After killing Minnie and her sister Nannie Williams in the Chicagoland area in 1893/94, H. H. Holmes quickly moved to claim his ill-gotten property in the DFW area. On Minnie’s property in downtown Fort Worth, he began construction of a new and lavish hotel at 2nd and Commerce Streets. This hotel would have stood roughly where the current Flying Saucer restaurant/brewery stands now (specifically, the stage area) at 111 East 3rd Street.
Holmes made a very rookie mistake for someone knee deep in murders and felonies – he didn’t pay his contractors. After several months, his workers were absolutely up in arms over not being paid. Holmes arrived in Fort Worth to find a slew of disgruntled workers. Holmes and his associate ghosted the situation, heading out of town quickly after completing a horse swindle. Failing to make payroll is one thing in 1890s Texas – stealing horses is quite another. Law enforcement was quickly on the case and this would promise to be a serial killer’s ultimate undoing – stealing horses.
Image: The corner of 2nd and Commerce streets in Fort Worth as it stands today. What remained of Holmes’ hotel (no one seems to agree if it was completed to his specifications or not) is not mentioned on real estate plats after the 1930s.
Image Credit: Jordan Richardson
