Devil in the White City book review

In 1893 the United States was in the grip of a financial panic, crime was rising nationwide, and thousands of people walked the streets desperately looking for work. Yet, in spite of this, millions decided to go to Chicago to see the magical "White City".

In his book Devil in the White City, author Eric Larson brilliantly paints a tapestry of the city of Chicago in the 1890s, highlighted by a creation of breathtaking architectural splendor and hope for the future, and shadowed by a dark inhuman figure filled with evil beyond imagining. At the center of the tapestry are two men who represent the different sides in one glorious event. One is Daniel Hudson Burnham, a middle-aged architect chosen to oversee the design and building of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair; the other is Herman Webster Mudgett (alias H. H. Holmes), a swindler, sadist and serial killer who looks at the fair as a way to feed his nefarious desires and make a profit on the side.

One of the things I found most impressive was Larson’s ability to make the reader feel as if they watching events occur around them. He does this through very colorful and detailed accounts. In one passage where he describes how thousands of Chicagoans waited tensely outside the Chicago Tribune office hoping to see the latest results of a Congressional vote to decide where the new far will be built. One can almost fell the emotion as the crowd cheers when Chicago takes the lead and curses as arch rival New York appears to be closing the gap. Finally there is the exposition of exhalation as Chicago becomes the official winner, and newsboys race down the streets and dark alleys bearing extra editions and shouting the news.

Larson introduces his two main characters with careful attention to their history. Burnham, a leading city architect in charge the team that will create the fair, is believed to be more intelligent in financial matters than in design. Holmes is a charismatic drifter who mysteriously acquires wealth and schemes to build a mansion with special rooms for his own uses.

The book is skillfully researched and comfortably well-written. Like an old-fashioned porch swing, the book’s narrative smoothly glides back and forth, devoting a chapter to Burnham, then moving back to Holmes. Larson’s straightforward style and gentle reminders of connecting events are easy to follow without being repetitive. The only drawback to the reading experience is in the layout of the book itself – while each chapter is descriptively titled and about ten pages in length, only the five major sections which have about hundred pages or more are listed in the table of contents.

Larson is clearly at his best when talking about Burnham and the construction of the fair. He relates Burnham’s unending struggles with fair committees, construction and display details, Chicago’s political leaders, rival architects with massive egos, stubborn laborers, and even the weather itself. One of the most magical scenes in the book is when all of the major architectural designers of the fair meet in the library of the Rookery Building and unveil their blueprints for the first time. Larson uses a particularly good quote from Burnham’s diary to capture the moment: “As the day passed, it was apparent that a picture had been forming in the minds of those present – a vision far more grand and beautiful than hitherto presented by the richest imagination.” (p.115) Lyman Gage, president of the Exposition, says, “You are dreaming. gentlemen, dreaming, I only hope that half the vision may be realized.” (p.115)

I had the chance to personally meet Mr. Larson at a later book promotion where he described how the book was created completely from primary documents such as diaries, letters, and meeting minutes. He told me that even more incredible things were said and done at the meeting that he included in his book, but he ultimately left them out because he felt that readers wouldn’t have believed them.

Other men who worked on the world’s fair also emerge in vivid detail. Fredrick Law Olmsted is the head landscaper who believes each flower should be placed with the same care an artist might move his paint brush. Sol Bloom, a twenty one year old with a knack for marketing is given the task of creating a midway with a collection of performers from all over the world. Frank Millet revolutionizes mass painting and organizes many of the fair’s most memorable events and George Ferris a Pittsburgh engineer who's idea for a unique invention would serve as the towering center piece of the fair and in time would become a staple of fairs throughout the world.  

However, with the character of Holmes Larson has a bit more trouble, and he struggles to fill the gaps in his life. Larson admits in the list of notes and sources, “Holmes proved an elusive character,” (p.394) For primary sources, Larson relies mainly on letters from Holmes’s victims and police reports. He does uncover fascinating anecdotes. For example during the construction of his block-long house and business building, Holmes asked a worker if he would be willing to kill a man. (p.68) Another time, a relative of one of Holmes's victims came to stay with him, also remembered how Holmes asked for a check of $2,500 which the man gave him. Holmes then wanted him to come to the roof and was very upset when he did not want to go. Later, that night, the man heard mysterious voices coming from just outside his locked door and the sound of key turning, when he called out he heard one of Holmes workers who asked to come in  When the man refused he heard the sound of other foot steps quickly moving way. Later he found the Holmes had forged his signature. The man would later think back to the Holmes instance about the roof  "If I'd gone, the forgery probably wouldn't have been discovered, because I would not have been around to discover it." (p.87-90) That and similar passages help strengthen Holmes’ portions of the book. Perhaps Larson’s most controversial decision regarding Holmes was to describe two murder scenes where no one other than Holmes and the victim were present. In his notes and sources Larson admitted that this was a difficult decision and explained, “To build my murder scenes, I used threads of known detail to weave a plausible account.” (p.395) While this is a practice most historical writers avoid, the decision is understandable given the shortage of primary documents and inability to interview crucial participants.

   While the reader is led through half the book before the world’s fair actually opens, it is well worth the wait. On every page after that, there are golden sequences where new inventions are introduced and the larger than life political and social figures of the day appear around every corner

What ultimately makes Devil in the White City not only a good read but also an important book is that it covers an epic instance in American history about which few people know. The reader not only exults in the excitement and optimism of Burnham and the thousands of workers that brought life to the magical exposition, but also shudders at the depth of dark depravity lurking just outside the ornate main gate.

Peace at last?

Collins returned home to Ireland treaty in hand and presented it to the Irish Parliament. Many leaders, like the De Valera, who headed the government, believed that only total Irish independence was acceptable. Others like Collins and Griffith thought it was the best possible outcome. After bitter debate, they approved the treaty 64-57. De Valera promptly resigned and set up his own government. The Irish Parliament quickly split and both sides began to call themselves the IRA.

Then in June 1922, Anti-Treaty forces seized the large Four Courts building in Dublin. Pro-Treaty forces lead by Collins began a bombardment on June, 28, during which the archives of Ireland housed in the building were destroyed when one wing collapsed. Finally pro-treaty forces took the building on June 30. Collins then launched a series of successful operations against other rebel strongholds. Then in August, 1922, Collins traveled to the county of Cork to discuss a peace settlement with Anti-Treaty forces. Before he left, he had said, “They aren’t going to shoot me in my own home county.” But while returning to his hotel on August 22, his convoy was ambushed. Collins ordered his car stopped and began to return fire. In the gunfight that followed, Collins was hit and killed.

After the death of Collins, and of Griffith, who had died of health reasons a week before, the war deteriorated into a series of assassinations and executions, including that of Robert Erskine Childers, who had brought guns to Ireland seven years before, helped negotiate the treaty, and now backed Anti-Treaty forces. In all, it is believed that leaders of Pro-Treaty forces endorsed 77 executions, while another 153 unendorsed executions were also carried out. Anti-Treaty forces used similar tactics. Even members of the Irish Parliament were fair game.  

By mid 1923 Anti-Treaty forces had suffered devastating setbacks largely because their government couldn’t really make any decisions and did not control any territory, while Britain and the Roman Catholic Church supported the Pro-Treaty government in Dublin. Then Liam Deasy, a leader of the Anti-Treaty forces, who had set up the ambush that killed Collins, was captured in February, 1923, and at gunpoint signed a documented which ordered the men under him to surrender. In April, Liam Lynch, another leader of the Anti-Treaty forces, was ambushed and killed. The final blow came when popularity of the Anti-Treaty forces began to drop off and money to continue the war disappeared. Finally they asked for a halt to the violence.

When last gun was laid down, one of the only major figures left standing was De Valera, largely because he had played no real role in making decisions and had stayed away from the fighting He would remain a major force in Irish politics becoming President of Ireland from 1959-1973 dying quietly in a rest home two years later. He remains one of the most controversial figures in Irish history to this day.

In 1949 Britain gave the Irish full independence, but still maintained control over Northern Ireland. The IRA was banned. However, a new radical faction of the IRA began bombing and shooting in the 1950s, giving rise to a new cycle of violence between the Protestant and Catholic forces, This would last until the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 which outlawed all violence, allowed the people of Northern Island to become part of the Republic if they wished to, and also allowed both Irelands to make many joint decisions.  Many older Irish people today still vividly remember the civil war and men such as Collins, Pearse, and Connolly are considered martyrs to their cause. Conversely, many Protestants have a low opinion of these men and remain strongly loyal to England. While a new era of Irish peace appears to have finally emerged from all the bloodshed, much tension still exists between the two sides.

"Bloody Sunday" 1920

In the general elections of 1918, IRA leaders led by De Valera won a sweeping majority of Irish Parliament seats. It was decided to have the body stay in Ireland rather than go to England. Collins also took several key roles in the newly reorganized IRA including gathering intelligence, and formed a hit team called “the squad.”. Isolated acts of violence continued against British police, solders and establishments. Then in 1920 Collins presented a plan to permanently cripple British intelligence in Ireland. Through several moles, he believed that he could locate and kill nearly all key members of British intelligence. His plan called for 50 assassinations of informers and intelligence officials. However, this was reduced to 35 targets. On the morning of Sunday, November 21, 1920, teams of two to three men were dispatched to locations all across Dublin. Several teams headed toward a single city block, where they burst into apartments and shot British agents on sight. The shootings went on throughout the morning; in all, 13 people were killed and six more were wounded. Several managed to escape. One IRA man was wounded and captured. Other targets either could not be found or the hit teams failed to carry them out.

At the same time, British military officials had been getting reports of the killing. Then came information that several armed men had run into the nearby Croke Park soccer stadium where a game was in progress. A company of British troops soon surrounded the structure and went in backed by armored vehicles. It is unclear exactly what happened next. British sources say that they were fired on, and shot over the heads of the crowd to scare them. However, Irish sources say they simply began shooting into the assembled crowd. Within a minute fourteen people were dead and nearly a hundred others were wounded. Several hours later the one IRA man captured earlier managed to escape. In response the British guards shot three other IRA men they were holding.

The shootings, on what came to be called “Bloody Sunday”, sent shock-waves across Ireland and England and crippled Brittan’s intelligence network for several months. King George V was horrified by the killings and believed his forces had gone too far. However this was also mixed with anger for the IRA killings. One week later IRA forces attacked a large British patrol in Kilmichael, killing 17 British soldiers. Attacks and targeted killing continued. British forces carried out reprisals, making arrests and destroying any property that belonged to the IRA. By June 1921 2,000 people had died in the fighting since 1916 and 67 British troops were being killed or wounded a week. Ironically, nearly all the violence took place in and around Dublin, leaving the vast majority of Irish people unaffected. To end the conflict, in London Parliament had passed the Government of Ireland Act of 1920 which would establish Irish home rule in Dublin and a British backed Protestant government in Belfast. British commanders in the region secretly met with Irish leaders to negotiate a truce, which was announced on July 11, 1921. Later that year Collins, Childers and another IRA leader, Arthur Griffith, met with British Prime Minster David Lloyd George in London. Collins believed the IRA was spent and that he needed to try to get the best settlement possible. George pressured the Irish leaders hard and said if they did not come to a deal he would renew British operations. Finally they signed the proposal without sending it to Dublin. The agreement recognized Irish home rule in the 26 southern counties and pulled all British forces out, while the six northern counties which were overwhelming Protestant would remain under direct British control. IRA leaders did manage to hold vote in Northern Ireland on whether they should join in home rule, but it was roundly rejected. Collins and De Valera had finally achieved their goal. But soon a new war would start that would pit Irish against Irish.