Within the Alienist books, many cases of true crime from the 19th century are discussed. Included here is basic information on the real people behind the crimes.
Alias: Dr. H. H. Holmes
Birth Date: 1861
Birth Place: Gilmanton, NH, USA
Died: May 7, 1896
Dr. H. H. Holmes is discussed several times in The Alienist as he was one of the most famous serial killers in the 19th century. He was born to Levi Horton Mudgett and Theodate Page Price in 1861. Initially, it is believed that he did not start out his criminal activities as a murderer. Rather, he committed fraud and forgery. Through his abilities in fraud, which must have been very high, he bought a Chicago pharmacy where he built a row of three-story buildings onto it. He later called this building "The Castle". One full story of the buildings comprised over 100 window-less rooms which were soundproof and were fitted with gas lines that allowed Holmes to asphyxiate his victims at any time he pleased. Once his victims were dead, they were dropped though a chute to the basement where they were cremated or had their organs sold to medical schools. It is believed that he tortured and killed between 30 and 100 victims, most of which were women. When he was finally caught, he confessed to 28 murders and 6 attempted murders. He was sentenced to death and later hanged on May 7, 1896 at 35 years of age.
Birth Date: November 29, 1859
Birth Place: Charlestown, MA, USA
Died: September 29, 1932
Jesse Pomeroy is included as a character in The Alienist and was notable as being the youngest criminal in Massachusetts ever to be charged with first degree murder. He was the youngest son of Thomas Pomeroy and Ruthann Pomeroy, and he had an older brother named Charles. When Jesse was twelve years old, there were reports that young boys had been getting lured into remote areas and attacked. As these cases continued, Jesse was arrested and was found guilty. At this trial, he was sentenced to several years at the Boys Reform School at Westborough, Massachusetts. Even so, in Feburary of 1874, Jesse was paroled back into his mother's care only 15 months after he was sentenced. This turned out to be a big mistake when a month after he was released, Katie Curran, a ten year old girl, went missing. Additionally, only one further month after Katie disappeared, the body of Horace Millen, a four year old boy, was found in Dorchester Bay. Jesse was subsequently taken back into custody and trialled in December of 1874. He was found guilty and was eventually sentenced to death. Thanks primarily to his age (he was only sixteen at the time), the Governor refused to sign his death warrant. So, after three votes were put through the Governer's Council, it was decided that he would be sentenced to solitary confinement for life. Pomeroy served the next 54 years of his life at the State Prison in Charlestown. In 1929, he was transferred to Bridewater Hospital for the Criminally Insane where he died three years later.