The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

Erik LarsonNonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2003

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Part 3, Chapters 1-3Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 3: “In the White City”

Part 3, Chapter 1 Summary: “Opening Day”

President Cleveland and numerous other notaries processed through the fair, along with anywhere between a quarter million and 650,000 Chicagoans. After delivering the Presidential speech, Cleveland used a golden key to start the steam engine at the Machinery Building. Water streamed from every fountain in the park, one as high as 100 feet, and a flock of doves was released into the air. On May 2nd, only 10,000 people visited the park, not nearly enough. That week, numerous banks failed across the country. The fair was far from finished.

Part 3, Chapter 2 Summary: “The World’s Fair Hotel”

Holmes’ hotel takes its first guests. He buys an apartment for Minnie on the opposite side of the city. The hotel is dreary and frequently smells of chemicals, while some guests mysteriously leave their bills unpaid.

Part 3, Chapter 3 Summary: “Prendergast”

On May 9th, 1893, Prendergast wrote to W. F. Cooling in the Staats-Zeitung Building about what he erroneously believed was his imminent appointment to corporation counsel.