A downloadable copy of Detective Frank P. Geyer's book about the crime and his search for the victim can be found here:
The Holmes-Pitezel case; a history of the greatest crime of the century and of the search for the missing Pitezel children (1896)
http://www.worldcat.org/title/the-h...ac4a291133e8933e680630&linktype=digitalObject
I've search a bit more for Lucy Burbank, and there's nothing. :shakehead: I do know that Lucy's family did have some wealth. Her father had done well with land in Wisconsin and then moved to Chicago. I'm assuming the younger Lucy is the one in question, not the married older Lucy, as Holmes/Mudgett seemed to prey on the young and vulnerable.
I read the book,
The Devil in The White City, and at times found it distracting. I would have preferred one book about the fair and another book about Holmes. I found the way it was written, chapters about the fair, a chapter on Holmes, more about the fair, then something about Holmes, a bit much for one novel. I was interested in both subjects, but with the amount of names being tossed at me, I kept forgetting who was doing what! If I read it again, I'll read only the fair chapters first, then do another read of only the Holmes chapters. Maybe it would be better that way.
In all, the hero of the whole deal with Holmes is Detective Frank P. Geyer of the Philadelphia police force, who took on the task of searching for the missing/the bodies by doggedly visiting numerous cities, towns, states, and into Canada. He's my hero. Definitely the Chicago police failed in their duties big time and it took a Philadelphia man to do their job.
An interesting note was how the fair in Chicago, 1893, introduced to the world things like Shredded Wheat, Aunt Jemima's Pancake Mix, Juicy Fruit gum, Cracker Jack, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer (named so because it won the top brew award), and of course, the Ferris Wheel, among many other things. Stuff we take for granted today. :woohoo:
While reading the newspapers reports of the trial, I learned Holmes/Mudgett buried at least one victim in the same cemetery when my ancestors were buried in Philadelphia! Also, the guy even questioned witnesses during his own trial. He had an attorney but must have wanted in on the action.
