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H.H. Holmes Part 5

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May 22, 2023

01:31:04

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INSIGHT

Why The Holmes Equals Jack The Ripper Theory Falls Short

Jeff Mudgett argues H.H. Holmes is Jack the Ripper based on handwriting, physical matches, and alleged travel, but hosts find the evidence weak and circumstantial.
They highlight mismatched facial features, implausible Dear Boss details, and lack of solid ship manifests as key flaws.

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INSIGHT

Why The Dear Boss Letter Looks Like A Hoax

The Dear Boss letter's details (news agency routing, postmark timing, blood-in-ginger-jar claim) strongly suggest a journalist prank or hoax, not the killer's authentic note.
George Sims argued sending to Central News betrays press insider knowledge; postmark and blood coagulation contradict claimed timing.

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ANECDOTE

Holmes Went Home Then Immediately Fled

Holmes returned briefly to New Hampshire claiming amnesia, nostalgia, and a desire to reclaim his birth identity Herman Mudgett.
He left after two days, sent a telegram to Georgiana, then checked into Boston hotels as Mr and Mrs H M Howell.

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Why People Think He's Jack the Ripper

02:01 • 3min

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The Legend of H.H. Holmes

04:33 • 2min

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The Jack the Ripper Case

06:55 • 2min

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H.H. Holmes's Photo of Jack the Ripper

08:59 • 4min

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The Origins of Holmes

The Central News: A Receptacle for Confidence

19:07 • 2min

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The Jokest's Communication to an Agency Serving the Press

21:20 • 2min

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How to Eliminate Cat Box Stink in Your Home

23:38 • 4min

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Jack the Ripper: A Fucking Fiend's Legacy

Holmes Continues His Bullshit

33:51 • 3min

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Herman Webster Budget's Memoirs

Hello, Fresh: America's Number One Meal Kit

50:54 • 3min

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The Case of Benjamin Pitezel

53:55 • 3min

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The Story of Millie Minnie and Nanny Williams

56:59 • 4min

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The Trial of Sherlock Holmes

01:01:19 • 2min

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The Case of Gayer and Holmes

01:03:26 • 4min

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The Mystery of H.H. Holmes

01:07:51 • 4min

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The Trial of Sherlock Holmes

01:12:05 • 5min

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The Story of Michael Jackson's Death

01:16:51 • 4min

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The Deception of a Man's Hunt for a Dead Wife

01:20:50 • 2min

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How Holmes' Defense Attorneys Argued for a New Trial Date

01:23:05 • 4min

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The Most Awful Story of Modern Times, Told by the Fiend in Human Shape

01:27:03 • 3min

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The Death of Benjamin Picell

01:29:57 • 4min

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The Death of Kerry Pitezel

In the final chapter of our coverage of H.H.Holmes, we talk about the theories connecting him to Jack the Ripper, his final days on the run and a trial and execution that has gone down in history.

Thank you to Dave White for research assistance.

References

Boston Daily Globe. 1895. "At Burlington." Boston Daily Globe, August 8: 7.

—. 1894. "Believes husband dead." Boston Daily Globe, November 20: 1.

—. 1895. "Hard and Selfish." Boston Daily Globe, August 7: 5.

—. 1894. "In the toils." Boston Daily Globe, November 18: 1.

—. 1895. "Mother's Love." Boston Daily Globe, August 6: 5.

Chicago Chronicle. 1895. "Tells of one crime." Chicago Chronicle, July 30: 2.

—. 1895. "Trail of the fiend." Chicago Chronicle, July 21: 1.

Chicago Tribune. 1894. "Spins his own web." Chacgo Tribune, November 22: 1.

—. 1895. "Holmes recognized in Toronto." Chcago Tribune, July 17: 12.

Daily Boston Globe. 1895. "Good Fisherman." Daily Boston Globe, August 9: 4.

Galveston Daily News. 1894. "Two Texas Girls." Galveston Daily News, November 22: 1.

Geyer, Frank P. 1896. The Holmes-Pitezel Case: A History of the Greatest Crime of the Century and of the Search for the Missing Pitezel Children. Philadelphia, PA: Publishers' Union.

Kerns, Rebecca, Tiffany Lewis, and Cailtin McClure. 2012. Herman Webster Mudgett: Dr. H.H. Holmes or Beast of Chicago. Lecture, Radford, VA: Department of Psychology, Radford University.

Larson, Erik. 2003. Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. New York, NY: Crown Publishers.

Mudgett, Herman W. 1895. Holmes' Own Story. Philadelphia, PA: Burke and McFetridge Company.

New York Times. 1895. "A boy Holmes' first victim." New York Times, July 31: 3.

—. 1896. "Appeal of murderer Holmes." New York Times, February 4: 8.

—. 1895. "Claims an alibi." New York Times, July 17: 1.

—. 1896. "Holmes cool to the end." New York Times, May 8: 1.

—. 1895. "Holmes enters a plea of guilty." New York Times, May 29: 1.

—. 1896. "Holmes in a ton of cement." New York Times, May 9: 1.

—. 1895. "Holmes sentenced to die." New York Times, December 1: 13.

—. 1894. "May be charged with murder." New York Times, November 19: 2.

—. 1895. "The Williams girls' fate." New York Times, July 21: 10.

Philadelphia Inquirer. 1894. "Cause of death a mystery." Philadelphia Inquirer, September 6: 6.

—. 1896. "Holmes' chronology." Philadelphia Inquirer, April 12: 18.

—. 1896. "Holmes Confesses 27 murders." Philadelphia Inquirer, April 26: 1.

Philadelphia Times. 1894. "All looking for Pitezel." Philadelphia Times, November 21: 1.

—. 1894. "Perry's Peculiar Death." Philadelphia Times, September 5: 3.

Selzer, Adam. 2017. H.H. Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil. New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1894. "Arrested Again." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 29: 8.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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