Meno nota, forse, di “Jack lo Squartatore”, ma ugualmente, se non più raccapricciante, è la storia di H.H. Holmes (nato Herman Webster Mudgett, 1861-1896). Qui sotto si trova una breve biografia con audio e un breve film documentario (28 minuti) sulla sua vita con una narrativa abbastanza facile da seguire e con sottotitoli in inglese.
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H.H. Holmes was a notorious con artist, bigamist, and one of America’s first documented serial killers. Known as the “Beast of Chicago”, Holmes is believed to have murdered between 20 and 200 people. His most infamous crimes took place during the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition, where he lured victims to a specially designed building later dubbed the “Murder Castle.” This gruesome legacy was popularised in the best-selling book The Devil in the White City.
Born into a well-off family in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, Holmes had a privileged upbringing and displayed early intelligence, but his childhood was marred by signs of cruelty. He is said to have practiced surgery on animals and may have been involved in the mysterious death of a childhood friend. Holmes’ criminal behaviour began in medical school at the University of Michigan, where he stole cadavers to commit insurance fraud, possibly experimenting on them as well.
In 1885, Holmes moved to Chicago and began using the alias Dr. Henry H. Holmes. He worked in a pharmacy, eventually taking over the business, and is suspected of killing the original owner. Nearby, Holmes constructed a three-storey building with the upper floors serving as his living quarters and numerous rooms designed for torture and murder. The “Murder Castle” included secret passageways, trapdoors, and chutes leading to the basement, where he disposed of bodies through incineration or other means.
During the 1893 World’s Fair, Holmes turned part of the building into a hotel for visitors. Many of his guests — mostly women — were seduced, swindled, and killed. Some victims were lured with offers of employment, while others disappeared after becoming engaged to him. The exact number of people Holmes killed is unknown, but estimates range from 20 to over 200.
After the World’s Fair, Holmes left Chicago and continued his fraudulent activities. He concocted an insurance scam with an associate, Benjamin Pitezel, where Pitezel would fake his death to collect $10,000. However, Holmes murdered Pitezel instead. He then manipulated Pitezel’s widow, claiming her husband was still alive, and took three of her children, whom he also murdered.
Holmes was eventually arrested in November 1894, after weeks of evading the authorities. While imprisoned, he confessed to killing 27 people, although the true number may have been much higher. In 1895, Holmes was convicted of Pitezel’s murder. Despite appealing his case, he was sentenced to death.
On May 7, 1896, Holmes was hanged in Philadelphia at the age of 34. His chilling crimes left an enduring legacy, and his gruesome “Murder Castle” became one of the most infamous crime scenes in American history.
