Tomb Raider: Dr. H. H. Holmes vs. President Abraham Lincoln

This is the first time I'm doing a cross blog post and intertwining my Murder Castle blog with my Civil War blog. The Holmes related information is here. To find the Lincoln related information, click here: Lincoln's Tomb.

I figured that instead of just writing facts about the graves of both men, I would be a little more creative and compare and contrast the tombs to see which would be harder to break into (there are pluses and minuses to each). Which do you think will prevail? Will it be the tomb of the World's Fair Serial Killer, Dr. H. H. Holmes? Or will it be the tomb of 16th President Abraham Lincoln?

DISCLAIMER:

 

THIS IS AN EDUCATIONAL (AND CREATIVE) POST DETAILING HOW THESE TWO MEN WERE BURIED. THIS DOES NOT PROMOTE GRAVE ROBBING OR BODY SNATCHING. LET THE DEAD REST IN PEACE! IF YOU DO NOT, YOUR DUMB ASS WILL BE ARRESTED AND I WILL NOT TAKE BLAME FOR YOUR STUPIDITY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Now that all the bases are covered, here are the statistics concerning the burial of Dr. Holmes:

Good: There is a picture of his final resting place in Holy Cross Cemetery in Pennsylvania.

Bad: As the image shows, he is in an unmarked grave beneath a rather large plot (actually two plots combined) and the exact location of Holmes' tomb is unknown. We know he's somewhere under the dirt but that's about it.

Good: The man was a killer. No way around that fact. So there is little chance an armed guard is watching over his grave.

Bad: Because it is a cemetery, patrolling guards still could be present in the area. Some sides of the cemetery also back up to houses so there is the chance of someone seeing or hearing you moving about inside.

Good: Obviously no monument or memorial sits over his grave.

Bad: He is still buried ten feet down. (Remember that movie Holes? They only had to dig five feet). Some serious digging would be required in this situation.

Good: To get to him, just a shovel would be needed.

Bad: Should you actually get there, giant, heavy, and loud machinery will be needed to lift him from the grave since he is encased in a giant slab of cement. (Holmes' coffin was filled with ten inches of cement before he was placed inside. Once he was, his face covered with a handkerchief, the cement was poured over him and packed to the brim. The coffin was then sealed and taken to the cemetery. The next day, the double, ten foot grave was dug and the coffin was placed inside. It was covered with two feet of sand and cement. Finally, the dirt was shoveled back into place). It also took 24 men to move the coffin/cement slab to the grave in 1896. Unless you are actually Superman is disguise, I don't believe you will be able to move it with your own hands.

Good: You wouldn't have to blow up the cement block in the cemetery itself. Instead, you could attempt to move it up and out in one piece.

Bad: The graves are very close to each other and, according to Google Maps, Holmes is located in the center of the cemetery. Good luck getting a crane or a backhoe to and from the grave without damaging the other stones or attracting attention.

Looking at the facts, it would be a bit (a really small bit) easier to find Holmes' tomb than Lincoln's. However, you would most likely get arrested while attempting to drive a machine through the front gates. Let's face it. Both cases end with you getting hauled off to jail. But at least you can touch the ground in Holy Cross Cemetery before being overtaken by police. I doubt you would even get inside Oak Ridge Cemetery, let alone near Lincoln's tomb.

Until next time.

XOXO, Kate

The Scarlet Mansion

The Scarlet Mansion is a book about the life and crimes of H. H. Holmes, beginning with his childhood in Gilmanton and ending with his execution in Philadelphia. It was written by Allan Eckert and published in 1985. After reading some reviews on Amazon and then procuring it from the library today, I decided it would make for a good first book review.

So far all I have read is the dust jacket. However, what stuck out to me there is that the tale is described as being "dramatic" but "lightly fictionalized." That is not necessarily a bad thing.

No one followed Holmes around every second of his 34 years and recorded what he did. With that being said, it is impossible to give a 100 percent accurate day by day account of Holmes' life. A light dusting of fiction sometimes means the author went above and beyond to get as close to the truth as possible and not embellish or insert his or her own opinion on what someone thought or did. However, it can also mean that the author considers "lightly fictionalized" merely getting names correct. Also, thankfully, nowhere have I noticed the two words historians dread.

BASED ON

Even though I hate seeing it happen, some authors choose to take the easy way out and put the words "based on" in the subtitle. Why? Because it means that the respective audience knows that just because something occurs in the story doesn't necessarily mean it occurred in real life. Therefore, the piece is not meant to be a learning experience. This also gives authors free reign to do no research and throw all historical accuracies out the window so they can write their own version of events with made up characters, incorrect dates, or, in the case of one example, ignore every first person account (including those written by Holmes), kill off characters at random, decrease the number of Pitezel children, and transform the skinny skirts of 1893 Chicago to the light up hoop skirts of a really bad Civil War reenactment. But I digress.

The reviews (13 in all) on Amazon, where the book currently holds four stars, go back and forth. One person gave it only one star and stated that the book was too long, filled with unnecessary information, and a work of pure fiction. Others gave it five stars for it's realistic feel and phenomenal writing.

I guess it's my turn to be the judge. Stay tuned.

Until next time.

XOXO, Kate

Independence Day in the White City

On July 4, 1893, the dark storm clouds that threatened to cancel the World's Columbian Exposition's grand fireworks show parted to reveal a beautiful night. Chinese lanterns hung throughout Jackson Park while red lights illuminated from the Ferris Wheel. Out on the lake, hundreds anchored their well lit boats and waited for the first rocket. Thousands crowded the fair and every Columbian Guard (the fair's police force) was on hand should problems arise.

Among the throng was H. H. Holmes and his guests, Minnie and Anna Williams. The trio stood with hundreds of others on the roof of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. This "roof" actually doubled as a large observation tower that visitors could access via elevator. It spanned the length on the gigantic building and was one of the best vantage points for taking in the sights of the fair (and the Fourth of July fireworks display).

 

Minnie, Holmes, and Anna

The band struck up "Home Sweet Home," the buildings became outlined in gold, searchlights on the Liberal Arts Building came alive, and colorful jets of water poured from MacMonnies Fountain. Soon fireworks from all directions exploded in the night sky and ended with a giant light up picture of George Washington that flared from Festival Hall. Some said being on the roof of the Liberal Arts building was as close to heaven as they would ever get. But heaven was much closer that year.

Holmes, Minnie, and Anna waited hours for a train back home. That night, as they talked together in the flat Holmes had rented (located at 1200 Wrightwood Ave) to get Minnie out of his hotel, Holmes told the two women that the next day they were going to leave on a trip to Europe. Giddy with excitement, Anna wrote a letter home telling her relatives that they "need never trouble any more about me." It was the perfect ending to the day.

The next morning, Holmes took Anna on a tour of the Castle. Most, if not all, of the guests were out at the fair. He returned to the flat alone. When Minnie asked where her sister was, Holmes said she was waiting for them back at the hotel. Giving her his arm, they departed. Neither Minnie nor Anna Williams were ever seen again.

Anna's clothing trunk arrived in Chicago but no one could find the owner.

The Oker family who rented Holmes the flat were surprised when Holmes sent a letter surrendering it. They had never seen anyone leave and had heard nothing about a departure. Books with torn out fly leaves (what people would sometimes write their names on) and several other odd items were found left behind in the room.

An Englewood resident named Cephas Humphrey who made his living transporting large objects (furniture, crates, trunks) was hired by Holmes to carry away a box and trunk. Later, he recalled Holmes' strange instructions to "come after the stuff about dark as I do not care to have the neighbors see it." Both items were heavy and when Humphrey leaned the coffin like box on it's side, Holmes ordered, "Don't do that. Lay it down flat." The box went on a train to an undisclosed destination. The trunk may have been given to Charles Chappell, the same man who had stripped and mounted the bones of Julia Conner.

A few days later, Holmes gave Benjamin Pitezel's wife, Carrie, some dresses, shoes, and hats that belonged to Minnie (who he said was a cousin that had moved east). He suggested Carrie use the fabric to make clothing. Pat Quinlan, janitor of the Castle, was given trunks. Carved into both were the initials MRW.

Minnie and Anna Williams became the fourth and fifth victims of H. H. Holmes.

Until next time.

XOXO, Kate

Hotel Holmes

Post number 13 (which I consider good luck) finds me doing the blog's first (unofficial) review. I use the term unofficial because I am reviewing a video game (yes, a video game) that I have never tried, just seen.

Titled Hotel Holmes, the game was created by second year students at Teesside University (which is located in the United Kingdom in case you were wondering). The number of creators totaled 20 (10 artists and 10 designers) and this team (together known as the JourneyMan Project) had a mere 4 months to make a 3 level game.

I saw a good portion of Hotel Holmes on YouTube and have to give the genius creators some big merits. What these 20 people created in four months rivals what I have seen hundreds take years to create. They even did extensive research on the World's Fair Hotel, studying blueprints and records, so the virtual version would be as close to accurate as possible. And the fastest way to win points with me is to be concerned with the historical accuracy. (Every JourneyMan Project member gets ONE MILLION AWESOME POINTS). Aside from that though, Hotel Holmes was chosen as the best JourneyMan game of the year and was awarded with footage being presented at the University of Teesside booth at Eurogamer 2013.

This does not look like a basic school assignment. This looks like a real game that can be marketed and sold. As of now, there are no plans for this to happen. Believe me, I emailed one of the creators to check. But if the game ever did get released to the public, I would be first in line to purchase one. Yes, I would fly all the way to the UK to get the first game (and then blog about it). But onward to the good stuff.

Hotel Holmes consists of three levels that take place in various locations around the Castle (the basement, the attic, and the hotel). That might be the actual level order but don't quote me on it. The main (and only playable character) is a Priest (I cannot remember his name at the moment) who has been trapped in the hotel by Holmes. To escape, he must explore to building, completing puzzles and rescuing victims, all while evading the clutches of Holmes.

It's an interesting premise that in turn makes for an interesting game. But don't just take my word for it. Check out the action for yourself right here:

 

 

 

If the game was expanded, I think it would be awesome to play as Holmes or Benjamin Pitezel. You could even meet real life characters like Frank Geyer or Ned Conner in the game.

 

Personally, I would want to be Minnie Williams and subdue Holmes so I could take over the Castle myself. Maybe even open it as a real hotel and amass a nice fortune for myself. Female power!  

 

Until next time.

 

XOXO, Kate

 

And a shout out to Jonathan Cliff, the kind creator who answered my email. You can check out his website here:

 

http://jonathan-cliff.co.uk/

Music in the Castle

So I just discovered that there are a lot of songs about killers (thanks to the ever reliable Wikipedia that has an entire page devoted to track titles).

Of the dozens, I knew just one, the "Legend of Bonnie and Clyde" by Merle Haggard.

Fact: I like this song so much that I have it on my IPod. Another favorite and owner of a home on my IPod (though not owner of a home on the Wikipedia list) is "John Wilkes Booth" by Tony Rice.

Both songs are from the country genre (which I love). I find it is one of the best genres for songs like those mentioned above because it gives a good beat while still remaining calm and measured (I.E. no screaming) (which I don't find pleasing to listen to).

The Wikipedia list included a few songs on Holmes so I decided to look them up on YouTube and see if I could find another winner.

The first three were all death or thrash metal bands with scary cover art.

One song I couldn't understand because the lead singer was all but eating the microphone while yelling in a really deep voice that sounded (to me) like an abominable snowman impression. What I found amusing were all the comments that said something along the lines of, "YEAH MAN! I LOVE THIS SONG!" How did you understand the song? I needed either subtitles or a thrash metal translator.

Another was just dudes that had hair like ZZ Top had beards, whipping their heads back and forth, and shrieking at decibels that have not been accessed in the natural world.

But the search was not hopeless because I did find one song that did not cause my ears to bleed.

Alkaline Trio, a rock band (and if you know me then you know I LOVE rock), released a song called "Torture Doctor." While the song never mentions Holmes by name, you can tell that he is the inspiration.

Starting with the title, "Torture Doctor" was one of the various nicknames given to Holmes after his arrest. Other examples, the Murder Castle stood in the south side of Englewood, he shed his life as Herman Mudgett when he arrived in Chicago, and got away with his various crimes for some time before being caught.

The torture doctor is in
Back here to confess his sins
Knowing damn well he was dead wrong
And I can't believe my eyes
Trouble and regret haunt my mind
I'll let you take the whole thing down brick by brick
Tonight

And there's a devil dancing in my head
As I'm hovering above your bed

Hey, ho
We know how this story goes
Hey, ho
The plot it thickens and grows
Hey, ho
There's nothing left to hide
Hey, ho
Down here on the south side

I was the worst of my kind
I left me old life behind
Can't believe I got away with it so long
At the end of the day
There is nothing to say
So tired of being wired wrong
All my life

And there's a devil dancing in my head
As I'm hovering above your bed

Hey, ho
We know how this story goes
Hey, ho
The plot it thickens and grows
Hey, ho
There's nothing left to hide
Hey, ho
Down here on the south side
Down on the south side

Hey, ho
We know how this story goes
Hey, ho
The plot it thickens and grows
Hey, ho
There's nothing left to hide
Hey, ho
Down here on the south side
Down on the south side
Down on the south side

 

I find the lyrics to be catchy and clever. Plus, you can't go wrong with a rocking beat that you can actually dance to.

 

 

Until next time.

 

XOXO, Kate

Marks of the Medical Profession

While doing some important Holmes related research (ahem-staring at his graduation photo-ahem) (no, I'm kidding, I was doing real research on the murder of B. F. Perry/Benjamin F. Pitezel) I came across a newsletter from the Philadelphia archives.

The article I read, CRIME, CRIMINALS, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND RECORDS, was written by Ward Childs and published in 1982. But what interested me was the short section Childs included about Holmes' arrest.

Though I have seen the mugshots, I have never seen the record describing Holmes upon his arrest. You know, the thing that all his measurements and physical characteristics were written on that historians love to mention with a few vague words like "wrote down height and weight" before moving on to the next point and I'm just there like:

  

I NEED FACTS!

 

But anyway, the above article actually mentioned some of the more elusive information I was seeking to find.

 

Herman W. Mudgett or H.H. Holmes, the notorious mass murderer, who was later hanged at Moyamensing Prison on May 7, 1896, was entered in this record after his arrest on November 17, 1894 for conspiracy and the murder of Benjamin F. Pitezel. The entry in the Register of Descriptions of Criminals reveals that Mudgett, who was arrested under the alias of H.H. Holmes also used the aliases of H.M. Howard, Alex E. Bond and Horace H. Williams. The Register reveals that he was a physician and druggist, who was born in Germantown, New Hampshire and living in Chicago, Illinois, and describes him as white, 34 years of age, 5 feet 7 inches in height and 148 pounds in weight with a medium build, slate blue eyes, dark complexion, scars on the first joint left thumb, above first joint left index, below second joint right index; a small pimple in front of left ear on cheek, a small mole on right cheek, small scars on forehead and scar on top of the head. However, even so detailed a verbal description would not have been sufficient for the purpose of identification by the Police. The Police also probably photographed Herman W. Mudgett for their rogues' gallery which had been introduced into the Detective Department in 1859; and measured his body according to the Bertillion system of measurement, which the Police had adopted on July 16, 1892. ( If he had committed his crime just eleven years later, Mudgett also would have been fingerprinted at this time.)

There are a few minor mistakes in this statements (Holmes was not yet 34 at the time of his arrest and was born in Gilmanton, not Germantown. In fact, I don't believe Germantown, New Hampshire is even a real place unless it has been renamed to something else).

However, what I find the most fascinating is the detail given to Holmes' various scars. I'm not sure how he would have gotten a scar on the top of his head (depending on where the "top" was) but it's interesting how most of the scars are on his hands. On the first joint left thumb, above first joint left index, below second joint right index.

Scars on the hands might mean a person often working with knifes or other sharp instruments. Being a doctor, Holmes would have been inclined to cut himself if he was not careful.

So even though Holmes kept the bloodstained tools of his trade hidden away, he actually wore the marks of his dangerous medical practice right on his skin.

Until next time.

XOXO, Kate

Not Unless that Pillow Decorated Holmes' Bed

So this is what happens when you search H.H. Holmes on Etsy:

 



Until next time.

XOXO, Kate