America's First Serial Killer H.H. Holmes On This Day in History

This day in history: H.H. Holmes was executed on this day in 1896. Perhaps one of America's first serial killers, Holmes (Herman Webster Mudgett) confessed to 27 murders (though he was only convicted of one). He is said to have killed as many as 200. During the 1890's world fair in Chicago, he built what came to be known as a Murder Castle, a building that had rooms with hinged walls, false partitions, secret passageways, and even airtight rooms that were connected to pipelines filled with gas which Holmes used as gas chambers. Chutes were used to deliver bodies to the basement where they were dissected. The building no longer exists, and a post office now stands in its place...a place that some believe is haunted.

His story is featured in the excellent book by Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City, which will soon be released as a mini-series starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Holmes was interesting on so many levels. He was involved in insurance scams, he was married to three women at the same time, he sold the skeletons of his victims to medical science and he would so often fire the builders of his Murder Castle that no one really knew how it was built.

Mudgett/Holmes has been known by many aliases, such as Alexander Bond, America's First Serial Killer, The Beast of Chicago, Doctor Death, The Devil in the White City, The Torture Doctor, The Arch Fiend, Judson

There is a theory that HH Holmes was also Jack the Ripper.

It has also come out that Meghan Markle is related to HH Holmes.

Read The Master of the Murder Castle: A classic of Chicago crime
https://harpers.org/archive/1943/12/the-master-of-the-murder-castle/

H. H. Holmes - America's First Serial Killer is available on Prime.

Watch Holmes' great great grandson Jeff Mudgett talk about Holmes being Jack the Ripper

See also Paranormal History with Jeff Mudgett
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcOxmctjd54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VBtAztfTWA