Erick Larson wrote in Devil in the White City: “I was born with the devil inside me. I could not avoid the fact that I was a murderer, any more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing: I was born with the Evil One standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was introduced into the world, and he stood with me ever since” (Troy, Taylor). This statement was a confession quoted by Dr. H. H. Holmes himself in 1896. Holmes was the first great serial killer in America, although he came after many others in his time. Before him came Thomas Neil Cream, the Austin Ax Murderer, the Bloody Benders and Jack the Ripper. His name was originally Herman Webster Mudgett. He was born May 16, 1860, in Gilman, New Hampshire. He was raised by his mother and father, who were wealthy and respected citizens for 25 years. As a boy, Mudgett was always in trouble and was well known in his community for his rather sociopathic behavior. It would show cruelty to both animals and other children. The only thing that gave society hope was the fact that he was an excellent student. He later changed his last name to Holmes to pursue both a medical and criminal career. He had several other aliases under which he hid and tried to prevent the police from finding him (Juan, Blanco). Holmes received medical training to become a doctor and graduated from the University of Michigan. He didn't just deal with insurance scams. His evil deeds included forgery, claiming to find the cure for alcoholism, real estate scams, and pretending to have a machine that turned natural gas into water. He was a true gentleman, he had many wives, who often became his victims. Many of his medical partners also became subject to him. He also once had three wivs...... half the paper ......oday.com." ExecutedToday.com. Np, nd Web. 03 March 2014. McCormack, Simon. "HH Holmes was Jack The Ripper ? Chicago serial killer's great-great-great-grandson supports theory." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, December 3, 2012. Web. March 3, 2014. Pickover, Cliff. "The Scales of Good and Evil." The Scales of Good and Evil." HH Holmes: America's first serial killer. WordPress, November 29, 2011. Web. March 3, 2014. Taylor, Troy. "HH HOLMES' MURDER CASTLE! EXTRACT FROM "HAUNTED CHICAGO" "HH HOLMES' MURDER CASTLE! EXCERPT FROM "HUNTED CHICAGO" Np, 2003. Web. 03 March 2014. Woody, Kaitlin. “H.H. Holmes (Herman Mudgett) Trial.” Trial of HH Holmes (Herman Mudgett).. 2014.