Herman Webster Mudgett, best known as H. H. Holmes, was a serial killer who resided in Chicago from 1886 until 1893. While there, Holmes murdered countless victims without so much as a question from Chicago Police. One question that plagues people today is how he managed to evade police for those seven years. That question has a variety of answers. Holmes was able to avoid capture by being clever, choosing victims near him, and because the police were occupied by the World’s Fair. Not only was the Chicago Police force busied by the World’s Fair, but their focus was not on apprehending those who had already committed crimes. According to J. Bonfield, police were focused on preventing crime from being committed in the first place. “Police protection, …show more content…
During the late nineteenth century, police often thought of those within the upper society of a city as beyond suspicion. “[Holmes] walked with confidence and dressed well, conjuring the impression of wealth and achievement” (Larson 35). By creating the illusion of being in the upper class, Holmes was able to avoid questioning gazes that were sent his way. Along with that, Holmes was careful and clever in the way he built his “murder castle.” The strategy he employed in building allowed very few to know what exactly was being built. “He did not consult an architect… To hire an architect would have meant revealing the true character of the structure…” (Larson 66). “As workers came to him for their wages, he berated them for doing shoddy work and refused to pay them… The high rate of turnover had the corollary benefit of keeping to a minimum the number of individuals who understood the building’s secrets” (67). The combination of not hiring an architect and hiring new workers constantly, allowed Holmes to be in complete control of his building site. With only himself and his accomplices knowing the details of the mansion, no worker gained enough suspicion to go to the police, which allowed Holmes to avoid
Solutions used to deter and prevent crime in the film End of Watch (Ayer, 2012) focused on police and the duties officers perform while on patrol. In the movie, police officers played a central role in the capture of many gang and drug cartel members. This was told through the perspective of officers Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala. Therefore, the solution to crime concentrated on the police involvement, in this case Taylor and Zavala, through their presence, protection, arrests, and investigations. This solution could be generalized and would be possible through the hard work of dedicated police officers.
Erick Larson wrote in Devil in the White City, “I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing – I was born with the Evil One standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered in the world, and he has been with me since” (Troy, Taylor). This statement was a quoted confession from Dr. H. H. Holmes himself in 1896. Holmes was the first major serial killer in America, even though he came after many others in his time. Thomas Neil Cream, the Austin Axe Murderer, the Bloody Benders, and Jack the Ripper came before him. His name was originally Herman Webster Mudgett. He was born on May 16th, 1860 in Gilman, New Hampshire. He was raised by his mother and father, who was a wealthy and respected citizen for 25 years. As a boy, Mudgett was always in trouble and was well known in his community for his rather sociopathic behavior. He would show cruelty to both animals and other children. The only thing keeping hope to society was the fact that he was an excellent student. He later changed his last name to Holmes in order to pursue both his medical and criminal careers. He had many other aliases in which he would hide under and try to derail the cops from finding him (Juan, Blanco). Holmes was medically trained to be a doctor and received his degree from the University of Michigan. He was not just into insurance fraud scams. His evil doings included forgery, claiming to find the cure for alcoholism, real estate scams, and pretending to have a machine that turned natural gas into water. He was quite the ladies man, had many wives, whom often had become his victims. Many of his medical partners became subject to him, also. He once even had three wiv...
In the early 1900’s the Boston police were ranked among the best law enforcement groups in the world. Underneath this reputation of being one of the best in the world, the police department was having some trouble. Most of the police stations were old and deteriorating. An officer would have to many hours a week. The pay for most policemen were very low. While inflation was in much affect the policeman’s salary stayed the same. And the men were promised raises but never saw much more than they had already made. The Boston city policemen were very angry over these iss...
The Chicago Police Department has come a long way. It actually came about before Chicago became a city. On August 15 of 1835 a man by the name of Orsemus Morrison was elected as Chicago’s first constable, along with Luther Nichols and John Shrigley. They were a three-man police force that served and protected about 3,200 people. In 1855 there was a major reorganization. Captain Cyrus P. Bradley combined the day and night watches, increased the force by six times the number of officers, divided the City into three police precincts, and introduced a more professional, efficient command staff. Over the years female officers began to join the force, police cars were introduced, as well as police motorcycles and boats, and the first crime laboratory was established. In 1993 the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) was introduced. Superintendent Rodriguez introduced Chicago's community policing program (CAPS) in five districts. The program was implemented in all police districts in 1994 and serves as a model for several community polic...
The first floor consisted of a drug store, candy store, jewelry store and restaurant. The second floor was a labyrinth of narrow hallways, rooms lined with sheet iron of asbestos, trap doors, and lethal gas jets. Seven feet below the building, known as the “chamber of horrors”, was a room that contained a dissecting table, torture devices, jars of poisons, a crematorium, and a wooden box that contained female skeletons. After a search of the ashes, investigators found a watch that had belonged to Minnie Williams along with a ball of hair that had been carefully wrapped in cloth. Police detectives found two naked footprints in a pile of quicklime outside of the vat of corrosive acid. Other human bones and jewelry were found that could be traced back to Holmes’s mistresses; Ned Connor was called upon to identify a bloody dress that Julia had owned, and Pearl Connor’s bones were found in a hole in the middle of the floor. Following his conviction for the death of Ben Pietzel, Holmes confessed to 30 murders and six attempted murders. However, some investigators now believe that he killed over 200 people. His trial took six days, and Holmes was eventually given the death sentence on November 30, 1895. On May 7, 1896 at 10:25 a.m., the coroner pronounced Holmes dead after being
In these stories one of the most serious issues plaguing Chicago is crime. Crime in the article The Coldest Case: The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre is seen as the most amazing crime in Chicago’s amazing criminal history (Eig). Larson illustrates a scene of crime as he says, “He spotted mutilated bodies on the floor and inhaled the stench of blood. That is not the only historical issue plaguing Chicago for crime, but the book For the Thrill of it by Simon Baatz also explains its crime background. Baat...
He was very smart and successful in what he did. I believe that if a few things would have gone differently for Herman when he was a child, Holmes might have never existed. Henry H. Holmes was a clever individual; some might even say a genius. Most serial killers work alone and rarely ever finish college. Holmes not only finished college, but also graduated from medical school. Holmes always stood out from the others, and I believe that if some of the different techniques we have presently would’ve been used on Holmes as a child, his behavior could have been controlled and even prevented. Instead of becoming the genius he had the potential to be, Herman Mudgett became America’s first serial
It is a myth to believe that an officers job is spend fighting dangerous crimes, in reality officers spend more time handing smaller cases. For example, police officers spend a lot of time doing daily tasks such as giving speeding tickets and being mediators in disputes (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Handing out speeding tickers and handling minor disputes are far from fighting crime. Police officers spend more time doing preventive measures (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Preventive measures involve officers intervening to prevent further altercations. Victor Kappeler and Gary Potter discussed the myth of crime fighting as invalid and misleading notions of an officer’s employment.
As elucidated above, William Bratton successfully engages the audience in thinking about the possibility of having responsible cops and a functional police department. He does so by explaining and revealing how new strategies changed the entire operations of the NYPD and other police departments in America. Though not flawless, the book is fascinating, informing and interesting for learners and law enforcers.
The Chicago World Fair brought about through the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus landing in America has posed significant value and worth to the city of Chicago. Over a six-month period, more than 26 million visitors from all over the world would flock to the fairgrounds to experience the rebuilt and vibrant city of Chicago. The 600-acre fairground would have housed 200 buildings that showcased new food, art, technology, and entertainment. Chicago became known as the White City, a place of freedom, grandeur, and security. But unbeknownst to fairgoers, there was a serial killer among them. While Dr. H.H. Holmes lured his innocent victims to his “Castle”, just blocks away architect Daniel Burnham built up the dream city of Chicago. Both these men operated at the same time in history, simply blocks apart, both creating legacies that carry to this day. Burnham and Holmes are two side of the coin of human nature. In “The Devil in White City” Erik Larson’s juxtaposition of Burnham and Holmes, and the Black City and the White City, contributes to the understanding of human nature, that one cannot be good without having done evil, and that good and evil are viewed as complementary in their mutual dependence.
By the turn of the twentieth century, criticism was developing over the ineffective and illegitimate character of local police departments. During this time period, the Progressive Era, many changes were taking place in America. Urbanization was bringing many people to large, increasingly industrial cities of the day. City officials were required to redesign many facets of urban life as cities continued to grow. This atmosphere of reform was also carried over into policing. Roberg et al. argues that the 1920s to 1960s were “probably the most significant period in the development of policing in the United States” (2012). During this time period, the foundations of professionalization were laid down. The reform model of policing dominated police work during this time period (Roberg et al. 2012). This model was characterized by a commitment to base the police-community relationship on law and police policy. It was now understood that police action should not be influenced by politics or personal opinions. To avoid this, police departments were now efficiently and centrally m...
Says, “Prosecutors allege that Holmes planned the violence for months, buying a rifle, a shotgun,
Walker, S., & Katz, C. (2012). Police in America: An Introduction (8th Edition ed.). New York:
Serial killers are everywhere! Well, perhaps not in our neighborhood, but on our television screens, at the movie theaters, and in rows and rows of books at our local Borders or Barnes and Nobles Booksellers” (Brown). When people think of serial killers, names such as Dahmer, Gacy, Bundy, and Gein are cited. During the time Jack the Ripper was executing his victims in London, Holmes began his gruesome career in Chicago (America’s Serial Killers). “Despite being America’s first serial killer, Holmes is hardly a familiar name and until now we haven’t had any popular visual record of his crimes: (Spikol). Why is it that people only think of the more popular killers with higher known profiles? They are all very similar to one another because they share characteristics. H.H. Holmes was a successful serial killer because he was well educated, cunning and charming. Those are just a few traits Holmes ...
Time may pass and personal morals may change, but one of the strengths of the United States of America is its unwavering dedication to justice. Throughout time, this country’s methods and laws have grown and adapted, but the basis of the law enforcement’s work has remained the same: the safety and interest of the people.