HISTORY This Week – “The Haunting Case of H.H. Holmes”

Released October 27, 2025
Host: Sally Helm
Guest/Expert: Adam Seltzer, author and Chicago tour guide

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dives into the legend and reality of H.H. Holmes, the notorious 19th-century criminal, often claimed to be "America’s first serial killer" and infamous for his so-called “Murder Castle” in Chicago. Through expert insights and detailed historical research, the episode explores the origins of the Holmes legend, separates fact from myth, and examines how media sensationalism both built and distorted the legacy of H.H. Holmes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The 1895 Trial and Public Perception

• The podcast begins in a Philadelphia courtroom (00:36), where H.H. Holmes—born Herman Mudgett—stands accused of killing Benjamin Peitzel.
• Jurors had already formed opinions due to the sensational press, which depicted Holmes as a monstrous, possibly prolific murderer.
• Sally Helm acknowledges the truth beneath the legend, noting Holmes did kill Peitzel and others, but much about the infamous “Murder Castle” and hundreds of supposed victims was fabricated or exaggerated by media.
  • Quote: “A lot of the news coverage about his murder castle and his crimes is pretty much made up.” — Sally Helm [03:25]

2. Chicago’s “Murder Castle” Reality vs. Myth

• Adam Seltzer, Holmes expert and author, describes the present-day site as “mostly a blank space next to a post office” [06:27].
• Original features are gone, and Seltzer debunks much of the folklore, noting his own experience as a Chicago tour guide and researcher.
• The castle’s legend (secret rooms, torture chambers) was amplified by yellow journalism and persists despite scant historical evidence.
  • Quote: “He swindled the Edna Iron and Steel Company. He swindled the construction company, he swindled the architects.” — Adam Seltzer [14:36]

3. Holmes’s Early Life and Psychological Profile

• Holmes was born Herman Mudgett in Gilmanton, NH, in 1861. Myths about a traumatic or abusive childhood don’t hold up.
• He had strabismus (misaligned eyes), which led to distrust from others and honed his skills in persuasion and lying from a young age.
  • “He lied when he didn’t have to, he lied when it only made things harder for him.” — Adam Seltzer [10:32]
• Fascination with anatomy was genuine; stories about morbid incidents in youth and medical school have mixed reliability.

4. Initial Crimes: Fraud, Swindles, and First Killings

• Holmes adopted the name H.H. Holmes after arriving in Chicago; the origins are unclear, but not likely inspired by Sherlock Holmes.
• Holmes’s early scams included buying barber equipment on credit for his pharmacy and not paying, which set a lifelong pattern.
  • “Once he got away with a couple of things, he just wanted to keep on doing it.” — Adam Seltzer [13:42]
• First major murder: Julia Connor and her daughter Pearl (Christmas 1891); Holmes consistently claimed Julia died during an abortion, but evidence suggests Pearl was poisoned.
• Other women, like Emmeline Sigrand and sisters Minnie and Nannie Williams, entered Holmes’s orbit and soon vanished.

5. The World’s Fair and Hotel Scheme

• The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair presented another opportunity: Holmes claimed he was building a hotel for fair-goers, but there’s no evidence it was ever functional. It was primarily another swindle—he burned the incomplete third floor for insurance money [18:50].

6. Escalating Crimes and The Peitzel Murders

• Holmes convinced business associate Benjamin Peitzel to join a fake-death insurance scam but instead killed him with chloroform [20:53].
• Holmes then took custody of Peitzel’s three children under false pretenses; he killed all three while keeping their mother in the dark [22:14].
  • “He was telling them that any minute now we’re going to see your father. He was telling their mother that their father is still alive. This is a big scam.” — Adam Seltzer [22:19]

7. Capture and The Sensational Investigation

• Arrested in Boston, Holmes confessed to insurance scams, hoping to avoid harsh punishment in Texas for horse theft.
• Authorities tracked Holmes's path, and detective Frank Geyer uncovered the corpses of the Peitzel children in Toronto and Indianapolis [24:33].

8. The Media Circus and the Making of a Legend

• Police and journalists flooded the so-called Murder Castle, indiscriminately handling evidence and letting imagination fill the gaps.
  • “It was not exactly what you would call a professional investigation.” — Adam Seltzer [25:40]
• Newspapers like the New York World created diagrams and lurid room names (“Secret Hanging Chamber,” “Death Shaft”), fueling the myth of hundreds of hidden victims [27:16].
  • “If you’ve ever looked up Holmes online, you’ve probably seen the diagram... It’s a really entertaining article… also filling in a lot of blanks with their own imagination.” — Adam Seltzer [27:16]
• The public, hungry for monstrous tales, was easily swept up.

9. Trial, Confession, and Execution

• Holmes’s Philadelphia trial for Peitzel’s murder was dramatic: his lawyers briefly quit, he self-represented, and witnesses like Carrie Peitzel offered heart-wrenching testimony. Holmes reportedly showed no remorse during trial but reacted emotionally when his third wife, Georgiana, refused to use his name [30:39].
• The press competed for Holmes’s confession, and he ultimately claimed 27 victims—many proven, posthumously, to be alive or nonexistent. Evidence supports only 9 confirmed murders.
  • “Of those [27], at least half a dozen were still alive. Several others were fiction. There’s really just nine that we know of.” — Adam Seltzer [32:00]
• In 1896, Holmes was hanged. At his request, he was buried in a giant block of cement to prevent his skeleton being displayed.
  • “He had been getting offers from people who wanted to put his skeleton on display at a carnival. He didn’t like the idea of that.” — Adam Seltzer [32:51]

10. Lasting Legacy and Historical Lessons

• The H.H. Holmes legend was routinely revived in media and literature, drawing from early yellow journalism and sensational embellishments.
• Seltzer reflects on the cautionary tales of such myths, asking how many other historical stories are remembered not for their truth, but for their most sensational iterations.
  • “There’s this great game of telephone that takes place over the course of several decades and we just remember the wildest parts of the stories.” — Adam Seltzer [33:49]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On separating fact from legend:
  “If we trace things back and kind of peel back the onion, we eventually do find some of the real story.” — Adam Seltzer [09:23]

• On Holmes’s compulsive lying:
  “He lied to the census man, he lied almost constantly. I’m not qualified to diagnose whether it was pathological, but it sure seems to have been.” — Adam Seltzer [10:32]

• Regarding the media circus at the Crime Scene:
  “They let reporters go digging through things with their bare hands, let them handle all of the evidence...” — Adam Seltzer [25:40]

• On the power of sensational journalism:
  “The number of people who went to Chicago for the fair and didn't come back was a long one... They started speculating how many of these people might have gone to H.H. Holmes Hotel.” — Sally Helm, paraphrasing The New York World [27:44]

• Reflecting on historical mythmaking:
  “How many other stories could we go back and find? If you look at the contemporary accounts and all the stuff in the legal archives, you might find some totally different story.” — Adam Seltzer [33:49]

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:36 – Introduction to the Holmes trial, the legend’s origins
• 06:27 – Description of the present-day “castle” site, beginning myth-busting
• 10:15 – Holmes’s childhood and early psychological profile
• 13:19 – Pattern of scams begins; credit fraud and personality traits
• 15:39 – First confirmed killings (Julia and Pearl Connor)
• 18:29 – The Chicago World’s Fair and the hotel scam
• 20:53 – Murder of Benjamin Peitzel, the insurance scam
• 22:14 – The murder of the Peitzel children
• 24:33 – Discovery of victims, Detective Geyer’s work
• 25:27 – Police investigation and press intrusion
• 27:16 – The New York World's lurid “murder castle” schematic
• 30:19 – Trial proceedings, Carrie's testimony, and media frenzy
• 32:00 – False confessions, press competition, and confirmed body count
• 32:51 – Execution and Holmes’s final requests
• 33:49 – Reflections on legacy, legend, and historical narrative

Episode Takeaway

This episode rigorously contrasts the facts about H.H. Holmes and his crimes with the sensational legends that have endured for over a century. Through Seltzer’s research and first-hand knowledge, the podcast demonstrates how media, public fascination, and historical telephone have built “America’s first serial killer” into a dubious icon of evil—reminding listeners to question what lurks behind history’s most lurid stories.