Fear and Media: An Examination of Serial Killers in 19th Century America.
Class
Article
Graduation Year
2017
College
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department
History Department
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Susan Cogan
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
This research is focused on two serial killers in the late 1800s and comparing the amount of media coverage for each case. They are H.H. Holmes who was killing in Chicago, Illinois and the Servant Girl Annihilator in Austin, Texas. Holmes was caught and convicted, while the Servant Girl Annihilator was not. This research shows that this was due, in majority, to the amount of media coverage for both cases. When Holmes was convicted for insurance fraud, his case was covered nationwide, which caused people in Chicago to report Holmes’ odd behavior in the city to authorities. In contrast, the Servant Girl Annihilator had minimal media coverage, mostly because of racial issues at the time, and he was never caught. The sources that have been used for this research are newspaper articles and articles from psychological and historical journals.
Location
North Atrium
Start Date
4-13-2017 1:30 PM
End Date
4-13-2017 2:45 PM
Fear and Media: An Examination of Serial Killers in 19th Century America.
North Atrium
This research is focused on two serial killers in the late 1800s and comparing the amount of media coverage for each case. They are H.H. Holmes who was killing in Chicago, Illinois and the Servant Girl Annihilator in Austin, Texas. Holmes was caught and convicted, while the Servant Girl Annihilator was not. This research shows that this was due, in majority, to the amount of media coverage for both cases. When Holmes was convicted for insurance fraud, his case was covered nationwide, which caused people in Chicago to report Holmes’ odd behavior in the city to authorities. In contrast, the Servant Girl Annihilator had minimal media coverage, mostly because of racial issues at the time, and he was never caught. The sources that have been used for this research are newspaper articles and articles from psychological and historical journals.