This rare antique newspaper features a striking front-page headline focused on H.H. Holmes, one of America’s earliest and most notorious serial killers. Published during the height of national fascination with the Holmes case, the paper details his final days, confessions, crimes, and public reaction, capturing true crime history as it unfolded in real time. Printed in the late 19th century, this original period newspaper offers authentic insight into how the media portrayed Holmes, his murders, and the broader cultural shock surrounding the “Murder Castle” revelations.
An exceptional piece of true crime ephemera, this newspaper is highly sought after by collectors of serial killer history, historical crime journalism, and murderabilia. Ideal for display or archival preservation, it stands as a chilling primary-source document from one of the most infamous criminal cases in American history.
H. H. Holmes (Herman Webster Mudgett) was one of America’s earliest and most infamous serial killers, best known for his role in the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair murders. Operating out of his three-story building known as the “Murder Castle,” Holmes designed secret passages, soundproof rooms, trapdoors, and hidden chutes to trap and kill victims—mostly women who worked for or trusted him.
Holmes used a combination of fraud, seduction, and manipulation to lure victims, often taking out life insurance policies on them before murdering them. Many victims were killed using gas chambers, suffocation, dismemberment, and cremation, allowing him to destroy evidence and profit from their deaths.
Although Holmes confessed to 27 murders, historians believe the true number may be much higher, possibly exceeding 100 victims. He was convicted of murder in 1895 and executed by hanging in 1896. Today, H. H. Holmes remains a central figure in true crime history, symbolizing the dark side of America’s Gilded Age and one of the most chilling serial killer cases ever recorded.
