Herman Webster Mudgett (May 16, 1860 – May 7, 1896), better known under the alias of Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, was an American serial killer Holmes opened a hotel in Chicago for the 1893 Worlds Fair. While he confessed to 27 murders, of which nine were confirmed, his true body count is likely significantly higher.
I’m reading a lot about Chicago lately.
This guy is one of my all time favorites - his story is totally fascinating, and the story is just filled with twists and turns. He’s motivated heavily by greed, but that isn’t all of it - it’s almost as though he’s compelled to kill AND greedy, and so killing is an easy way to get what he wants that’s also satisfying. He’s also a graduate of the U of M medical school, class of 1884. I actually found his class picture in the halls of the hospital, passed day-in day-out by people who have no idea who he is.
The Devil in the White City and Depraved are two great books that deal with him, and there’s even a comic book covering his life, The Beast of Chicago, part of the Treasury of Victorian Murder.
Source: whiskeyandgoatsmilk
