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H. H. Holmes is one of the most infamous killers in the history of Chicago and the United States.  In late 1894, when authorities arrested Holmes on a warrant for horse theft in Texas, they learned Holmes, the architect and former owner of the “murder castle” in Chicago, not only looked like the villain from a melodrama but acted the part, too.  Although he confessed to killing 27 people in April 1896, historians still find it nearly impossible to distinguish between fact and fiction.

Join me and my guest Nancy as we discuss the facts and fictions about Holmes.  Listen carefully because this is most definitely a case where it’s tough to know if something is fact or fiction.  You be the judge!

References

Bones of the Slain. (1895, July 28). The Chicago Chronicle, 1 – 3.

Castle is a Tomb. (1895, July 28). Chicago Tribune, 1 – 2.

Early Life.  (n. d.) America’s First Serial Killer: The Devious Deeds of H. H. Holmes. Retrieved from https://hhholmesmurderer.weebly.com/early-life.html

Eric. (2020, October 6). Excavating the Former Site of H. H. Holmes late 19^th Century “Glass Bending Factory” Revisited. Urban Remains. Retrieved from https://www.urbanremainschicago.com/news-and-events/2020/10/06/excavating-the-former-site-of-h-h-holmes-glass-bending-factory/

Full Confessions of H. H. Holmes. (1896, April 12) The Journal. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn84031792/1896-04-12/ed-1/.

1. H. Holmes. (n. d.) Alcatraz East Crime Museum. Retrieved from https://www.alcatrazeast.com/crime-library/serial-killers/hh-holmes/
2. H. Holmes//Replay. (2021, July). The Generation Why Podcast. Retreived from https://open.spotify.com/episode/5AJWR7acjTrIyo4U1vG9et

Holmes Confesses 27 Murders. (1896, April 12). Philadelphia Inquirer.

Holmes Murder Castle Razed for Post Office (1938, May 15). Chicago Tribune, 7.

Holzwarth, Larry. (2018, October 19). 18 Facts Most People Didn’t Know about H. H. Holmes. History Collection. Retrieved from https://historycollection.com/18-facts-most-people-didnt-know-about-h-h-holmes/14/

House of Horrors. (1996, May 6). Herald and Review, 11.

Kreps, Daniel. “H.H. Holmes: Tests Confirm Serial Killer’s Body in Grave,” RollingStone.com, 2 September 2017

Light on a Suspect’s Life. (1895, July 24). San Francisco Chronicle, 2.

Links in the Chain. (1895, July 27). The Chicago Chronicle, 1 – 3.

Miller, Cassie. (2019, October 31). Scary, But True: Serial Killer H.H. Holmes Foiled By Insurer. Insurance Newsnet. Retrieved from https://insurancenewsnet.com/innarticle/scary-but-true-serial-killer-h-h-holmes-foiled-by-insurer

Murder Castle! (1937, March 21). Chicago Tribune, 77 – 78.

Selzer, Adam. (2017). H. H. Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil. Skyhorse. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1510713433/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=chicagunbeli-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1510713433&linkId=d0177ca2f16639140c7e889a730c0dc3

Selzer, Adam. The Three Confessions of HH Holmes. Kindle Edition

Vasudevan, Varsha. (2020, January 28). New Documenatry Claims that Meghan Markle is Related to Prime Jack the Ripper Suspect, H. H. Holmes. Retrieved from https://meaww.com/channel-4-documentary-claims-that-meghan-markle-is-related-to-americas-first-serial-killer-h-h-holmes

Ward, Alvin. (2018, May 18). Meghan Markle is Related to H. H. Holmes, America’s First Serial Killer, According to New Documentary. Mental Floss.  Retrieved from https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/545142/meghan-markle-related-hh-holmes-serial-killer-jack-the-ripper

Whalen, Lauren. (2015, November 2). A History of Chicago’s Murder Castle. Chicagoist. Retrieved from https://chicagoist.com/2015/11/02/i_was_born_with_the_devil_in_me_a_h.php

H.H.Holmes Movie

This episode focuses on the tragic murder of railroad clerk Clarence D. Hiller; the man accused of committing the crime, Thomas Jennings; and the advanced forensic technique of fingerprint identification used successfully for the first time in a murder trial in the United States.

Works Cited

https://historydaily.org/convicted-by-fingerprint-a-1910-murder-trial-makes-history

https://chicagology.com/chicagopolice/firstfingerprinttrial/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/first-case-where-fingerprints-were-used-evidence-180970883/

https://erenow.net/common/the-crimes-of-paris/6.php

“Convicted by His Finger Prints.” Norwich Bulletin, 11 November 1910, p. 1.

“Dance to Save a Life.” Palestine Daily Herald, 21 December 1910, p. 3.

“Death Sentence on Finger Prints.” The Daily Free Press, 11 November 1910, p. 1.

“Finger Impressions May Convict…” The Los Angeles Times, 21 September 1910, p. 1.

“Fingerprints Only Clue.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 21 September 1910, p. 1.

“Fingerprints Save Man from Prison.” The Lansing News, 29 April 1910, p. 1.

“First American Conviction on Fingerprints.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 18 February 1912, p. 54.

“First Fingerprint Conviction in American Courts.” The Fresno Morning Republican, 11 November 1910, p. 1.

Hansen, John Mark.  “How Fingerprinting Made Chicago Famous.” Chicago Tribune, 5 April, 2020. P. 15.

Kennedy, Robert J. “Fingerprinting by Wholesale.” The Tampa Tribune, 15 May 1915, p. 16.

“Match Hands to Hang a Man.” Chicago Tribune, 6 November 1910, p. 7.

“Prints of Fingers Dooms Murderer.” Chicago Tribune, 11 November 1910, p. 1.

“Thomas Jennings is Given Extreme Penalty by Jury.” Springfield Leader and Press, 8 Jun 1929, p. 2.

Wilcox, Uthai Vincent. “Has World’s Largest Fingerprint Collection.” The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 6 May 1928, p. 92.