Devil In The White City

"Chicago's population had topped one million for the first time, making the city the second most populous in the nation after New York"(Larson 13).

In 1890 Chicago was named the second largest city in America by the American city census. This is important because their growing population was one of the reasons that they were selected to host the world fair.

"On the afternoon of Monday, February 24, 1890, two thousand people gathered on the sidewalk and outside of the offices of the Chicago Tribune," they were waiting outside the offices so they could receive the news of who won the vote to get the world fair(Larson 13).

The citizens of Chicago were eager to receive the news of who one the vote to host The World's Fair.

"On January 5, 1891, the Committee on Grounds and Buildings authorized Burnham to offer formal commissions to all ten architects and pay each $10,000 (equivalent today to about $300,000)(Larson 84).

This has great importance because this is where Burnham selects ten highly renowned architects to do the architecture of The World's Fair.

"On Tuesday, February 24, 1891, Burnham, Olmstead, Hunt, and the other architects gathered in the library on the top floor of the Rookery to present drawings of the fair's main structures to the Grounds and Building Committee"(Larson 113).

This is important because the architects have the main structures of The World's Fair ready to present which is a big step towards getting ready for the fair.

"Her eyelids stuttered then closed...After a few moments he reached for her wrist and felt her pulse fade to nothing..."(Larson 148).

"He stoppered the chloroform, found a fresh cloth, and walked down the hall to Pearl's room"(Larson 149).

Holmes killed Julia with the chloroform then did the same to her daughter.

"Holmes had lured a woman into the vault... Holmes then closed the airtight door to lock her inside"(Larson 191).

Holmes lured Emeline into the airtight vault and closed the door locking her inside. In an attempt to get out she tried to kick the door open, leaving a footprint on the door because of the acid that was in the vault.

May 1, 1893 marked the first day the World's Fair opened.

"The forces that had been battering the nations economy erupted in a panic on Wall Street that caused stock prices to plummet"(Larson 239).

The panic of Wall Street, and the stock prices plummeting, was a traumatic event because many banks had to close down which resulted in less people coming to the fair. The fair was in great jeopardy of becoming one of the greatest failures of all time.

"On July 5, 1894, arsonists set fire to the... Post's immense Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building, Hunt's dome, Sullivan's Golden Door, all of them"(Larson 335).

Because of George Pullman cutting jobs and wages there was many strikes. The strikers eventually ended up burning down seven of the most significant places of the exposition.

"First they made a broad survey of the building... the eeriest phase of the investigation began when the police, holding their flickering lanterns high entered the hotel basement...The discoveries came quickly: a vat of acid with eight ribs and a part of a skull settled at the bottom; mounds of quicklime; a large kiln; a dissection table stained with what seemed to be blood"(Larson 364).

Chicago detectives began looking into Holmes because they suspected him for murders and they ended up finding a lot of evidence while searching his "castle".