitezels dead bodyHolmes killed him with Chloroform, and burned/disfigured him to make it look like an accidentAlice writes letters to her mother.

Marion Hedgepeth train robber, gives Holmes advice on the insurance scam

3rd wife Georgiana bails him outB.F Perry patent dealer

The only reason they even knew it was chloroform was because the quantity was large enough for it to be identified by its physical characteristics (Color/odor). There were no tests to identify trace amounts.

Insurance money was given to wife Carrie Pitezel, but she was sick and Holmes tricked her into giving him most of it, and assured her that Alice (a daughter, 15) would be safer with him. Because the other kids are ill and the wife is ill. Holmes liked her vulnerability and gullibility.

Holmes took alice and 2 other kids on the road, traveling. Alice writes letters to her mother12

Hedgepeth Betrayal Holmes never sends Hedgepeth $500Hedgepeth read about Pitezels death in prison.He called the insurance company, and sent the Pinkerton detective agency on Holmes tale.

The Pinkertons were the inventors of the mug shotThey were used to traveling across the country to catch criminals

They travel long and far to find HolmesOn November 17th 1894, Holmes is found and arrested in Boston

13

Moyamensing PrisonHolmes is transported to Moyamensing Prison in Philadelphia.Tried for Conspiracy to cheat and defraud the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company.Holmes pleads guilty to the fraud charge.3 Pitezel children missingDetective Frank Geyer was assigned to see if he could find the children

Holmes insists that Pitezel committed suicide.

Holmes looked VERY suspicious of murdering Pitezel

Holmes had stories about children.-They were with their father-With some other accompliceHe manipulated police with stories about children because he didnt want to be all alone in his cell. Two weeks of interviews got him out of his cell.

Frank Geyer = hero

Frank follows the locations that Alice mentioned in the letters to her mother that Holmes never sent

14

The Pitezel ChildrenAfter Months of searching, Frank Geyer finds the charred remains of the little boy in a stove in a little house in IndianapolisThey dug up the remains of the Nellie(17) and Alice(15) Pitezel up in Toronto.July 19th 1895 Chicago Police search the Worlds Fair HotelThe World would now know the gruesome details of Holmes vicious slayings.

Investigators find piles of mixed human & animal bones, bloody womens undergarments, and a wooden dissection table with blood on it

50 missing people were eventually traced back to the hotel

Investigators and forensic scientists at the time were unable to identify whether some bone fragments were human, let alone match them to a specific person.

15

ExecutionAfter trial, Holmes charged with 1st degree murder.Holmes is talked into writing a confession, and he confesses EVERYTHING May 7th, 1896, in Philadelphia, Holmes is hanged for the death of Benjamin Pitezel.

Footprints of Nannie Williams found in the vault

Relives his crimes when writing his confession.16