Episode 30

Sword and Scale

Incongruity

History, Society & Culture, True Crime, Documentary

4.0 • 63.8K Ratings

🗓️ 9 November 2014

⏱️ 99 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The story of Herman Webster Mudgett, otherwise known as H.H. Holmes, has been told numerous times: a brilliant man with so much potential but so inherently evil that his actions would require new words be created to describe the monster that he was. The depravity of someone who would construct a building solely for the purpose of torture, murder, and the "processing" of human bodies for profit, is unimaginable. Although it has inspired numerous books and movies, many people who are not avid true crime fans, have never heard this story. Even if you have heard this story, you'll want to listen to this episode, because we've uncovered an even bigger story which is downright fascinating... Was H.H. Holmes the true identity of Jack the Ripper? We talk to two men who say they know this is a fact, and have spent years trying to prove it. We are joined by Dane Ladwig author of the book "Dr. H. H. Holmes and The Whitechapel Ripper" and Jeff Mudgett author of the book "Bloodstains". Jeff's last name is no coincidence, he claims to be the great-great-grandson of the protagonist in this story, Herman Mudgett, otherwise known as H.H. Holmes.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	They believe that he killed 200, and when they questioned him on it, he didn't bat an eyelash.
0:07.4	He laughed.
0:09.1	However, they believe that that number should be or could be as high as 2,000 people. Hello, and welcome to Sword and Scale, episode 30, a show that reveals that the worst monsters are real.
0:44.6	I'm your host, Mike Boudet.
0:46.8	I'm your host, Mike Boudet. In this episode, one of the worst monsters that ever lived,
1:08.6	popularly known as America's first serial killer,
1:11.9	this story has inspired numerous books and movies,
1:15.1	including, most notably, the Saw Films.
1:18.4	But this isn't just the story
1:20.3	of how Herman Webster Mudgeett became Dr. H.H. Holmes.
1:26.1	No, this story is much bigger than that. H.H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. was an unfortunate, demented individual who, as a child, began
1:56.1	down a treacherous path of lies, deceit, cons, and an obsession with the morbid.
2:04.0	That's Dane Ladwig, author of the book Dr. H. H. H. H. Holmes and the Whitechapel Ripper.
2:09.7	He has spent years trying to uncover the mystery of who Dr. H. H. H. H. Holmes actually was.
2:17.1	And he believes he's found the answer. H. H. H. H. Holmes actually was, and he believes he's found the answer.
2:20.2	H.H. Holmes, in my opinion, is Jack the Ripper.
2:42.4	Jack the Ripper. Jack the Ripper, arguably the most notorious serial killer of all time.
2:47.0	To this day, his identity remains a mystery.
2:53.6	But Dane Ladwig believes he has compelling evidence to prove that H.H. Holmes was actually Jack the Ripper.
2:54.6	And he's not alone.
2:55.6	My name is Jeffrey Lee Mudgeett.
2:58.6	About 40 years old, I was attending a family dinner and was leveled by a secret from my
	...

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