THE THING THAT ENTRANCED ME about Chicago in the Gilded Age was the city’s willingness to take on the impossible in the name of civic honor, a concept so removed from the modern psyche that two wise readers of early drafts of this book wondered why Chicago was so avid to win the world’s fair in the first place. The juxtaposition of pride and unfathomed evil struck me as offering powerful insights into the nature of men and their ambitions. The more I read about the fair, the more entranced I became. That George Ferris would attempt to build something so big and novel—and that he would succeed on his first try—seems, in this day of liability lawsuits, almost beyond comprehension.
A rich seam of information exists about the fair and about Daniel Burnham in the beautifully run archives of the Chicago Historical Society and the Ryerson and Burnham libraries of the Art Institute of Chicago. I acquired a nice base of information from the University of Washington’s Suzallo Library, one of the finest and most efficient libraries I have encountered. I also visited the Library of Congress in Washington, where I spent a good many happy hours immersed in the papers of Frederick Law Olmsted, though my happiness was at times strained by trying to decipher Olmsted’s execrable handwriting.
I read—and mined—dozens of books about Burnham, Chicago, the exposition, and the late Victorian era. Several proved consistently valuable: Thomas Hines’s Burnham of Chicago (1974); Laura Wood Roper’s FLO: A Biography of Frederick Law Olmsted (1973); and Witold Rybczynski’s A Clearing in the Distance (1999). One book in particular, City of the Century by Donald L. Miller (1996), became an invaluable companion in my journey through old Chicago. I found four guidebooks to be especially useful: Alice Sinkevitch’s AIA Guide to Chicago (1993); Matt Hucke and Ursula Bielski’s Graveyards of Chicago (1999); John Flinn’s Official Guide to the World’s Columbian Exposition (1893); and Rand, McNally & Co.’s Handbook to the World’s Columbian Exposition (1893). Hucke and Bielski’s guide led me to pay a visit to Graceland Cemetery, an utterly charming haven where, paradoxically, history comes alive.
Holmes proved an elusive character, owing in large part to the Philadelphia judge’s unfortunate decision to bar District Attorney Graham’s three dozen witnesses from giving testimony. Several books have been written about Holmes, but none tells quite the same story. Two of them, Harold Schechter’s Depraved and David Franke’s The Torture Doctor (the work quoted by the modern serial killer Dr. Swango), seem the most trustworthy. Two other works exist that provide a concrete foundation of facts. One is Detective Frank Geyer’s memoir, The Holmes-Pitezel Case, a detailed account of events from the time of Holmes’s arrest onward, in which Geyer presents excerpts of primary documents that no longer exist. I was lucky enough to acquire a copy from an online seller of antique books. The second is The Trial of Herman W. Mudgett, Alias, H. H. Holmes, published in 1897, a complete transcript of the trial. I found a copy in the law library of the University of Washington.
Holmes left a memoir, Holmes’ Own Story, which I found in the Library of Congress’s rare book collection. He also made at least three confessions. The first two appear in Geyer’s book. The third and most sensational appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, which paid him a rich fee to write it. Though mostly untrue, his memoir and confessions were nuggeted with details that jibed with facts established in court or unearthed by Geyer and by the legions of reporters who covered Holmes’s story after his arrest in Boston. I relied heavily on newspaper articles published in the Chicago Tribune and in two Philadelphia newspapers, the Inquirer and the Public Ledger. Many of these articles were full of inaccuracies and, I suspect, embellishments. I mined them for bits of apparent fact and for reproductions of original documents, such as letters, telegrams, interviews, and other primary materials uncovered by police or produced by witnesses who stepped forward once the nature of Holmes’s “Castle of Horrors” became front-page news. One of the most striking, and rather charming, aspects of criminal investigation in the 1890s is the extent to which the police gave reporters direct access to crime scenes, even while investigations were in progress. At one point during the Holmes investigation Chicago’s chief of police told a Tribune reporter he’d just as soon have a squad of reporters under his command as detectives.
Exactly what motivated Holmes may never be known. In focusing on his quest for possession and dominance, I present only one possibility, though I recognize that any number of other motives might well be posited. I base my account on known details of his history and behavior and on what forensic psychiatrists have come to understand about psychopathic serial killers and the forces that drive them. Dr. James O. Raney, a Seattle psychiatrist who now and then provides forensic evaluations, read the manuscript and gave me his observations about the nature of psychopaths, known more tediously in today’s psychiatric handbooks as people afflicted with “antisocial personality disorder.” It is a good thing Alfred Hitchcock died before the change was made.
Clearly no one other than Holmes was present during his murders—no one, that is, who survived—yet in my book I re-create two of his killings. I agonized over exactly how to do this and spent a good deal of time rereading Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood for insights into how Capote achieved his dark and still deeply troubling account. Sadly, Capote left no footnotes. To build my murder scenes, I used threads of known detail to weave a plausible account, as would a prosecutor in his closing arguments to a jury. My description of Julia Conner’s death by chloroform is based on expert testimony presented at Holmes’s trial about the character of chloroform and what was known at the time about its effect on the human body.
I do not employ researchers, nor did I conduct any primary research using the Internet. I need physical contact with my sources, and there’s only one way to get it. To me every trip to a library or archive is like a small detective story. There are always little moments on such trips when the past flares to life, like a match in the darkness. On one visit to the Chicago Historical Society, I found the actual notes that Prendergast sent to Alfred Trude. I saw how deeply the pencil dug into the paper.
I have tried to keep my citations as concise as possible. I cite all quoted or controversial material but omit citations for facts that are widely known and accepted. For the two murder scenes I document my reasoning and my approach and cite the facts upon which I relied. The citations that follow constitute a map. Anyone retracing my steps ought to reach the same conclusions as I.
PROLOGUE
Aboard the Olympic
The date was: Burnham identified the suite numbers in a diary entry dated April 3, 1912; Burnham Archives, Diary, Roll 2. For information about the Olympic and Titanic see Brinnin; Lynch; Eaton and Haas; and White Star. The last, which reprints articles published in 1911 from Shipping World and Shipbuilder, includes detailed specifications of both ships as well as maps and schematics of the Olympic’s decks and accommodations.
“This prolonging: Moore, Burnham, Architect, 2:172.
“the greatest event: Miller, 488.
Part I: Frozen Music
The Black City
“Never before: Miller, 511.
“The parlors and bedrooms: Ibid., 516.
“a human being: Ibid., 193.
“The Trouble Is Just Begun”
It was this big talk: Dedmon, 221.
“the hawks, buzzards: Chicago Tribune, July 24, 1889.
“The men who have helped: Chicago Tribune, August 2, 1889.
“The gloom: Chicago Tribune, February 24, 1890.
“Gentlemen. I am prepared: Ibid.
“the records of the Old Central: Hines, 402.
“I went to Harvard: Ibid., 11.
“greatest architect: Ibid., 12.
“There is a family tendency: Miller, 315.
“My idea: Sullivan, Louis, 285.
“There is a black sheep: Letter, Daniel Hudson Burnham, Jr., to Charles Moore, February 21, 1918, Burnham Archives, Charles Moore Correspondence, Box 27, File 3.
“A long wait frightened us: Monroe, Poet’s Life, 59.
“so completely happy: Ibid., 60.
“probably not equaled: Miller, 321.
“our originality: Moore, Burnham, Architect, 1:24.
“if,” he said, “the earth: Ibid., 1:321.
“The building throughout: Ibid.
“What Chartres was: Hines, 53.
“who will not have an office: Miller, 326.
“Daniel Burnham Hudson was: Starrett, 29.
“Make no little plans: Ibid., 311.
“I’ve never seen: Miller, 319.
“His conversational powers: Ibid., 316.
“I used always to think: Ibid., 317
“The office was full: Starrett, 32.
“The work of each man: Miller, 318.
“that Gordian city: Lewis, 19.
“a gigantic peepshow: Ibid., 136.
“I did it: Burnham to mother, undated, Burnham Archives, Burnham Family Correspondence, Box 25, File 2.
“You must not worry: Burnham to Margaret, February 29, 1888, Burnham Archives, Burnham Family Correspondence, Box 25, File 3.
“The coroner: Burnham to Margaret, March 3, 1888, ibid.
“Burnham was not pleased: Sullivan, Louis, 294.
“smear another façade: Morrison, 64.
“an innocent: Sullivan, Louis, 291.
“He was elephantine: Ibid., 288.
“When may we see you: ChicagoTribune, February 25, 1890.
“The most marvelous exhibit: Ibid.
“Chicago is like: Chicago Tribune, February 27, 1890.
The Necessary Supply
His height was: Franke, 24. Franke reproduces an image of a “Rogue’s Gallery” file card with details of Holmes’s weight, height, and so forth as entered by Boston police upon his arrest.
“The eyes are very big: Schechter, 282.
A telegraph pole: Englewood Directory, 37.
“While at times: Sullivan, Gerald, 49.
Holmes entered the store: Mudgett, 22–23; Schechter, 13–17; Boswell and Thompson, 81. See also Town of Lake Directory, 217.
“an elemental odor: Sinclair, 25.
“river of death: Ibid., 34.
“I had daily: Mudgett, 6.
“Nor did they desist: Ibid., 6
“mother’s boy: Ibid., 199
“twelve-year-old sweetheart: Ibid., 200.
Mudgett’s only close friend: Schechter, 12.
“itinerant photographer: Mudgett, 7.
“Had he next proceeded: Ibid., 8.
“I kept it for many years: Ibid., 8.
He enrolled: Ibid., 14.
“the first really dishonest: Ibid.,15.
“I could hardly count: Ibid.,16.
Eventually he came to Mooers Forks: Ibid., 16; Chicago Tribune, July 31, 1895; New York Times, July 31, 1895.
“Some of the professors: Franke, 118.
“In the fall of 1885: Mudgett, 17.
“This scheme called for: Ibid.,19.
“the necessary supply: Ibid.
“This,” he said, “necessitated: Ibid., 20.
“and for the first time: Ibid.
The owner of the house: Chicago Tribune, July 31, 1895.
“This,” he wrote, “was my first: Mudgett, 21.
“The city had laid: Dreiser, Sister Carrie, 16.
“there was such a rush: Sullivan, Gerald, 14.
In 1868 a Mrs. H. B. Lewis: Ibid.
“To the business men: Catalogue, 3.
“My trade was good: Mudgett, 23.
He put up a new sign: Franke, 210.
“Becomingness”
A friend of Burnham’s: Ellsworth to Olmsted, July 26, 1890, Burnham Archives, Box 58, File 13.
“I have all my life: Rybczynski, Clearing, 385–86.
“flecks of white or red: Olmsted, “Landscape Architecture,” 18.
“I design with a view: Rybczynski, Clearing, 396.
“Suppose,” he wrote: Olmsted to Van Brunt, January 22, 1891, Olmsted Papers, Reel 22.
“we are always personally: Roper, 421.
He was prone: Rybczynski, Clearing, 247–48, 341
“My position is this: Ellsworth to Olmsted, July 26, 1890.
Certainly that seemed: Articles of Agreement, 1890, Olmsted Papers, Reel 41; Rybczynski, Clearing, 387.
“When can you be here?: Telegram quoted in Olmsted to Butterworth, August 6, 1890, Burnham Archives, Box 58, File 13.
“Having seen it: Chicago Tribune, July 7, 1890.
a man they could work with: Codman to Olmsted, October 25, 1890, Olmsted Papers, Reel 57.
“It is to be desired: Olmsted, Report, 51.
“a man of the world: Sullivan, Louis, 287.
“she patted the mortar: Chicago Tribune, November 2, 1890.
Root, according to a witness: Miller, 316.
“While in school: Chicago Record, December 16, 1893, McGoorty Papers.
“He got smart: Chicago Record, December 15, 1893, Ibid.
“murky pall: Chicago Tribune, November 16, 1890.
“Don’t Be Afraid”
“Ambition has been the curse: Schechter, 238.
“His presence: Franke, 112.
“It is said that babies: Ibid., 112.
The building’s broad design: Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 22, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 1895; Chicago Tribune, July 17, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, August 18, 1895; New York Times, July 25, 26, 29, 31, 1895.
“There is an uneven settlement: Chicago Tribune, July 25, 1895.
The high rate of turnover: Ibid.; Schechter, 28–29.
“I don’t know: Franke, 95–96.
At first, Latimer said: Ibid., 43.
“In a general way: Geyer, 26–27.
“fine physique: Trial, 145.
“Come with me: Schechter, 25.
“Pitezel was his tool: Trial, 449.
Captain Horace Elliot: Englewood Directory, 36.
To the buyer’s chagrin: Schechter, 36.
City directories: Englewood Directory, 179, 399; Franke, 40.
“He was the smoothest man: Franke, 42–43.
“I sometimes sold him: Ibid., 111.
“Don’t be afraid: Chicago Tribune, July 31, 1895; New York Times, July 31, 1895; Franke, 110.
Unlike most Americans: Chicago Tribune, July 26, 1895.
An advertisement: Hoyt, 177.
Pilgrimage
Immediately the directors: Burnham and Millet, 14–17; Burnham, Design, 7–9; Monroe, Root, 222–23.
“at once cheap wooden quarters: Burnham to Committee on Buildings and Grounds, December 1, 1890, Burnham Archives, Box 58, File 3.
“It may not occur to you: Burnham to Davis, December 8, 1890, Burnham Archives, Business Correspondence, vol. 1.
“cut to the quick: Monroe, Root, 235.
“feeling confident: Moore, Burnham interview, 3.
“McKim, damn your preambles: Moore, McKim, 113.
“To himself: Monroe, Poet’s Life, 115.
“They all approved: Burnham to Olmsted, December 23, 1890, Olmsted Papers, Reel 57.
“they said: Moore, Burnham interview, 3.
“Burnham had believed: Sullivan, Louis, 319.
“I think he, Adler: Moore, Burnham interview, 4.
“He said he was tired: Inland Architect and News Record, vol. 16, no. 8 (January 1891), 88.
He was depressed: Monroe, Root, 249.
“He felt that this: Ibid., 249.
A Hotel for the Fair
In a parody: Boswell and Thompson, 81.
When Myrta’s great-uncle: Ibid., 80; Schechter, 235; Chicago Tribune, July 27, 1895; New York Times, July 29, 1895; Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 29, 1895.
Holmes returned to Englewood: Boswell and Thompson, 80.
“Beside his own person: See Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed.
Half a century later: Cleckley, 369.
People exhibiting: Millon et al., 124.
“When I went to bed: Schechter, 235.
“Presently,” Belknap said: Ibid.
“I refused to open: Ibid.
“If I’d gone: Boswell and Thompson, 80.
He planned to install: Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1895.
The manager of the furnace company: Franke, 94–95
“the necessary amount of heat: Ibid., 94.
“In fact,” he said: Ibid.
These clerks: Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 27, 1895.
The Landscape of Regret
The eastern architects left: Hunt to Olmsted, January 6, 1891, Olmsted Papers, Reel 58.
Two hours before: Moore, McKim, 113; Chicago Tribune, January 11, 1891.
“It was one: Moore, Burnham Interview, 3.
“they gazed: Burnham, Design, 24.
“remote and repulsive: Ingalls, 142.
“sandy waste: Bancroft, 46.
“If a search had been made: “A Report Upon the Landscape,” 8, Olmsted Papers, Reel 41.
“it became almost: Burnham and Millet, 45.
The park’s gravest flaw: “A Report Upon the Landscape,” 7, Olmsted Papers, Reel 41.
“a feeling of discouragement: Burnham and Millet, 5.
“Do you mean to say: Hines, 82; Moore, Burnham interview, 4;
“He went down to the office: Monroe, Root, 259.
“looking ill: Starrett, 47.
“ill almost unto death: Monroe, Poet’s Life, 113.
“After the 15th: Ibid., 260.
“Oysters: Chicago Tribune, January 11, 1891.
“Gentlemen,” he said: Poole, 184; Moore, Burnham, Architect, 43.
“The men left: Burnham, Design, 26.
“In talking with them: Monroe, Root, 249; Monroe, Poet’s Life, 113.
Vanishing Point
After years spent: Chicago Tribune, July 21, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29, 1895; Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 22, 23, 27, 1895; Boswell and Thompson, 83–84; Franke, 98–101; Schechter, 39–44.
“I shut the door: Chicago Tribune, July 28, 1895.
“a mysterious disappearances: Chicago Tribune, November 1, 1892.
Fannie Moore: Ibid.
J. W. Highleyman left: Ibid.
Cheyenne: Ibid.
Alone
“Himself not especially: Sullivan, Louis, 288.
“It soon became noticeable: Ibid., 320.
“Hell,” he snapped: Ibid.
“Burnham came out: Ibid.
“The natural dominance: Baker, Hunt, 398.
“the function created: Sullivan, Louis, 290.
“In each firm: Ibid., 288.
“John Root was: Ibid.
“I haven’t escaped sickness: Monroe, Root, 261.
“Mr. Root is quite low: Burnham to Boyington, January 14, 1891, Burnham Archives, Business Correspondence, Vol. 1.
“am able this morning: Burnham to Boyington, January 15, 1891, ibid.
“You won’t leave me: Moore, Burnham interview, 5.
“Do you hear that?: Ibid.
“I have worked: Monroe, Poet’s Life, 114.
“most distinguished architect: Chicago Tribune, January 16, 1891.
“There is no man: Chicago Tribune, January 17, 1891.
“It’s all nonsense: Chicago Tribune, January 25, 1891.
“I was born: Philadelphia Inquirer, April 12, 1896.
PART II: AN AWFUL FIGHT
Convocation
His gout: Moore, Burnham interview, 6.
“almost in whispers: “The Organization, Design and Construction of the Fair,” January 7, 1895, 56, Moore Papers.
Its center was an octagon: Rand, McNally, 49–57.
“a panorama: Ibid., 126.
“I don’t think I shall advocate: Moore, Burnham, Architect, 47 (In Moore, Burnham interview, 4, the phrasing is slightly different: “I do not think I will advocate that dome, I will probably modify the building.”)
“one grand entrance: Burnham to Sullivan, February 11, 1891, Burnham Archives, Business Correspondence, Vol. 1.
“the tension of feeling: Burnham and Millet, 29.
“quiet intentness: “The Organization, Design and Construction of the Fair,” January 7, 1895, 56, Moore Papers.
“Drawing after drawing: Burnham and Millet, 29.
“The room was still as death: Moore, Burnham, Architect, 47.
“You are dreaming: “The Organization, Design and Construction of the Fair,” January 7, 1895, 58, Moore Papers.
“I never expected: Different versions of St. Gaudens’s remark appear in the literature. I’ve combined elements of two. See Burnham, Design, 39, and Hines, 90.
“We should try to make: Olmsted to Burnham, January 26, 1891, Olmsted Papers, Reel 41.
“What we shall want: Ibid.
“I mean such as Malay proas: Ibid.
“mysterious poetic effect: “Memorandum as to What is to be Aimed at in the Planting of the Lagoon District of the Chicago Exposition,” Olmsted Papers, Reel 59.
“through the mingling intricately together: Ibid.
“a display of flowers: Ibid.
“to slightly screen: Ibid.
The overall effect: Ibid.
“that army our hundreds: Olmsted to “Fred” (most likely Federick J. Kingsbury, a friend), January 20, 1891, Olmsted Papers, Reel 22.
“How is it possible: Lewis, 172.
“We must push this now: Chicago Tribune, February 20, 1891.
“Examination of the facts: Director of Works Report, October 24, 1892, Burnham Archives, Box 58, File 12.
“There will not be a brick: Chicago Tribune, March 20, 1891.
Atwood stood him up: Moore, Burnham interview, 7.
He was an opium addict: Ibid.
RUSH: Chicago Tribune, May 16, 1891.
“a family of twelve: Chicago Tribune, February 20, 1891.
“That un-American institution: Inland Architect and News Record, vol. 17, no. 5 (June 1891), 54.
P. T. Barnum died: Chicago Tribune, May 30, 1891.
“I think it quite necessary: Chicago Tribune, February 14, 1891.
Cuckoldry
Lovely, dark Gertrude: Chicago Tribune, July 26, 1895.
“of an easy-going innocent: Chicago Tribune, July 21, 1895.
“Some of my friends: Chicago Tribune, July 26, 1895.
Holmes proposed to sell: Chicago Tribune, July 21, 1895.
Holmes even wanted Ned: Chicago Tribune, July 26, 28, 1895.
“Separation couldn’t come: Chicago Tribune, July 26, 1895.
He heard her footsteps: Ibid.
“I told her after I left: Ibid.
At night, after the first-floor stores: This is speculation, but I base it on the following: In Mooers Holmes was known to pace at midnight, suggesting he was not a restful sleeper. Psychopaths need stimulation. The kiln would have been an irresistible attraction. Admiring it and igniting its flames would have reinforced his sense of power and control over the occupants above.
Vexed
“You must not think: Burnham to Margaret, March 15, 1892, Burnham Archives, Family Correspondence, File 4.
“Among the trees: Burnham and Millet, 36.
“practically an unknown: Inland Architect and News Record, vol. 22, no. 1 (August 1893), 8.
They laid a platform: Ibid.
Edison suggested: Chicago Tribune, May 12, 13, 1891.
General Electric offered: Baker, Life, 158–59.
“We are at a dead standstill: Burnham to Hunt, June 2, 1891, Burnham Archives, Business Correspondence, Vol. 2.
“The delay you are causing us: Burnham to Hunt, June 6, 1891, ibid.
He ordered: “List of bedding plants to be ordered either in this country, or from Europe,” July 13, 1891, Olmsted Papers, Reel 59.
“It was bad enough: Ulrich, 11.
“He is the arbiter: Chicago Tribune, May 14, 1891.
“incongruity: World’s Fair, 851.
“President Baker wants: Chicago Tribune, July 21, 1891.
C. F. Ritchel of Bridgeport: Chicago Tribune, October 12, 1889.
“As the cost: McComber’s tower idea: Chicago Tribune, November 2, 1889.
The engineer urged: Chicago Tribune, November 9, 1889.
In August 1891: Chicago Tribune, August 5, 1891.
The engineers were outraged: Chicago Tribune, August 16, 1891.
“How soon: Bloom, 117.
“The more I thought: Ibid.
“I could not: Burnham to Dredge, November 18, 1891, Burnham Archives, Business Correspondence, vol. 4.
“The criticism now: Burnham to Dredge, November 24, 1891, ibid.
“was about as intelligent: Bloom, 119.
“anxious to get: Sandweiss, 14.
“You are a very young man: Bloom, 120.
“I do hope: Allen to Palmer, October 21, 1891, Chicago Historical Society, World’s Columbian Exhibition–Board of Lady Managers Archive, Folder 3.
“When I think of the days: Weimann, 176.
“‘I think it would be better: Ibid.
“A severe breakdown: Ibid.,177.
“I suspect that even Codman: Olmsted to Burnham, December 23, 1891, Olmsted Papers, Reel 22.
In December: Burnham, Final Official Report, 78.
“A few questions of design: Interim Report on Construction, “To the Editor of the Chicago Herald,” December 28, 1891, Burnham Archives, Box 58, File 9.
“the failure of the fair: Lewis, 175.
Remains of the Day
Holmes left no firsthand account of the method he used to kill Julia and Pearl Conner; nor did he describe how he managed to subdue both victims, although he did at one point state that Julia had died of a “criminal operation,” meaning an abortion. I constructed the murder scenes in this chapter using a combination of sources: fragments of known evidence (for example, the fact that he possessed two cases of surgical instruments, equipped his building with dissection tables, and favored chloroform as a weapon and bought large quantities of it); the detective work of other investigators of the Holmes saga (Schechter, Franke, and Boswell and Thompson); statements made by Holmes after the murders; psychiatric research into the character, motives, and needs of criminal psychopaths; and testimony at Holmes’s trial as to how a person would react to an overdose of chloroform. The Conner case and the anatomical moonlighting of Charles Chappell received extensive news coverage. In addition to the specific sources cited below, see Chicago Tribune, July 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 1895; New York Times, July 29, 1895; Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 23, 27, 29, 30, 1895; Boswell and Thompson, 81–86; Franke, 98–101; Schechter, 39–44.
In November 1891: Schechter, 43–44.
Julia and Mrs. Crowe: Chicago Tribune, July 29, 1895.
dark amber bottle: Merck’s Manual, 28.
She gripped his hand: Trial, 166, 420–422.
On Christmas morning: Chicago Tribune, July 29, 1895.
“The gentlemen were acting: Chicago Tribune, February 27, 1890. See also March 2, 1890, for a tantalizing but likely apocryphal story of a St. Louis man buried alive—allegedly in a deep coma—only to have his body stolen by medical students. The students discovered his true condition with the first incision and quickly deposited him on the steps of the St. Louis courthouse, where he awoke with a painful and inexplicable cut across his abdomen. Or so the story went.
“Yes, the party: Chicago Tribune, March 24, 1890.
“The body,” he said: Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 29, 1895. The article also cites the $36 price.
They found dishes: Franke, 101.
“I last saw her: Mudgett, 33.
A Gauntlet Dropped
The ranks included: Hines, 74–75.
A rising union man: Burnham to Geraldine, February 24, 1892, Burnham Archives, Business Correspondence, vol. 6.
“inaccurate or ‘slouchy’ work: Burnham to Cloyes, January 6, 1892, ibid., vol. 5.
“it seems to me: Burnham to Ulrich, January 6, 1892, ibid.
“You will please dismiss: Burnham to Geraldine, January 6, 1892, ibid.
“Guarded by sentries: Wyckoff, 248.
“ho, boy: Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 278; Wyckoff, 11.
He “was eminently engaging: Anderson, 53.
“the architects of America: Untitled typescript, Ferris Papers, 1.
“cut to the quick: Ibid.
superintendent of sheep: Chicago Tribune, July 14, 1892.
“We are now organizing: Burnham to Davis, November 12, 1891, Burnham Archives, Business Correspondence, vol. 4.
“I think it is pretty well understood: Chicago Tribune, January 5, 1892.
“The time was well spent: Burnham to Margaret, March 15, 1892, Burnham Archives, Family Correspondence, Box 25, File 4.
Late in March: Burnham to Margaret, March 31, 1892, ibid.
“Mr. Davis has not been to see me: Chicago Tribune, April 9, 1892.
The congressmen, Burnham wrote: Burnham to Margaret, March 31, 1892.
“spectacular advertising: Bloom, 120.
“I could tell: Ibid.
The Angel from Dwight
In addition to the specific citations below, for this chapter I relied on detailed coverage of the Cigrand case in the Chicago Tribune and Philadelphia Public Ledger, as well as broader accounts of the case in Boswell and Thompson, Franke, and Schechter.
H. Wayne Morgan’s detailed historical essay on Leslie Enraught Keeley’s alcohol-treatment empire, ‘“No, Thank You, I’ve Been to Dwight,’” in the Illinois Historical Journal, offers a charming look at a bygone rage.
See Chicago Tribune, July 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 1895; Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 27, 29, 31, 1895; Boswell and Thompson, 86–87; Franke, 102–105; Schechter, 48–51.
In the spring of 1892: Schechter, 48.
Gold was the most famous: Morgan, 149.
the Chicago post office: Ibid., 159–160.
“he was too valuable: Mudgett, 122.
Thousands of people: Morgan, 157.
“passing through the line: Ibid., 154.
“No, thank you: Ibid., 158.
the story Pitezel now told: Schechter, 48, 49.
“a flattering offer: Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1895.
Emeline accepted: Ibid.
“White pique hats: Chicago Tribune, August 7, 1895.
“got to talking: Chicago Tribune, July 28, 1895.
“a handsome blonde: Ibid.
“I told her: Ibid.
4. “She was one: Franke, 102.
“It was not long: Ibid.
son of an English lord: Schechter, 49.
“I was charmed: Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1895.
Dedication Day
“All over its surroundings: Ulrich, 19.
“Would you object: Burnham to Olmsted, November 20, 1891, Burnham Archives, Business Correspondence, vol. 4.
“a few tents, some horses: Burnham to Buchanan, December 19, 1891, ibid.
“They propose: Burnham to Olmsted, February 5, 1892, ibid.
“unreasonable, unjust: Roper, 434.
“When Olmsted is blue: Rybczynski, Clearing, 247–48.
“They had picked: Bloom, 122.
“a tolerable idea: Olmsted, “Report by F.L.O.,” April 1892, Olmsted Papers, Reel 41.
“It seemed to me: Olmsted to John, May 15, 1892, Olmsted Papers, Reel 22.
The Paris buildings: Olmsted, “Report by F.L.O.”
“I am having: Rybczynski, Clearing, 391.
“I can only conclude: Olmsted to Codman, May 25, 1892, Olmsted Papers, Reel 22.
A doctor, Henry Rayner: Roper, 439.
“You know that I am: Olmsted to Codman, June 16, 1892, Olmsted Papers, Reel 22.
“every day more or less: Olmsted to “Partners,” July 21, 1892, ibid.
“childish, vulgar, flaunting: Ibid.
“there is nothing in America: Olmsted to Codman, July 30, 1892, ibid.
“The finest combination: Olmsted to John, May 15, 1892, ibid.
“Everywhere the best ornamental grounds: Olmsted to John Olmsted, May 19, 1892, ibid., Reel 41.
“Let us as much as possible: Olmsted to “Partners,” July 17, 1892, ibid.
“I think more than ever: Olmsted to Codman, April 20, 1892, ibid.
“The standard of an English laborer: Olmsted to Codman, April 21, 1892, ibid., Reel 22.
“The only cloud: Olmsted to “Partners,” July 21, 1892, ibid.
“I could see them: Bloom, 122.
“I suggest you be more civil: Ibid.
“At present,” he said: Ibid.
“Too fragile: Barnes, 177.
“The wind: Chicago Tribune, April 28, 1892.
“largely on account: Moore, Burnham interview, 8.
“His genius was betrayed: Monroe, Poet’s Life, 103.
“I was urging: Hines, 101.
“I don’t see it that way: Moore, Burnham interview, 8.
“ordinary white lead: Millet, 708.
“the Whitewash Gang: Hall, 213.
“with the utmost vigor: Burnham to Geraldine, March (illegible) 1892, Burnham Archives, Business Correspondence, vol. 6.
On Saturday evening: McCarthy, “Should We Drink,” 8–12; Chicago Tribune, March 1, May 8, 9, 13, 20, 1892; Burnham, Final Official Report, 69–70.
“You had better write a letter: Moore, McKim, 120.
On Wednesday, June 1: Photograph, Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, June 1, 1892, Burnham Archives, Box 64, File 34.
Two weeks later: Photograph, Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, June 13, 1892, Burnham Archives, Oversize Portfolio 13.
The contractor: Chicago Tribune, June 15, 1892.
“I have assumed personal control: Burnham to Olmsted, September 14, 1892, Olmsted Papers, Reel 59.
“I had no precedent: Anderson, 53.
“monstrosity: Barnes, 177.
“I was more disabled: Rybczynski, Clearing, 391.
“I am still tortured: Olmsted to John, October 11, 1892, Olmsted Papers, Reel 22.
“Of course the main work suffers: Olmsted to John, undated but received in Brookline, Mass., October 10, 1892, ibid.
The dedication had been anticipated: Schlereth, 174.
“Ninety thousand people: Wheeler, 846.
“both orators waving: Monroe, Poet’s Life, 130.
That winter she burned: Ibid., 131.
Prendergast
On November 28, 1892: Prendergast to Alfred Trude, Trude Papers; Chicago Record, December 15 and 16, 1893, in McGoorty Papers; Chicago Tribune, December 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 1893.
“My Dear Mr. Trude: Prendergast to Alfred Trude, Trude Papers.
“I Want You at Once”
“I have on hand: Ferris to Rice, December 12, 1892, Ferris Correspondence, Miscellaneous, Ferris Papers.
that this wheel: Anderson, 55; Miller, 497.
Chappell Redux
The gift delighted: Franke, 102.
“She seemed delighted: Ibid.
“It had seemed to me: Ibid., 103.
Later there was speculation: Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1895.
“Oh, she’s gone away: Franke, 104.
“This will tell you: Ibid.
The announcement read: Ibid., 105.
“Some days after going: Mudgett, 247; see also Mudgett, 246–249.
“Oh, he is a fellow: Franke, 105.
“lady of refinement: Chicago Tribune, July 28, 1895.
“The day after: Franke, 104.
Soon afterward: Chicago Tribune, July 31, 1895; Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 31, 1895.
“This,” said Dr. B. J. Cigrand: Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 27, 1895.
“I had at last: Chicago Tribune, July 31, 1895.
That the name Phelps: Chicago Tribune, August 7, 1895.
That on January 2, 1893: Chicago Tribune, July 28, 1895.
That a few weeks later: Schechter, 51.
Somehow a footprint: Chicago Tribune, July 28, August 1, 1895.
To explain the print’s permanence: Chicago Tribune, August 1, 1895.
“The Cold-Blooded Fact”
“The winter of 1892–3: Rice, 10, 12.
George Ferris fought the cold: Anderson, 58; Untitled typescript, Ferris Papers, 4; regarding use of dynamite, see Ulrich, 24.
“No one shop: Untitled typescript, Ferris Papers, 3; Anderson, 55, 57; Meehan, 30.
Together with its fittings: “Report of Classified and Comparative Weights of Material Furnished by Detroit Bridge & Iron Works for the ‘Ferris Wheel,’ ” Ferris Papers.
“You will have heard: Stevenson, 416.
“It looks as if: Olmsted to John, February 17, 1893, Olmsted Papers, Reel 22.
“I have never before: Olmsted to Ulrich, March 3, 1893, ibid., Reel 41.
“This seems to be an impossibility: Bancroft, 67.
Acquiring Minnie
I base my conclusions about Holmes’s motivation on studies of psychopaths conducted throughout the twentieth century. Holmes’s behavior—his swindles, his multiple marriages, his extraordinary charm, his lack of regard for the difference between right and wrong, and his almost eerie ability to detect weakness and vulnerability in others—fits with uncanny precision descriptions of the most extreme sorts of psychopaths. (In the late twentieth century psychiatrists officially abandoned the term psychopath and its immediate successor term sociopath in favor of antisocial personality disorder, though the term psychopath remains the favored everyday description.)
For an especially lucid discussion of psychopaths see Dr. Hervey Cleckley’s pioneering The Mask of Sanity, published in 1976. On page 198 he cites “the astonishing power that nearly all psychopaths and part-psychopaths have to win and to bind forever the devotion of woman.” See also Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed., 645–60; Wolman, 362–68; Millon et al., throughout but especially 155, which quotes Philippe Pinel’s appraisal of psychopathic serial killers: “Though their crimes may be sickening, they are not sick in either a medical or a legal sense. Instead, the serial killer is typically a sociopathic personality who lacks internal control—guilt or conscience—to guide his own behavior, but has an excessive need to control and dominate others. He definitely knows right from wrong, definitely realizes he has committed a sinful act, but simply doesn’t care about his human prey. The sociopath has never internalized a moral code that prohibits murder. Having fun is all that counts.”
Also in Millon et al., at page 353, a contributing author describes a particular patient named Paul as having “an uncanny ability to identify naïve, passive and vulnerable women—women who were ripe for being manipulated and exploited.”
For details of the Williams case I relied, once again, on an array of newspaper articles, and on Boswell and Thompson, Franke, and Schechter. See Chicago Tribune, July 20, 21, 27, 31, August 4, 7, 1895; New York Times, July 31, 1895; Philadelphia Public Ledger, November 21, 23, 26, 1894, December 22, 1894, July 22, 24, 27, 29, 1895: Boswell and Thompson, 86–90; Franke, 106–109; Schechter, 58–63.
Silver Ash Institute: Chicago Tribune, July 27, 1895.
as many as seventy-five: Chicago Tribune, July 25, 1895.
Tobey Furniture Company: Chicago Tribune, July 27, 1895.
French, Potter Crockery Company: Ibid.
Merchant & Co.: Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1895.
At the nearby Normal School: Chicago Tribune, June 26, 1892.
“a baby face: Boswell and Thompson, 87.
Born in Mississippi: For various details about Minnie and Anna Williams’s backgrounds, I relied heavily on the Chicago Tribune of July 31, 1895.
Throughout 1889: Exactly how and when Holmes courted Minnie is unclear, but it’s certain he traveled to Boston to see her and that he did so often enough to have won her adoration. The Chicago Tribune of July 29, 1895, describes Minnie’s first meeting with Holmes. See the Tribune of July 20, for other details, such as the date Minnie went to Boston for her education in elocution and a sketch of her subsequent travels, including her loss of $15,000 in an ill-starred attempt to establish a theatrical group. See also Philadelphia Public Ledger, November 22, 1894, July 27, 29, 1895.
“a remarkable aptitude: Mudgett, 45.
Anna was skeptical: Schechter, 61.
“I received her wedding cards: Chicago Tribune, July 28, 1895.
She did so on: Chicago Tribune, July 27, 31, 1895.
He established’: Philadelphia Public Ledger, November 21, 23, 1894.
“He induced me: Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 25, 1895.
no record of their union: Philadelphia Public Ledger, November 26, 1894.
Dreadful Things Done by Girls
“money would be so plentiful: Kiler, 61.
“The crowds poured in: Bloom, 135.
Bloom thought a moment: Ibid., 135–36.
Bloom regretted: Ibid., 135.
“it is not quantity: Dedmon, 223–24.
“the mayor will not frappé: Ibid., 224.
“A Mouse Colored Ass: Ibid.
“Outside peoples already concede: Hines, 108.
“how to broil: Hollingsworth, 155.
“The breakfast table: Ibid., 12.
“If the article is black: Ibid., 581.
“Take one part muriatic acid: Ibid., 612.
“Don’t sit between: Ibid., 701.
“Injections of tobacco: Ibid., 749.
“interspersed,” as one visitor put it: Miller, 420.
Clarence Darrow regularly: Tierney, 140.
“You ought to begin: Lewis, 36.
“What dreadful things: Tierney, 84.
“His friends all noticed it: Miller, 440.
His quirks: Johnson, 81–88; Poole, 158, 160, 163, 169.
“the most remarkable man: Miller, 438.
“a most admirable pig: Abbot, 212.
“My Dear Mr. Trude: Prendergast to Trude, Daniel P. Trude Papers.
The Invitation
Holmes suggested: Schechter, 61.
Minnie planned to show: I’ve inserted here a few of the attractions that Gilded Age visitors to Chicago found especially compelling. That Minnie planned to take her sister on such a tour is likely but not certain, as unfortunately she left no journal detailing the minutiae of her days.
Final Preparations
“anxious effort: Wheeler, 832.
The menu: Program, “Banquet to Daniel Hudson Burnham,” Burnham Archives, Box 59.
“Each of you knows: Moore, Burnham, Architect, 74.
“The scale of the whole thing: Moore, McKim, 122.
“I fear nothing: Burnham to Margaret, April 6, 1893, Burnham Archives, Family Correspondence, Box 25.
“I am very happy: Burnham to Margaret, April 10, 1893, ibid.
“Why do you not write: Burnham to Margaret, April 13, 1893, ibid.
“The public will regard: Ibid.
Margaret sent him: Burnham to Margaret, April 18, 1893, ibid.
PILOT OF THE OCEAN: Carter, 368.
At the hotel’s front desk: Ibid., 374.
“You can imagine: Burnham to Margaret, April 10, 1893, Burnham Archives, Family Correspondence, Box 25.
“Every body here: Olmsted to John, April 13, 1893, Olmsted Papers, Reel 22.
“We shall have to bear: Olmsted to John, April 15, 1893, ibid.
“I am afraid: Ibid.
“Ulrich is unwittingly faithless: Olmsted to John, May 3, 1893, ibid.
“I suppose that our time is out: Ibid.
“frightful dust: Olmsted to John, April 13, 1893, Olmsted Papers, Reel 22.
“with sore throat: Olmsted to John, April 23, 1893, ibid.
“A larger force is employed: Ibid.
The odd thing was: Chicago Record, December 16, 1893, in McGoorty Papers.
“It rains: Burnham to Margaret, April 18, 1893, Burnham Archives, Family Correspondence, Box 25.
“Last night turned out: Burnham to Margaret, April 20, 1893, ibid.
“The weather is very bad: Ibid.
“I wrote you: Olmsted to unidentified recipient (stamped as received and read by his firm), April 27, 1893, Olmsted Papers, Reel 22.
“My ulcer has shrunk: Ibid.
“We are having bad luck: Olmsted to John, April 27, 1893, ibid.
“I don’t like it at all: Ibid.
“The diet of the provisional mess: Ibid.
“I took cold: Olmsted to unidentified recipient, April 28, 1893, ibid.
“It is queer: Ibid.
“It does not look ready: Ibid.
“I get wind: Ibid.
“gross incompleteness: Miller, 489.
the World’s Fair Hotel: Schechter, 56.
PART III: IN THE WHITE CITY
Opening Day
Twenty-three gleaming: For details of the Opening Day procession: Badger, xi, xii; Burg, 111; Chicago Tribune, May 2, 1893; Miller, 490; Muccigrosso, 78–80; Weimann, 141–46; The World’s Fair, 13–16, 253–63.
Burnham and Davis: The World’s Fair, 254.
the sun emerged: Ibid.
The farm offered omelets: Bloom, 137.
Bloom gave a nod: The World’s Fair, 255.
“When the fair opened: Starrett, 50.
Twenty women fainted: Burg, 111.
Reporters lucky enough: Ibid., 23.
“Then from the Pinta’s foretop: The World’s Fair, 257–58.
Director-General Davis spoke: Ibid., 259.
Nearby stood a table: Weimann, 241.
A tall man: Miller, 490.
“As by a touch: Badger, xii.
At precisely 12:08: Chicago Tribune, May 2, 1893.
Jane Addams realized: Badger, xi; Miller, 490.
“The scene burst on me: Frank Collier to Burnham, May 1, 1893, Burnham Archives, Box 1, File 13.
The official history: For crowd estimates, see Badger, xii; Dedmon, 226; Weimann, 242.
On Tuesday, May 2: Weimann, 556.
On the night of Thursday: Chicago Tribune, May 5, 1893.
Next Chicago’s Chemical National Bank: Chicago Tribune, May 9, 1893.
Three days later: Chicago Tribune, May 19, 1893.
In Brunswick, Georgia: Ibid.
In Lincoln, Nebraska: Ibid.
Olmsted had yet to complete: Ulrich, 46–48.
General Electric alone: Chicago Tribune, May 3, 1893.
“I remain fairly well: Olmsted to John, May 15, 1893, Olmsted Papers, Reel 22.
On June 5 worried depositors: Bogart and Mathews, 395.
The World’s Fair Hotel
The first guests began arriving: Boswell and Thompson write, “Every night the rooms on the two upper floors of the Castle were filled to overflowing. Holmes reluctantly accommodated a few men as paying guests, but catered primarily to women—preferably young and pretty ones of apparent means, whose homes were distant from Chicago and who had no one close to them who might make inquiry if they did not soon return. Many never went home. Many, indeed, never emerged from the castle, having once entered it” (87). Franke writes, “We do know that Holmes advertised his ‘hotel’ as a suitable lodging for visitors to the world’s fair; that no fewer than fifty persons, reported to the police as missing, were traced to the Castle; and that there their trail ended” (109). Schechter: “No one can say exactly how many fairgoers Holmes lured to the Castle between May and October 1893, though he appears to have filled the place to capacity on most nights” (56).
He found a place: Chicago Tribune, July 21, 1895.
They first advertised: Ibid.
Holmes went alone: Ibid.
Holmes explained the move: That Holmes wanted Minnie as far from the hotel as reasonably possible seems certain, given his choice of an apartment on the North Side, though exactly what he told her about the move can’t be known. I propose one likely possibility.
Holmes and Minnie moved: Chicago Tribune, July 21, 1895.
“seemed to be very attentive: Ibid.
That he often smelled: A barber who worked in Holmes’s building reported the many “queer” smells generated within. Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1895. In Tribune, July 28, 1895, a police detective states, “We have always heard of Holmes’ castle as being the abode of bad odors.”
Prendergast
“I am a candidate: Chicago Record, December 16, 1893, McGoorty Papers.
“Night Is the Magician”
Only one child: Weimann, 352. For broader discussion of daycare at the fair, see Weimann, 254–333, 349–52.
Within the fair’s buildings: Burg, 206; Gladwell, 95; Miller, 494; Muccigrosso, 93, 163; Schlereth, 174, 220; Shaw, 28, 42, 49.
A popular guide: Burg, 199.
“a fearful hideous thing: Taylor, 9.
“Every one about us: Ibid., 7.
“She takes a few: Ibid., 22–23.
“My Country ’Tis of Thee: Ibid., 23.
“In which building: Dean, 335.
One male visitor: Ibid., 378.
Over the six months: Muccigrosso, 150; The World’s Fair, 851.
Often Cody upstaged: Carter, 372–73; Downey, 168–69
“A strikingly noticeable change: Chicago Tribune, June 2, 1893.
“No other scene: Pierce, As Others See Chicago, 352.
“an inexhaustible dream: Masters, 7.
“we insisted on sending: Untitled manuscript beginning: “To him who has taken part,” Burnham Archives, Box 59, File 37.
“Our hour on the lagoon: Dora Root to Burnham, undated, Burnham Archives, Box 3, File 63.
The fair alone: Hines, 117.
“As the light was fading: Polacheck, 40.
“unspeakable debris: Ingalls, 141.
“Night,” Ingalls wrote: Ibid.
“It was a common remark: Schuyler, 574.
Modus Operandi
And so it began: Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1895, August 1, 1895. In the Tribune, July 26, 1895, Chicago’s police chief states, “There is no telling how many people this man Holmes has made away with.” See also Philadelphia Inquirer, April 12, 1896.
chemical odors: Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1895.
There were inquiries: Philadelphia Public Ledger, November 21, 1894, July 22, 1895; Franke, 106; Schechter, 233. Also see Eckert, 209–10: Eckert quotes a letter from Julia Conner’s mother, dated December 22, 1892. Eckert’s book, The Scarlet Mansion, is a novel; the letter, Eckert told me in e-mail correspondence, is real.
Holmes did not kill face to face: Chicago Tribune, July 28, 1895, where a Chicago police inspector states, “While I believe that Holmes would not dispatch a victim with an ax or other deadly weapon, I fully believe him capable of sneaking into a dark room where his victim was asleep and turning on the gas.”
The subsequent articulation: Regarding the work of the “articulator,” Charles Chappell, see Chicago Tribune, July 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 1895; New York Times, July 29, 1895; Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 23, 27, 29, 30, 1895; Boswell and Thompson, 81–86; Franke, 98–101; and Schechter, 39–44.
He disposed of other: Chicago Tribune, July 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, August 18, 1895; Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 1895.
One Good Turn
The rim arced: The Ferris Wheel had a diameter of 250 feet but a maximum height of 264 feet because of the necessary gap between the bottom of the wheel and the ground. The Masonic Temple was 302 feet tall, but that height included a cavernous roof that rose high above the building’s last rentable floor.
“It is impossible: Hawthorne, 569.
“Engines have steam: Rice to Ferris, June 8, 1893, Ferris Papers, Ferris Correspondence: Miscellaneous.
“I did not trust myself to speak: Anderson, 58.
“Suddenly I was aroused: Ibid.
As the wheel began to turn: Ibid., 60.
“No carriages were as yet placed: Ibid.
“I could have yelled out: Ibid.
“The last coupling: Rice to Ferris, June 9, 1893, Ferris Papers, Ferris Correspondence: Miscellaneous.
“Your telegram stating: Ferris to Rice, June 10, 1893, Ferris Papers, Ferris Correspondence: Miscellaneous.
“rather handsome: Weimann, 560.
“Nothing could be more entertaining: Ibid.
“I realize with some bitterness: Ibid., 262.
In preparation: Weimann, 560.
She declared: Ibid.
“Her Highness: Quoted in Wilson, 264.
“I am going to leave: Ibid., 267.
“Royalty at best: Ibid., 269.
Nannie
Without even thinking: Chicago Tribune, July 20, 1895.
First Minnie and Harry: Despite the stench and pools of blood, the Union Stock Yards were Chicago’s single most compelling attraction for visitors, and tour guides did indeed lead men and women into the heart of the operation. It seems likely that Holmes would have brought Minnie and Nannie there, partly because of the yards’ status, partly because he would have derived a certain satisfaction from subjecting the women to its horrors. In The Jungle Upton Sinclair wrote, “It was too much for some of the visitors—the men would look at each other, laughing nervously, and the women would stand with hands clenched and the blood rushing to their faces, and the tears starting in their eyes” (35). For details on the stockyards and the operation of the overhead hog-butchering line, see Sinclair, especially 34–38; all of Jablonsky; and all of Wade. Wade notes that in the year of the fair more than one million people visited the stockyards (xiv). Rudyard Kipling, in his essay “Chicago,” writes, “Turning a corner, and not noting an overhead arrangement of greased rail, wheel and pulley, I ran into the arms of four eviscerated carcasses, all pure white and of a human aspect, pushed by a man clad in vehement red” (341–44, especially 342).
The great fair: I’ve presented one likely path, based on guidebooks from the era, maps of the fairgrounds, and reports that described the features that exposition visitors found most attractive. For details of fair exhibits, see Flinn, 96–99, 104, 113–14; Rand McNally, 34–36, 71, 119–20, 126.
Below the chandeliers: Rand, McNally, 119–20.
Minnie and Nannie rapidly grew tired: Tours of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building were said to be exhausting. One common maxim of the day held that a boy entering the building at one end would emerge from the other as an old man. Rand, McNally & Co’s. Handbook to the World’s Columbian Exposition observes, “The standing army of Russia could be mobilized under its roof” (116).
“A man in Europe talks: Flinn, 71.
the Moorish Palace: Flinn, 25; Gilbert, 114.
Even the concession tickets: For a collection of the actual tickets see Burnham Archives, Oversize Portfolio 4, Sheets 16 and 17.
He bought a souvenir: Geyer, 300.
Vertigo
By Sunday evening: Anderson, 60.
“I did not enter: Ibid.
“Owing to our car: Ibid.
The car traveled: Ibid.
Gronau’s first reaction: Ibid.
“. . . it seemed as if: Ibid., 62.
“It was a most beautiful sight: Ibid.
“This,” Gronau said: Ibid.
“God bless you: Untitled typescript, Ferris Papers, 6.
“Six more cars: Rice to Ferris, June 12, 1893, Ferris Papers, Ferris Correspondence: Miscellaneous.
“Burnham nor anyone: Ferris to Rice, June 14, 1893, ibid.
“Unwise to open: Robert W. Hunt to Ferris, June 17, 1893, ibid.
“If the directors: Ferris to Rice, June 17, 1893, ibid.
“It was about sundown: Chicago Tribune, June 15, 1893.
Heathen Wanted
He traveled through: Olmsted to Burnham, June 20, 1893, Olmsted Papers, Reel 41.
“Everywhere there is: Ibid.
On June 17: Chicago Tribune, July 11,19, 1893.
“That building gives us: Chicago Tribune, July 11, 1893.
At Last
At three-thirty P.M.: Anderson, 62; Barnes, 180.
“No crank will have: Alleghenian, July 1, 1893.
“wheels in his head: Untitled typescript, Ferris Papers, 6.
“Built in the face: “The Ferris Wheel Souvenir,” Ferris Papers, 1.
“In truth, it seems too light: Alleghenian, July 1, 1893.
Rising Wave
By the end of June: Chicago Tribune, August 1, 1893.
The Roof Garden Café: Weimann, 267.
Mrs. Lucille Rodney: Badger, 162.
“Call it no more: Besant, 533.
The failure of this: Olmsted, “Landscape Architecture.”
In the six months: Rice, 85.
In his official report: Ibid., Appendix I, 2.
Over the life of the fair: Burnham, Final Official Report, 77–80.
“half-boor, half-tightwad: Dedmon, 232; May, 334–35, 340–41.
Frank Haven Hall: Hendrickson, 282.
“he would learn far more: Weimann, 566.
When Cody learned of it: Badger, 163–64; Weimann, 565–66.
“as enthusiastic as a girl: Weimann, 566.
There was tragedy: Chicago Tribune, June 27, 1893.
In the week beginning: “Ferris Wheel, Statement of Business by the Week,” Ferris Papers.
“short on news: Untitled typescript, Ferris Papers, 7.
Wherritt staggered: Anderson, 66.
“He seemed to take: Polacheck, 40.
“Existing conditions: Inland Architect and News Record, vol. 22, no. 2 (September 1893), 24.
In June two businessmen: Chicago Tribune, June 4, 1893.
“Everyone is in a blue fit: Steeples and Whitten, 1.
“What shall we do: Muccigrosso, 183.
“everything will seem small: Weimann, 577.
Independence Day
“For half a mile: Chicago Tribune, July 5, 1895.
One man began singing: Ibid.
Red lights glowed: Ibid.
“Home Sweet Home: Ibid.
At nine o’clock: For details about the night’s fireworks displays see Chicago Tribune, July 5, 1895; Burg, 43; Gilbert, 40.
That night the Oker family: Franke, 108.
“Sister, brother Harry and myself: Boswell and Thompson, 88. This letter is quoted also in Franke, 106, and Schechter, 62.
“Anna had no property: Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1895.
Holmes had announced: Schechter proposes the scenario wherein Holmes invites Anna, alone, to accompany him on a tour of the hotel. It seems likely. Another possibility is that Holmes asked for Anna’s help with some last-minute clerical work at his office and recommended that Minnie stay behind in the apartment to handle final preparations for their mutual journey. Certainly Holmes would have wanted to separate the women, for he was not physically strong. His power lay in persuasion and cunning. Schechter, 62.
Worry
At the fairgrounds: See daily attendance statistics in Chicago Tribune, August 1, 1893.
But the next day: Ibid.
The fair’s auditor: Chicago Tribune, August 16, 1893.
The bankers were pressuring: Chicago Tribune, August 2, 3, 1893.
Estimates held: Chicago Tribune, August 1, 1893.
Claustrophobia
Police speculated that Holmes killed Nannie and Minnie Williams in his vault. Schechter proposes this scenario: “As they got ready to leave, Holmes paused abruptly, as though struck by a sudden realization. He needed to fetch something from his vault, he explained—an important business document that he kept stored inside a safe-deposit box. It would only take a moment.
“Grasping Nannie by the hand, he led her toward the vault” (62).
Something like this must have occurred, although I think my proposal that Holmes sent her into the vault on a false errand, then followed her and shut the door, would have suited more closely his temperament. He was a killer but a cowardly one. See note above from p. 292.
That Holmes killed the women on July 5 is supported by a March 14, 1895, letter from an attorney, E. T. Johnson, who had been dispatched to hunt for the missing women. He states they left the Wrightwood house “about July 5, 1893, and none of us have ever heard from them any more” (Chicago Tribune, July 21, 1895). Taken together, this letter and Anna’s happy letter to her aunt written on the evening of July 4, cited above from page 292, provide evidence that the murders did indeed occur on July 5.
Two days later: Franke, 108.
“I do not know how: Chicago Tribune, July 21, 1895.
Also on July 7: The Chicago Tribune of July 20, 1895, identifies the express company as Wells-Fargo. The Philadelphia Public Ledger of November 23, 1894, states that the trunk was shipped from Midlothian, Texas, on July 7, 1893.
The trunk was addressed: Chicago Tribune, July 20, 1895; Philadelphia Public Ledger, November 23, 1894.
A Wells-Fargo drayman tried: Ibid.
“I want you to come: Chicago Tribune, July 28, 1895; Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 29, 1895.
“It was an awful looking place: Chicago Tribune, July 28, 1895; Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 29, 1895.
“Don’t do that: Chicago Tribune, July 28, 1895; Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 29, 1895.
He gave Pitezel’s wife: Chicago Tribune, August 1, 1895.
Holmes also surprised: Ibid.
Storm and Fire
The balloon: Chicago Tribune, July 10, 1893.
The sky seemed to reach: Ibid.
In the Agriculture Building: Ibid.
“It took the combined effort: Anderson, 66.
“I got some pleasure: Chicago Tribune, July 10, 1893.
The tower: Chicago Tribune, July 11, 12, 1893.
The first alarm: Burnham, Final Official Report, 61, 74; Chicago Tribune, July 11, 1893; Graphic, July 15, 1893, Chicago Historical Society; Synoptical History, 74–77.
“Never,” the Fire Department reported: Synoptical History, 75.
“as though the gaseous: Burnham, Final Official Report, 61.
“I saw there was: Chicago Tribune, July 11, 1893.
Daniel Burnham testified: Chicago Tribune, July 12, 1893
On Tuesday, July 18: Chicago Tribune, July 19, 1893.
“The attempt to hold you: Geraldine to Burnham, July 19, 1893, Burnham Archives, Business Correspondence, Box 1, File 32.
With the stink: Chicago Tribune, July 14, 1893.
As if things: Chicago Tribune, August 3, 1893.
“no expenditures whatever: Ibid.
Love
The twenty-four teachers: Dreiser, Journalism, 121.
“an intense something: Lingeman, 118.
Dreiser followed the ladies: For details about the teachers’ visit to the fair, see Dreiser, Journalism, 121–38.
“sentimental: Lingeman, 121.
“into a dream: Ibid., 119.
“If you marry now: Ibid., 122.
Couples asked permission: Untitled typescript, Ferris Papers, 9.
Georgiana Yoke: Trial, 364.
He was so alone: Ibid., 436.
“a little heart: Ibid., 364.
He cautioned, however: Ibid., 436.
Mayor Harrison too: Abbot, 233; Chicago Tribune, August 24, 1893; Muccigrosso, 181.
Freaks
“can only be characterized: Chicago Tribune, August 3, 1893.
“If the directory had seen fit: Chicago Tribune, August 2, 1893.
“Hundreds of newspapers: Chicago Tribune, August 13, 1893.
“We want to do something: Chicago Tribune, August 9, 1893.
Millet also organized: Chicago Tribune, August 12, 1893.
“Whether the apprehensions: Chicago Tribune, August 11, 1893.
Further enriching the affair: Chicago Tribune, August 17, 1893; Downey, 168.
“Chicago built the fair: Chicago Tribune, August 16, 1893.
At nine-fifteen that night: Chicago Tribune, August 17, 1893.
It was hot: Ibid.
“native costume of bark: Ibid.
The official menu: Ibid.
Attendance rose: Chicago Tribune, October 10, 1893.
“If Congress does not give: Chicago Tribune, August 9, 1893.
“Why should the wealth: Chicago Tribune, August 31, 1893.
Prendergast
One afternoon: Chicago Record, December 16, 1893, McGoorty Papers.
“No,” Prendergast said: Ibid.
Toward Triumph
By ten o’clock: Dybwad and Bliss, 38–40.
“The Paris record: Ibid., 38.
“There must be a million: Ibid., 39.
The fireworks: Ibid., 64–68.
In that single day: Chicago Tribune, October 10, 1893.
The Tribune argued: Ibid.
But the best news: Badger, 109.
Departures
“You know my dislike: Moore, McKim, 127.
“indeed it is the ambition: Ibid., 126.
“better to have it vanish: Boyesen, 186.
“I can’t come to you: Stevenson, 415.
For all of 1893: Crook, 102.
“Never before: Bogart and Mathews, 398.
The pressure: Philadelphia Public Ledger, November 21, 1894.
First he set fire: Philadelphia Public Ledger, November 23, 1894; Boswell and Thompson, 89; Franke, 41; Schechter, 64–65.
He advised the insurers: Ibid.
The guardians of Minnie: Philadelphia Public Ledger, November 21, 1894; July 27, 1895; Franke, 106.
In the fall of 1893: Philadelphia Inquirer, May 8, 1896.
Holmes fled: Ibid.
Soon afterward Holmes set out: Geyer, 346; Trial, 302, 608; Franke, 213.
Just before leaving: Geyer, 346; Trial, 210.
Nightfall
Throughout October: Chicago Tribune, October 29, 1893.
Twenty thousand people: “Ferris Wheel, Statement of Business by the Week,” Ferris Papers.
“peer cautiously: Chicago Tribune, October 25, 1893.
“Look at it now: Abbot, 228.
At two o’clock: Chicago Tribune, October 29, 1893.
At three o’clock: Chicago Tribute, December 20, 1893.
In the midst of supper: Chicago Times, December 14, 1893, McGoorty Papers.
“It must have been: Ibid.
They argued: Chicago Record, December 15, 1893, and Chicago Daily News, October 23, 1943, McGoorty Papers.
“Lock me up: Chicago Record, December 15, 1893, McGoorty Papers.
“We are turning our backs: Chicago Tribune, October 31, 1893.
At exactly four-forty-five: Ibid.
The six hundred carriages: Chicago Tribune, November 2, 1893; Miller, 101.
Harrison had heard them: Chicago Tribune, November 2, 1893.
“The good-by: Dean, 418.
“Beneath the stars: Pierce, As Others See Chicago, 357.
The Black City
“The poor had come: Herrick, 135.
“What a spectacle!: Gilbert, 211.
One shows: Hales, 47.
“It is desolation: Dean, 424.
George Pullman continued: Wish, 290.
“more threatening: Papke, 29.
On July 5, 1894: Gilbert, 210; Miller, 550.
“There was no regret: Miller, 550.
“There are hundreds: Quoted in Chicago Tribune, August 18, 1895.
PART IV: CRUELTY REVEALED
“Property of H. H. Holmes”
Detective Frank Geyer: For details about Geyer, I relied heavily on his book, The Holmes-Pitezel Case, a detailed, dispassionate, and above all accurate account of the murder of Benjamin Pitezel, and Geyer’s search for Benjamin Pitezel’s children. Salted throughout are copies of letters written by the children and excerpts of other valuable documents, such as interrogations and confessions. I found additional material about Geyer at the Free Library of Philadelphia in annual reports from the city’s superintendent of police included in the “Annual Message” of the city’s mayor. (See City of Philadelphia, below.) These reports contain valuable bits of information, for example, the fact that for routine detective work Geyer was paired with another top detective, Thomas G. Crawford, the man who escorted Holmes to Philadelphia from Boston. On that trip Holmes asked permission to hypnotize Crawford. The detective refused. Holmes asked again, this time offering to pay $500 for the privilege—a thinly veiled bribe. Geyer and Crawford consistently ranked first or second among the city’s two-man teams of detectives for the dollar value of stolen goods they recovered.
I also mined details from The Trial of Herman W. Mudgett, Alias, H. H. Holmes, a word-for-word transcript of the trial, with closing arguments and the appellate court’s opinion. See also Franke, 61–81 and Schechter, 195–205.
Geyer’s assignment: Geyer, 158–61, 171–74.
Graham had thought twice: Schechter states, “In March 1895 a fire had consumed Geyer’s home, killing his beloved wife, Martha, and their only child, a blossoming twelve-year-old girl name Esther” (202).
“Holmes is greatly given: Geyer, 54.
Holmes claimed: Ibid., 53–57. The first half of Geyer’s book (13–172) provides a richly detailed portrait of the insurance fraud and the murder of Benjamin Pitezel. For still more detail, see The Trial.
. The coroner: Geyer, 33–40.
“I wish you could see: Ibid., 353–54.
“Mamma have you: Ibid., 355.
“Property of H. H. Holmes: Ibid., 158.
“it did not look like: Ibid., 173.
Geyer reached Cincinnati: Ibid., 174. Geyer devotes pages 173–298 to a nearly day-by-day account of his search.
“There is really: Ibid., 174.
“I was not able: Ibid., 180.
“a very wealthy man: Ibid., 188.
“We are all well here: Ibid., 269–70.
“And I expect: Ibid., 271.
“It seems as though: Ibid., 272.
“evidently heartbroken: Ibid., 190.
“Holmes said that Howard: Ibid., 189.
“something seemed to tell me: Ibid., 190.
Geyer realized: Ibid., 213–14.
“Tell mama: Reprinted in Franke, 223–24.
“So when this poor child: Geyer, 258.
“Howard,” she had written: Franke, 224.
Moyamensing Prison
“The great humiliation: Mudgett, 215.
“and to keep my watch: Ibid., 216.
“Come with me: Ibid., 5.
It is one of the defining: Diagnostic, 646; Karpman, 499; Silverman, 21, 28, 32–33.
“prison diary: Mudgett, 210. His supposed diary appears on 211–21.
“I was as careful: Letter reprinted in Geyer, 163–71.
The Tenant
On Sunday, July 7, 1895: Geyer, 214.
“This seemed too good: Ibid., 230.
“Only a slight hole: Philadelphia Public Ledger, August 5, 1895.
“We lifted her: Geyer, 233.
Nellie’s feet: Schechter, 224.
“I told her: Geyer, 244.
“Where is Nellie?: Ibid., 245.
“Nothing could be more: Ibid., 250.
“one of the most satisfactory: Philadelphia Public Ledger, August 5, 1895.
“Had he been placed: Geyer, 251–52.
A Lively Corpse
In Philadelphia: Barlow’s attempt to catch Holmes by surprise is detailed in Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 17, 1895.
“and I hardly opened it: Mudgett, 226.
“genius for explanation: Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 17, 1895.
“I was in no condition: Mudgett, 227.
“My ideas are: Boswell and Thompson, 112–13.
“All the Weary Days”
“The number of mysterious persons: Geyer, 268.
“Days came and passed: Ibid., 269.
at two hundred: Boswell and Thompson, 87; Franke, 109.
Chicago detectives: The search of Holmes’s castle conducted by Chicago police was heavily reported in the nation’s newspapers. See Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 22, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 1895; Chicago Tribune, July 17, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, August 18, 1895; and New York Times, July 25, 26, 29, 31, 1895.
“Do you ever see: Chicago Tribune, July 26, 1895.
One Tribune headline: Chicago Tribune, July 20, 1895.
“all,” Geyer said: Geyer, 283.
“I must confess: Ibid., 283–84.
“The mystery: Ibid., 284.
“Holmes’ Den Burned: Chicago Tribune, August 19, 1895.
“By Monday: Geyer, 285.
“I did not have the renting: Ibid., 286.
“All the toil: Ibid., 287.
“that he did not think: Ibid., 301.
“a large charred mass: Ibid., 297.
It was Howard’s: Ibid., 300.
Malice Aforethought
On September 12, 1895: For news reports on the Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Toronto indictments, see Philadelphia Public Ledger, September 13, 1895.
“In conclusion: Mudgett, 255–56.
“It is humiliating: Quoted in Literary Digest, vol. 11, no. 15 (1896) 429.
Chicago’s “feeling of humiliation: Ibid.
One of the most surprising: Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1895.
“He is a prodigy: Schechter, 228.
EPILOGUE: THE LAST CROSSING
The Fair
Walt Disney’s father: Mosley, 25–26; Schickel, 46.
The writer L. Frank Baum: Adams, 115; Updike, 84–85.
The Japanese temple: Miller, 549.
The fair prompted: Jahn, 22.
Even the Lincoln Memorial: The fair’s success boosted Burnham’s prestige and helped get him appointed to the federal commission charged with building the monument. His own devotion to classical styles then held sway. See page 389 and corresponding note below. Also see Hines, 154–57.
“our people out: Moore, McKim, 245.
“possibilities of social beauty: Hines, 120.
William Stead recognized: Whyte, 53.
They asked Burnham: Hines, 140, 180–83, 188–89, 190–91. See also Burnham and Bennett, Plan; Burnham and Bennett, Report; McCarthy, “Chicago Businessmen.”
While helping design: Hines, 148–49.
Other cities came to Daniel Burnham: Hines, 347.
“If I told you: Crook, 112. See Crook throughout for an excellent if dry account of Sullivan’s decline after the world’s fair—dry because the work is a doctoral thesis.
“Louis Sullivan called: Hines, 232.
“To Daniel H. Burnham: Ibid.
“contagion: Sullivan, Louis, 321, 324.
“virus: Ibid., 324
“progressive cerebral meningitis: Ibid.
“Thus Architecture died: Ibid., 325.
Both Harvard and Yale: Hines, 125.
“He needs to know: Ibid., 254, 263.
“What was done: Daniel Burnham, “Biography of Daniel Hudson Burnham of Chicago,” Moore Papers, Speech, Article and Book File, Burnham 1921, Proofs and Biographical Sketches.
“It was questioned by many: Ellsworth to Moore, February 8, 1918, Moore Papers, Speech, Article and Book File, Burnham Correspondence, 1848–1927, Box 13, File 2.
In 1901 Burnham built: Hines, 288.
Of the twenty-seven buildings: Lowe, 122.
“Up to our time: Hines, 351.
“I thought the fair: Burnham to Margaret, April 7, 1894, Burnham Archives, Family Correspondence, Box 25, File 5.
“If I were able: Edward H. Bennett, “Opening of New Room for the Burnham Library of Architecture,” October 8, 1929, Burnham Archives, Box 76.
“You’ll see it lovely: Undated biography, Burnham Archives, Box 28, File 2.
Recessional
“It has today: Olmsted, May 10, 1895, memory no longer to be trusted.
That summer: Stevenson, 424.
“the bitterest week: Rybczynski, Clearing, 407.
“You cannot think: Ibid.
He beat the family horse: Roper, 474.
“They didn’t carry out: Ibid.
His wife: Rybczynski, Clearing, 411.
In the autumn of 1896: Anderson, 75.
On November 17: Ibid., 75.
“The request of Mrs. Ferris: Ibid., 77.
“miscalculated his powers: Ibid., 75.
In 1903: For details on the fate of Ferris’s wheel, see Anderson, 77–81.
“But one thing: Bloom, 143.
The fair made Buffalo Bill: Carter, 376; Monaghan, 422.
He died in Denver: Monaghan, 423.
“I went to Jackson Park: Lingeman, 114.
“It means so much: Hines, 266–67.
“No one should be: Prendergast to Alfred Trude (the letter is dated February 21, 1893, but the date is clearly incorrect, as the letter was written after his conviction; the return address is the Cook County Jail), Trude Papers.
“a poor demented imbecile: Darrow, 425.
“I am sorry for all fathers: Weinberg, 38.
They dumped: Darrow, 228.
In New York: Legend holds that a notorious belly dancer named Little Egypt made her debut at the world’s fair. Sol Bloom says she was never there (Bloom, 137). Donna Carlton, in Looking for Little Egypt, says it’s possible a dancer named Little Egypt was indeed at the fair but that many dancers adopted the name. Some sources also claim that Little Egypt’s name was Farida Mazhar. (Half a dozen spellings exist; I’ve chosen this one.) About all that can be said with certainty is that a dancer named Farida Mazhar likely did appear at the fair. Carlton says she “probably performed” (74) on the Midway and cites a source who contends that Farida believed “‘the title of Little Egypt belonged to her.’” George Pangalos, the impresario who brought the Street in Cairo to the Midway, stated publicly that he hired Mazhar to dance at his concession in the Midway and that she was considered one of the finest dancers in Cairo. And columnist Teresa Dean describes a visit to the theater in the Street in Cairo where she saw “Farida, the pretty girl who goes through her contortions” (157). In any event a young woman using the name Little Egypt apparently did pop out of a whipped-cream pie in New York several years after the fair, at a stag party that became so notorious it was called the Awful Seeley Dinner. Its host was Herbert Barnum Seeley, a nephew of the late P. T. Barnum, who threw the party on behalf of his brother, Clinton Barnum Seeley, who was about to be married (Carlton, 65).
Holmes
“There was a red fluid: Trial, 117.
“I would ask: Ibid., 124.
“It was an expression: Philadelphia Public Ledger, October 31, 1895.
“I saw them at Toronto: Trial, 297.
“the most dangerous man: Schechter, 315.
“That he fully intended: Geyer, 317.
“I am convinced: Philadelphia Inquirer, April 12, 1896.
“Here I left them: Ibid.
“It will be understood: Ibid.
His lawyers turned down: Franke, 189.
The Wistar Institute: Philadelphia Inquirer, May 10, 1896.
“The man was something: Ibid.
“Take your time, old man: Philadelphia Inquirer, May 8, 1896. The Philadelphia Public Ledger of the same date offers a slightly different version: “Don’t be in a hurry, Aleck. Take your time.”
“Holmes’ idea: Philadelphia Inquirer, May 8, 1896.
Strange things: I derived this account mainly from news clippings gathered as an appendix in Holmes’s memoir. See Mudgett, after page 256. Schechter offers a nice distillation of these strange events on 333–37.
No stone: My observations.
In 1997: Stewart, 70.
Aboard the Olympic
“But—I know: Burnham to Millet, April 12, 1912, Moore Papers, Speech, Article and Book File, Burnham Correspondence, 1848–1927. Box 13, File 1.
Hon. F. D. Millet: Envelope, April 11, 1912, ibid.
The builder of both ships: Lynch, 159.
“I think it is nothing serious: Whyte, 314.
“Frank Millet, whom I loved: Hines, 359.
As he and his family traveled: Hines, 360, 433.
Both are buried: My observations. See also Hucke and Bielski, 13–30.