Henry Howard Holmes: The Story of a Serial Killer

On May 16, 1861, a man named Hermann Webster Majett was born. Which is better known as Henry Howard Holmes. This is a famous person, but only not in the best sense of the word. After all, he is the first officially registered serial killer in America.

Some biographies

Henry Howard Holmes was born in a small village of New Hampshire. His father was a strict man, often punishing his son. And classmates often mocked after they found out that Herman was afraid of the dead (and he really had such a phobia).

In 1871, there was a Great Fire that destroyed approximately 9/10 Chicago. Learning this news, young Herman fantasized for a long time, imagining how the fire burns his parents. These were his first manifestations of cruelty. He also likes to put different experiments on animals. And interestingly, when Herman grew up, he received medical education and a corresponding diploma.

First offenses

Henry Howard Holmes began his activities while studying at the university. Although initially they were not related to the murders.

He simply steal corpses from the university's laboratory and mutilated them. Then he adjusted the accidents with the dead. Then he gave them out for people who were fictitious, on whom insurance was issued. Naturally, this was done for the benefit of - Herman received for these unfortunate payments.

In addition to such cases, the young man still conducted other fraud, most often related to real estate. Interestingly, he even had a wife. First one, and then a few more. And he concluded marriages without dissolving the previous ones. With one of his wives, he had a daughter named Lucy Theodeyt Holmes.

Moving to Chicago

In 1886, the future serial killer moved to this city. Herman has set himself the task of realizing his criminal plan in order to get rid of lack of money. Then just as he took on a different name and began to introduce himself as Henry Howard Holmes.

Chicago was chosen not by chance. Just at that time the city was actively developing, and life was beating in it with the key. But Henry settled nearby - in the ecological town of Inglewood. There he took a pharmacy as a pharmacist. She was owned by an elderly, cancer-dying man. And the pharmacy was already occupied by his already elderly wife - the new pharmacist came by the way.

Soon the owner of the pharmacy died, and Henry bought a pharmacy from his widow. She agreed to this, provided that she would be allowed to live in an apartment at the top. But soon the widow disappeared. Almost immediately after she sued Henry. All interested in the young man said that the old woman decided to move to California.

The Mysterious Project

Henry Howard Holmes became a successful pharmacist. He managed to buy back the land adjacent to his pharmacy (of course, he got it through criminal fraud). After that, the future assassin Henry Howard Holmes began a large-scale construction. Asked about what will be displayed in the wasteland, he replied - the hotel for visitors to the World Colombian Exhibition, which was planned as the largest fair in history. However, in fact, Herman was guided by other ideas.

He managed to build a huge 3-storey building. His plan was unknown even to the builders. Henry hired them for a probationary period, and then dismissed them without explanation and, naturally, without payment for labor. Conflicts with outraged builders settled Benjamin Pitzel - a loyal assistant, whom Henry Howard Holmes himself once hired.

"Castle" - so called its structure. Because the building occupied almost the whole quarter. And Henry not only built it, but also furnished it for free. He was all in loans and debts. And when creditors came to him - the owner of the castle offered them to find what they needed (furniture, safe with money, etc.), but they simply could not find anything. So cunningly the building was constructed. By the way, there was one feature that distinguished him from the others - there were no windows in the rooms. And on the first floor there were shops, on the upper floor there was a hotel.

Homicide House

So you can call the hotel Henry Howard Holmes. The fact that this man was clever is difficult to deny. And this fact is proved not only by his countless scams and fraud, which remained unpunished, but also how he designed his hotel.

The location of rooms, courses and corridors was known only to him. Although everything looked rather ominous. The corridors looked like labyrinths with dead ends and stairs that do not lead anywhere exactly. Everywhere reigned darkness, hardly diluted by the light of gas lamps. People lived on the second floor, and their rooms opened only to the outside. Some rooms were low and narrow, more like closets. In others, the floor with the ceiling was covered with asbestos, due to which total noise insulation was achieved. Still others were distinguished by walls covered with steel sheets. However, something united them. In each room a tube was led from the cellar through which gas could flow from a special tank.

In some rooms there were oily gutters that descended into the basement, where a laboratory with an acid bath and crematorium was equipped. There everything looked especially ominous. "Interior" consisted of two cremation ovens, barrels of acid, a rack and a torture tool. There were even vats of chemical substance instantly corroding the bodies of the victims, who got there by the gutters straight from their rooms.

But the wildest thing that was there was an anatomical table with professional surgical instruments. Why was it needed? That Henry "cut" people and extracted from them internal organs and skeletons. He gave them to medical schools.

Victims

Serial killer Henry Howard Holmes built a real Factory of Death. He cruelly dealt with mostly women who worked for him. He hired them, insured them for solid amounts, and then tortured and killed. Everyone was blonde, by the way. And not only women - even their lovers. And of course, hotel guests. Some he closed in the rooms and turned on the gas supply. Others locked in an isolated vault. Third dumped in the pit with lime. Various methods of murder were used by Henry Howard Holmes. Doctor of Torture - such a nickname was given to him.

The exact number of his victims is unknown. At least 20 (in them he confessed). Supposed - 350. And this is a very real figure, because only during the notorious fair, about 50 tourists disappeared.

Promulgated crimes

On the ground floor of the hotel was a jewelry store run by a certain John - a family man with his wife Julia and daughter Pearl. Spouse Holmes with his inherent charm charmed. She became pregnant with him and demanded a wedding after her divorce, threatening to uncover Henry's machinations. Holmes suggested to Julia that she would marry if she agreed to an abortion, which he would have done - in the same place, in the basement. She agreed. After that neither Julia nor Pearl saw anyone. And after a while, Holmes sold the female skeleton to a local surgeon for $ 250.

The same situation occurred with the secretary Henry, who was named Emelina Sigard. Only her for the demands to marry Holmes locked in a safe. He enjoyed the way she suffocated and prayed for help. The same fate overtook the maid Lizzie and her lover Pat - cleaner.

Moreover, Henry even killed his faithful assistant - Pitzel. He, of course, was insured. But he did not want to share money with Benjamin's family. Therefore, he strangled his son (after which he burned and dismembered), locked his daughters in a giant chest and let the gas into it. Henry also killed Pizza's wife.

How did it end?

The terrible man was Henry Howard Holmes. His biography is a direct confirmation of this. For 10 years he remained unpunished. But then the revelations began.

He had an intrigue with another secretary - Minnie. She re-wrote to him the inherited 50,000 dollars, losing her head from passion. But her older sister is not. Henry had to lull her vigilance, after which he killed both girls. He took the secretary's money and fled from the creditors to Texas. There was Minnie's property. On her site, he began to build a new castle. And the past was set on fire, deciding to get money for insurance. However, insurers have established the fact that the fire was rigged, and threatened by the court.

However, in Texas immediately realized what Henry was, and he fled to St. Louis, so as not to face justice. There he lost his vigilance and performed an absolutely clumsy scam. He was discovered and put in jail. He, of course, went on bail and turned the deal with Pitzel, which was mentioned above. But only his inmate was aware of the planned. Because he helped with the search for a lawyer. But Holmes did not pay him, so he avenged himself by writing a statement to Henry.

He was arrested in 1894. The police found a house in which Holmes dealt with Pitzel's family. He was convicted, accusing not only in this case, but also in 27 murders, as well as in 6 attempts. It was difficult, because Henry was giving false testimony. But still he finished the sentence of hanging. Until the verdict, the killer behaved calmly and even friendly. And when he was hanged - Henry's neck did not break right away. He died about 15 minutes. And bequeathed, by the way, to be buried in concrete. He did not want to be dug and cut. After all, he did this to others. His request was granted.

Reflection in the cinema

History is a terrible, scary fear. She could not help but interest people who are engaged in cinematography. In 2017, a picture is planned, in which the main character will be Henry Howard Holmes. The film is called "The Devil in a White City" - like the book by Eric Larson, the right to film adaptation was bought by Leonardo DiCaprio. He also will play Holmes. Scenario deals with Graham Moore, which means that the film will definitely be interesting. So those who want to see can only wait for his release.