What would you do if you saw any one of these men on the street? Would you just ignore them? Would you walk right past? You might take a closer look at Guy #1 but only because he has a crazy moustache, right? What if I told you that all three of these men were serial killers? That changes everything.
The book The Devil in the White City tells the true story of the World's Fair of Chicago in 1893. Half of the novel recounts the creation of the fair and its attractions. The other half presents the terrifying story of H.H. Holmes, America's first serial killer and Guy #1. A fairly attractive and charming man, Holmes was able to lure women into his "Murder Castle" where, after he made them fall madly in love with him, he killed them in a variety of ways. The book provides chilling detail as it tells of how women adored his "bright eyes" and tendency to "touch them" in tender ways that forced the women to trust him naturally. After that, it recounts the screams Holmes endured and the excitement he felt.
This is not the only story of killers that demand trust. Take Guy #2 Ted Bundy. Also an attractive man, he preyed on the caring tendencies of women by pretending to be injured. After they agreed to help him with whatever activity he requested, he kidnapped and murdered them, often after raping them as well. Bundy was believed to be linked to the murder of at least 100 women that were "white, thin, and single and had long hair that parted in the middle." But guys, don't think you're safe! Guy #3, also known as John Wayne Gacy or the "Killer Clown," only looked for male victims from nine to twenty-five years of age. He also convinced his prey to trust him, and he killed them once they came to his home. That pretty much covers everyone who could be reading this, right?
The question we must ask is: whom can we trust? Most of the victims of these killers trusted in them. Holmes was married to more than three women at the same time, most of whom he later murdered. What are we supposed to do when we see a man asking for help on the side of the road? A man who is injured, kind, rather handsome? The truth is, I do not have much of an answer. There is no way to tell the genuinely charming people from the crazies. I have trouble trusting people anyway, and Devil in the White City has certainly not helped that. I suppose all we can do is to be careful and follow what our parents told us. "Don't talk to strangers." "Don't walk alone at night." Intuition is also an important tool. I know we women often have gut feelings as to whom we should believe. It is very unfortunate that our society has such people in it, but we must face that fact and be careful where we put our trust.
