H. H. Holmes is one of America’s first serial killers. Responsible for twenty-seven to two hundred murders, Holmes is infamous for his “Murder Castle” in Chicago, Illinois. He was a con artist by nature who murdered for life insurance money. Holmes’s crimes have inspired multiple films and intrigue those who love the bizarre. Holmes’s case is extremely grotesque and ludicrous, however, it gives an insight into the extremity of the psychopath. Herman Webster Mudgett, better known under the alias H. H. Holmes, was born in 1861 in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. He had a privileged childhood and was described as unusually intelligent, this is common in most serial killers or typical psychopaths. Holmes grew up with a strict father and was bullied …show more content…
He then got a job at a pharmacy under the notorious alias, Dr. Henry H. Holmes. When the owner of the drugstore died, which Holmes was also suspected of murdering, he convinced the widow to sell him the shop. Eventually, the widow went missing and was never seen again. After purchasing the drugstore, he then bought an empty lot across the street and turned it into a hotel called the “Castle.” During its construction, he would often hire and fire construction crews so no one knew what he was building. Construction was completed in 1891, and Holmes began to advertise for employees and wives. His first marriage was broken, but he did have a child. He remarried multiple times, suggesting an incapacity for love. Every employee, hotel guest, fiance, and wives were required to have life insurance. Holmes offered to pay the premium as long as he was the beneficiary. Almost all of his wives, fiances, employees, and visitors would disappear. The Castle itself had several floors. The two upper levels had an office and 100 rooms for living quarters. The rooms were sound proof and had gas lines so that Holmes could suffocate his guests as he pleased. Throughout the building were trap doors, peepholes, and stairways to nowhere. Chutes led to his basement lab where he kept a dissecting table, stretching rack, and crematory. He often sold the skeletons to medical schools. After the World Fair in Chicago, Holmes abandoned the Castle to focus on insurance scams, however, he continued to commit random