H.H.Holmes - America's first serial killer (part 1)

Warning: contains mature content ahead. Read at ur own risk:)

As Detective Frank Geyer walked into the cellar of the Toronto house that Holmes had reportedly rented, he had an idea of what he would find. Although H. H. Holmes was on trial for insurance fraud and the murder of his business partner Benjamin Pitezel, Geyer suspected there may be more victims.

Holmes had been seen with two of Pitezel daughters before they vanished, and Geyer was on the trail of every city they had traveled to. The neighbor of this particular house recounted how Holmes had rented the property, and at one point came over to borrow a shovel, claiming he needed to dig a hole in the cellar to keep potatoes. As Geyer and a local police officer began digging, they uncovered the unimaginable: the bodies of the two young Pitezel girls.

These victims were only two of many

EARLY LIFE AND DISAPPEARANCES

Herman Webster Mudgett was born in New Hampshire in 1860. An intelligent young man, he graduated from high school at only 16 years old and soon married Clara Loveringat.

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(picture is not mine)

Enrolled at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, rumors began that the quiet and unassuming Mudgett would steal bodies from the school lab or graves to perform his own macabre autopsies.

Eventually, Mudgett found himself in Englewood Illinois, just south of Chicago. In 1885 he sent Clara back to New Hampshire despite never divorcing her and began going by the name of Henry Howard Holmes, potentially among other aliases.

In 1886, he visited a small drugstore belonging to a Dr. Holton. The doctor was dying of cancer, and his wife was trying to keep the store going on her own. Holmes introduced himself and was quickly hired as an assistant and allowed to live upstairs. Holmes proved a valuable employee and kept the store afloat, reportedly by the patronage of many young women that enjoyed visiting the charming young man.

When Dr. Holton passed away, Holmes asked to purchase the store from the grieving Mrs. Holton. She agreed under the condition that he would continue to live upstairs. He agreed, but soon quit paying the rent he owed. Mrs. Holton pursued legal action for the money she was owed, but strangely, she disappeared. Holmes told those who questioned that she had moved to California.

Holmes met and married Myrta Belknap, who began working in the store. She was unaware that Holmes was still married but noticed his interest in other women. She chose to leave him and move in with her parents, despite being pregnant with their daughter. Upon their daughter being born, Holmes supported them from afar.

BUILDING THE “MURDER CASTLE”

With the success of his drugstore, H. H. Holmes decided to purchase the lot across the street and design and build the castle of his dreams. The first floor would contain upscale shops. The second floor would contain apartments. The basement and third floor he could use as he desired.

Holmes became very involved in the construction process. He ensured that no one stayed on the job for more than a week. He would criticize the crew’s work and fire them, refusing to pay until they gave up and left. This ensured that no one knew the exact floor plan or features of his new castle.

In May 1890, construction was complete, and he began to lease out the stores on the first floor. No one suspected the features that he built on the floors out of sight.

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