024: The Devil Inside

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chicago's West 63rd Street Post Office was built in 1938 over the site of what its creator referred to as "The Castle", and in 1902 an Ohio Daily News article called it Chicago's Ghost Castle. Whatever you want to call it, this site was once or possibly still is the home to a notorious killer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A figure who built a home that included a 2nd floor full of secret passages, trap doors, and hidden staircases. The basement so notorious that a crowd would lay on the sidewalk and try to peer through the cracks as it was excavated.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The creator of "The Castle" claimed to be under an evil influence. An influence that seemed to continue to claim victims after his death. An influence that is still felt today</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Moyamensing Prison was finished in 1835</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Chicago Police Detective Frank Geyer interviews his nemesis in 1895</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A crowd gathers for the excavation of "The Castle" basement excavation</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Another crowd gathers outside "The Castle" to see if the owner returns after his execution</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2012 a tunnel that leads to "The Castle" basement is discovered</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The story of Herman Webster Mudgett</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Christmas Day, 1891 Julia Smythe and her daughter Pearl disappear</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The investigation into the Pitezel case</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">H.H. Holmes wrote Holmes' Own Story while incarcerated at Moyamensing</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Mysterious deaths of anyone connected to the case or "The Castle"</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Resources:</span></p> <p><a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._H._Holmes"><em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Herman Webster Mudgett or H. H. Holmes</span></em></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Enjoyed this episode? Please support the show by rating, reviewing, and subscribing on</span> <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pleasing-terrors/id1141063625?mt=2"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">iTunes</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Please visit</span> <a href= "http://www.pleasingterrors.com/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Pleasing Terrors</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">, the podcast behind Old Charleston's best ghost tour, on</span> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/pleasingterrors/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Facebook</span></a> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">and</span> <a href= "https://twitter.com/pleasingterrors"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Twitter</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">!</span></p>