Herman Webster Mudgett: Polygamist, Swindler, Murderer

Chicago, Illinois is the largest city in the Midwest. It is the home of over three million people, making it the third most populous city in the United States. The city was rebuilt bigger and better than ever after the conflagration of 1871 destroyed much of it. The fire blazed from October 8 to October 10, 1871, obliterating over four square miles of the booming city. Chicago was the host of the Chicago World's Fair (World's Columbian Exposition) of 1893. People flocked in hundreds to marvel at the grand exhibit. The fair was a sight to behold, covering 600 acres and attracting over 20 million visitors. It was a celebration of the 400^th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America. As tourists eagerly attended the fair, more ominous events were taking place just blocks away. Herman Webster Mudgett was committing some of the most heinous acts that would shock and horrify the nation when disclosed 2 years later. The following is an account of the life and crimes of the man known to many as "Dr. H.H. Holmes."

Herman Webster Mudgett was born in Gilmanton, New Hampshire in 1860. He was highly intelligent and excelled in his studies. He usually avoided company, as he was often the object of ridicule and mockery by his classmates. During one particularly traumatizing incident, Herman was reluctantly dragged into the office of the village doctor by some of his older schoolmates. The doctor was away on a house call and the boys forced the hands of a human skeleton upon Herman's face. Although he was petrified by this experience, Herman later claimed that it was the start of his lifelong fascination with anatomy. By age eleven, Herman was dissecting kittens, salamanders, frogs, rabbits and dogs and performing medical experiments on them. In 1884, Herman received his medical degree from the University of Michigan. He was also a skilled con artist and often swindled insurance companies by using a scam that he was quite fond of. He would take out a life insurance policy on a non-existent person and substitute a human cadaver, claiming that it was the insured individual. He would then cash in the policy.