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,
