First Murders
第一次谋杀
The people who worked for Holmes soon got used to his quirky ways. He once invited a worker to step inside the safe and started yelling when Holmes closed the door to test if it was sound proof. His housekeeper would regularly catch him tip toeing round at night and the janitor who worked at the pharmacy recalled a time when Holmes showed him a collection of fake beards and other disguises. In 1890, Holmes decided to sell the drugstore business in order to focus on real estate. Unsurprisingly, the sale turned into another swindle. After the new owner took possession, he was shocked to find that much of the floor stock had not been paid for, with repossession agents claiming them back. Still Holmes managed to talk his way out of trouble. In fact, even though he no longer owned the drugstore he still spent a lot of time there. He happened to be on hand one day when one of the new investors turned up with important information to share. The man inexplicably collapsed right outside the drugstore. Holmes was the first one to his side, pouring a dark liquid down the man's throat. Within minutes he was dead... This was the likely the first person to die at the hands of Dr. Holmes, killed likely because he knew too much about the mad medic, although we'll never know what that information really was...
为贺姆斯工作的人对他的古怪行为已经习以为常。一次,他让一名员工走进保险箱里叫喊,然后他关上门来测试它是否隔音。贺姆斯的管家发现他经常在晚上踮脚走路,药店的门卫记得有一次贺姆斯给他看过自己收集的假胡子和其他伪装物。1890年,贺姆斯决定将药房出售,投身于房地产行业。毫不意外,这次售卖也是一场骗局。药房的新主人接手后,他发现许多存货都没有付款,因此感到十分震惊,而代理人要将其收回。贺姆斯仍然设法逃过一劫。事实上,他虽然不再是药店老板,却仍在那里待了很长一段时间。一天,一个新投资商有一些重要信息要分享,这时他碰巧在场。这人莫名其妙地在药店门口倒下了。贺姆斯是第一个到他身边的人,他将黑色的液体灌入那男子的喉咙。几分钟,他就死了……他可能是贺姆斯杀死的第一个人,贺姆斯杀害他可能是因为他知道很多关于这名疯狂医师的事情,尽管我们永远不会知道这些事情是什么……
In July of 1889, Holmes employed a young couple, Ned and Julia Connor, who worked in the pharmacy and lived on the second floor of the recently completed Englewood building. Within a month, Holmes and Julia were engaged in a torrid affair, even as Myrtle lived under the same roof. This, understandably drove a wedge between the couple, with Ned filing for divorce and quitting Holmes' employ. Julia now started to entangle herself in Holmes' financial web. He listed her as the co-founder of a number of businesses and took out numerous debts in her name. Then, on July 4th 1891, Julia and her eight-year old daughter Pearl disappeared off the face of the earth. The bodies were never discovered and Holmes never confessed to murdering them, but it seems quite likely that they were the next victims of the deadly doctor. Around this time, Holmes started a completely new business, the Warner Glass-bending Company. Though he actually knew nothing about glass bending, he convinced those who would listen that he had invented a unique glass bending technique. To perfect it he'd built a furnace in the basement of his two story building and made a great show of setting to work, though no one actually saw him bend any glass.
1889年7月,贺姆斯雇用了一对年轻夫妇:尼德和茱莉亚·寇娜,他们在药店工作,住在恩格尔伍德新建大楼的二层。在一个月的时间里,贺姆斯和茱莉亚就订了婚,而默特尔甚至还住在同一屋檐下。这件事令这对夫妇产生了隔阂,这是可以理解的。尼德提出离婚,并从贺姆斯那里辞职了。茱莉亚开始介入贺姆斯的财务网。他把她列为多家公司的联合创始人,还把许多债务列到她的名下。1891年7月4日,茱莉亚和她8岁的女儿珀尔人间蒸发了。二人的尸体未被找到,贺姆斯也不承认自己谋杀了她们,但她们极有可能是被这名致命医师杀害的另两名受害者。大概在这个时候,贺姆斯开了一家新公司:沃纳玻璃弯曲公司。尽管他对玻璃弯曲一无所知,但那些听说他曾发明过一种独特的玻璃弯曲技术的人都被他说服了。为了使谎言变得完美,他在自己两层楼房的地下室里造了个熔炉,展示出他将要工作的场景,尽管没人看见过他在弯曲玻璃。
Serial Killer
连环杀人犯
After the establishment of his basement furnace, the disappearance of young women who came into Holmes' circle became more frequent. First there was Emeline Cigrand, who came to Chicago looking for work in May, 1892. Holmes employed her as a typewriter girl and was soon getting much more for his money... When the girl disappeared around Christmas time, Holmes dismissed it with what was to become a common explanation: "She's gone to Europe to get married." By the end of 1892, the whole city of Chicago was abuzz with the prospect of the approaching World's Fair in celebration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus' landing on the Americas. Never one to pass up an opportunity, Holmes quickly had a third story put onto his building to serve as a hotel. However, he never really intended to use the floor as a hotel...
贺姆斯建造完地下室的熔炉后,那些进入他生活的女性就经常消失的无影无踪了。先是1892年5月来到芝加哥找工作的艾米琳·奇格兰德。贺姆斯雇用她为打字员,她马上就为他挣了许多钱……这个女孩在圣诞节前后消失,那时,贺姆斯用了一个常见的解释:“她去欧洲结婚了。”1892年年末,芝加哥全城都变得喧闹起来,因为这里即将举行世界博览会,来庆祝哥伦布发现美洲400周年。贺姆斯可不会错过任何一次机会,他迅速地建起了楼房的第三层,并把它当成了旅馆。然而,他并不想要用这层做旅馆……
The amount Holmes could make renting out rooms was small potatoes compared with what he could make by convincing others that he was opening a hotel. With such a venture in the works, he could raise money from investors who'd never see a penny back. He could also buy up innumerable goods on credit to sell without paying for them and, as a final windfall, make thousands in insurance money by setting fire to the building. Despite the popular notion that the Holmes hotel was flourishing during the World's Fair, luring countless women to their death, there are no records that he even took in a single paying customer. When he set the structure ablaze on August 13th, 1893, to claim the insurance, the only people on site were long term residents. The resulting claim would spend years going through the courts, by which time the claimant would be behind bars...
贺姆斯为了说服别人他要开旅馆,说自己有多间房间,而他可以租出去当旅馆的房间数量却比这少多了。有了这一风险投资,他就可以从投资商那里获得资金,而他们却不会获得任何回报。他还赊账买了大量物品,然后卖了出去,而且并未还钱,最后通过放火烧了大楼获得了一笔巨额保险。除了大家普遍认为贺姆斯的旅馆在世界博览会期间生意火爆、引诱无数女性致死之外,并无记录显示他收过付钱的顾客。1893年8月13日,他为了向保险公司提出索赔,放火烧掉了这栋楼房,唯一在场的是一个长期住在这里的人。索赔过程耗费了许多年,经过多次法庭审理,在这个时候,索赔人应该被送进监狱……
Texas
得克萨斯州
With mounting lawsuits, Holmes decided that it was time to quit Chicago. His travels took him to Denver, Fort Worth, Texas, St. Louis and, finally Philadelphia. Along the way he got married once more, this time to a 23-year old with a two-thousand dollar inheritance. He also fell in with a like minded swindler by the name of Benjamin Pietzel. Pietzel got himself thrown in jail for passing bad checks and while he was inside, Holmes began paying the premiums on his life insurance policy. When he got out, the two joined forces and purchased a vacant lot in Fort Worth. Here they set about building a replica of the complex that Holmes had built then burnt to the ground in Chicago. Just like the original building, the Texas hotel featured a number of strange passages and twists. But just what Holmes planned to do with the building is unclear.
贺姆斯背负许多官司,因此他决定离开芝加哥。他去了丹佛、德州的沃思堡、圣路易斯,最后去了费城。在旅途中他又一次结婚了,这回是和一个获得2000美元遗产的23岁女孩。他还和一个叫本杰明·佩策尔的骗子混在了一起。佩策尔因使用空头支票入狱,在此期间,贺姆斯开始给自己的人寿保险支付保费。他出狱时,二人一起在沃思堡买了一块空地。在那里,他们开始建造起一栋复制品——贺姆斯在芝加哥烧毁的那栋建筑的复制品。正如那栋原始建筑物一样,德州旅馆也有许多诡异的走廊和拐弯。但贺姆斯计划用这栋大楼做什么就不得而知了。
He didn't hang around long enough to use it. What he and Pietzel did do was to take out tens of thousands of dollars in mortgages on it, and then disappear without making more than a couple of token payments. The two moved on to St. Louis where Holmes bought a drug store for a down payment of $50 and promissory notes that were completely worthless. Pietzel then approached a drugstore supplier and convinced them that he was interested in buying the drugstore from Holmes. If they lent him the money, he would use them as his main supplier. They agreed. This swindle came unstuck when the drugstore's rep called in the next day, only to find the place shuttered up. He got suspicious and called in the authorities. Holmes was arrested and spent three days in jail.
他没有留在那里多久,也没有使用这栋大楼。他和佩策尔拿出数万美元的抵押贷款,之后并未作出象征性支付便消失了。二人去了圣路易斯,在那里,贺姆斯买下了一家药店,定金是50美元,而本票则不值一点钱。之后,佩策尔到了药店供货商那里,跟他们说他想从贺姆斯手里买下这家药店。如果他们借他钱的话,他就会经常从他们那里进货。他们同意了。药店代表第二天打电话时,发现药店关门了,这个骗子不知道该如何是好。他遭到了怀疑,被当局叫走了。贺姆斯被逮捕,在监狱里关了三天。
Downfall
没落
On his release, Holmes headed for Philadelphia and the swindle that would prove his undoing. Here he planned to make good on those insurance premiums he'd paid for Pietzel a few months back. The two men had long been scheming to defraud the Fidelity Mutual Insurance Company by faking Pietzel's death and splitting the proceeds. In early September, however, Peitzel got cold feet and wanted to back out. An unhappy Holmes agreed to meet up the next day to further discuss the issue. When he turned up at Pietzel's address, Holmes proceeded to get him drunk.
贺姆斯被释放后,他去了费城,而他制造的骗局失败了。在那里,他计划好好利用几个月前为佩策尔交的保费。二人早就计划通过伪造佩策尔死亡、均分所得利益来诈取富达互助保险公司一笔钱。但在9月初,佩策尔临阵退缩想要退出。贺姆斯很生气,决定第二天和佩策尔见一面,进一步商量这件事。贺姆斯来到佩策尔的家,把他灌醉了。
Then he knocked him out with a choloroform handkerchief, increasing the dosage until his old friend was dead. Holmes then attempted to stage the scene to make it look like an accident. Then, with his 23-year old wife in tow, he jumped on a train for Indianapolis, intent on securing the $10,000 insurance payout. In the end the payout was made to Pietzel's widow but Holmes convinced her that her husband had died owing him $7,500 for the Texas building. She handed the money over. As an act of graciousness, Holmes agreed to accompany the three Pietzel children to Indianapolis where they were to stay with their aunt. Before he could deliver them, however, he discovered that he was a wanted man. Authorities from a number of states, including Philadelphia, were keen to talk to him...
然后他用沾满麻醉剂的手帕把他弄昏迷,他增加了麻醉剂的用量,直到把他的老朋友弄死。贺姆斯试图把犯罪现场制造成一场事故。然后,他带着23岁的妻子跳上了去往印第安纳波利斯的火车,为了把1万美元的保险金弄到手。最后,保险金落到了佩策尔遗孀手中,但贺姆斯跟她说,她丈夫生前在德州大楼项目上欠了他7500美元。她把钱给他了。贺姆斯看似好心地同意陪着佩策尔的三个孩子去印第安纳波利斯,他们将会和他们的姨妈一起住。但在他送走他们之前,他发现自己被通缉了。费城等几个州当局都非常希望和他谈谈……
Manhunt and Death
搜捕和死亡
Now officially on the run, he moved the children all over the countryside. At some point, he decided that the children would have to die. The youngest, eight-year old Howard, was poisoned with cyanide, while the two girls were likely gassed to death. The bodies were buried in a cellar. By now detectives were hot on Holmes' trail. They finally caught up with him in Boston and, of all things, arrested him for horse theft. A raft of further charges followed and in October, 1895, he was convicted of murdering Benjamin Pietzel. Holmes subsequently confessed to 27 murders and was hanged on May 7, 1896. His dying wish was for his body to be buried under ten feet of concrete to prevent grave robbers from stealing and dissecting his body – a luxury he denied many of his victims.
如今,被官方通缉的贺姆斯把孩子们转移到了乡下。在某一刻,他决定杀死这些孩子。8岁的霍华德是最小的孩子,他被氰化物毒死了,两名女孩则是用毒气杀死的。他们的尸体都被埋在了地下室。这时,侦探们非常急于抓捕贺姆斯。他们最终在波士顿以偷马的罪名抓到了他。1895年10月,许多指控被列举出来,贺姆斯被定罪谋杀本杰明·佩策尔。贺姆斯随后供认27起谋杀案,并于1896年5月7日处以绞刑。他临死前希望遗体能埋在混凝土下10英尺,以防止盗墓贼偷走并解剖——许多被他害死的人都是这样被他处理的,但他不承认自己很享受这个过程。
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