Holmes
- Holmes stands trial in the fall of 1895 for the murder of Benjamin Pitezel. The District Attorney brings thirty-five witnesses, but the judge rules that he can only present evidence tied directly to the Pitezel murder.
- And with that, a rich volume of details on Holmes' murders is erased from history.
- Holmes is found guilty and dubbed "the most dangerous man in the world" (5.3.7). Yeah, not the kind of superlative you want in your yearbook.
- Holmes is sentenced to death by hanging. (Fun fact: the electric chair made its debut at the Chicago World's Fair.)
- Awaiting execution, Holmes prepares a long confession. He admits to killing twenty-seven people.
- He also lies in his confession, claiming he's changed physically and is beginning to look like the devil. Okay, dude.
- Afraid science might steal his body after execution, he leaves behind strict instructions to refuse autopsy and seal his coffin with cement.
- It's hard for the guards at the gallows to do the deed. He is, after all, a "charming killer" (5.3.13).
- Holmes is executed May 7, 1896.
- Shortly after, strange things happen to those he had come into contact with:
- • Geyer becomes seriously ill
- • The warden of Moyamensing prison commits suicide
- • The jury foreman is electrocuted in a freak accident
- • The priest who delivered Holmes' last rights is found dead on the church grounds
- • Emeline Cigrand's father is burned in a boiler explosion
- • And a fire destroys the district attorney's office, leaving only a photograph of Holmes unscathed
- Maybe his claims of being the devil weren't that far-fetched?