What was the "Murder Castle" in which HH Holmes is said to have killed countless victims REALLY like? Where did the secret passages lead? What was it like to live and work in the building?
Adam Selzer, author of THE GHOSTS OF CHICAGO (Llewellyn 2013), THE SMART ALECK'S GUIDE TO AMERICAN HISTORY (Random House 2009), and others, who regularly speaks about Holmes on such programs as Haunted History and Hotel History, takes his "what do we know and how to we know it" approach to this fascinating topic, curating this collection of diagrams, drawings, eyewitness accounts, and more, each with detailed background information and analysis. Newly edited to present the stories in a more chronological order, and now stretching to 55,000 words, the book contains everything - right down to the combination to the soundproof vault! It includes:
- More than three dozen diagrams, drawings and pictures, many seen here for the first time since the 1890s
- A lengthy long-lost interview with Holmes conducted in his jail cell about the castle, his life, and his personal beliefs. Would Holmes prefer hanging or execution? Did he believe in ghosts and the supernatural? Find out here (assuming he was telling the truth!)
- Copies of legal records relating to the "castle."
- Dozens of first-hand accounts about life in and around the castle, both during Holmes' time there and during the 1895 investigation.
- Detailed information about seldom-heard stories about Holmes, including his near-gunfight with a neighbor, the man who died in the castle drugstore,and many more.
- In-depth background info, contextual information and analysis about each source, as well as info on the relatives merits of the many Chicago newspapers of the 1890s.
- Selzer's own report about what the basement beneath the post office built on the castle grounds is like.
- and much more!
This is, in short, the most complete collection of primary source information about the famous Castle, compiled over several years and now presented with all necessary background information. If DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY piqued your curiosity about what the castle was like, you'll find no better source of cold, hard facts about the famous "murder castle" than you'll find right here. Includes an active table of contents and internal links to easily navigate the dozens of chapters.
