The Devil in the White City: Part 2, Chapter 12 Summary & Analysis

Holmes establishes a cure of alcoholism in imitation of the Keeley’s cure, and prepares to receive guests for the World’s Fair. He decorates his hotel lavishly, promising money (which he has no intention of paying) to various furniture and jewelry companies. Some of the companies he has promised money to in the past, such as the company that sold him iron for his kiln, tries to repossess their products, but find this difficult since Holmes has conducted business through a fake company, Merchant. Holmes also receives many letters, which he sees as an irritation, from families whose daughters he has murdered. When detectives arrive at his building, looking for women, Holmes says that they have left suddenly, and that he has no further information. The detectives treat him well, and seem not to suspect his involvement in any crimes.

In March 1893, Holmes is looking for a new secretary preferably a young, vulnerable woman. Holmes is excellent at finding women of this kind, just as Jack the Ripper was. Holmes enjoys the feeling of possessing and controlling women; while he enjoys making money off of their corpses, this isn’t his real goal. He finds a new “acquisition” in Minnie R. Williams, a plain, plump woman.

Minnie and her sister Anna are orphans, and live with several of their uncles. One such uncle leaves her a valuable estate when he dies. Holmes meets Minnie while traveling in Boston under the name Henry Gordon. At a dinner party for Boston’s wealthy families, he learns of Minnie’s fortune, based largely in land located in Texas. Holmes easily woos Minnie by flattering her and buying her gifts; he enjoys the look of need she gives him whenever he leaves Boston and returns to Chicago. Eventually, Holmes tires of traveling to Boston, and begins to feel that Minnie is too slow in committing to him. He visits Boston less often, but keeps sending her love letters.

Minnie is heartbroken when Holmes stops visiting her. She wants to marry him, but refuses to leave school and move to Chicago with him without marrying him, as Holmes proposes. After she finishes school, she moves to Denver, where she loses money in a business deal. She dreams of Chicago and of Holmes, who she still knows as Harry Gordon. In February 1893, she moves to Chicago, and writes to Holmes to let him know that she is now in his city. Holmes suggests that Minnie work as his personal stenographer; Minnie eagerly accepts this offer, though she is still disappointed that he does not propose marriage.

After a few weeks, Holmes proposes marriage to Minnie, which she accepts. She writes to her sister, Anna, who is skeptical that such a handsome man would break the rules of courtship and marry her plain sister.

Holmes receives a letter from Emeline Cigrand’s father, asking for her whereabouts. Holmes responds immediately, saying that Cigrand left his building to get married, and she was considering going to England with her new husband. It is possible that Holmes dictated this letter to Minnie.

Holmes convinces Minnie to transfer the deed to her land in Texas to a man he calls Alexander Bond, actually Holmes himself. “Bond” signs over this deed to another man, Benton T. Lyman, actually Benjamin Pitezal. Holmes claims that the transfer is necessary for an important business deal he is planning. Minnie remains unaware that Holmes is legally married to two other women at the time: Clara Lovering and Myrta Belknap

Holmes founds a company called Campbell-Yates: a fictional business whose only purpose is to vouch for the promissory notes Holmes writes increasingly often. He convinces Henry Owens, a porter in his employ, to act as a secretary of the company, and sign a document stating that there are multiple other members of the company, in return for which Holmes promises Owens his back wages, a promise he never honors. Meanwhile, Holmes appears to marry Minnie, though no legal record of their union is ever found.