Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-11-21
CRIMES OF HOLMES.
Swindling insurance Companies
His Especially"
BE TELLS A SENSATIONAL STORY.

Order to Raise Money to Stay at College
Alleged Incidents of His Career-His
Doings at Chicago Told by Himself
An Extensive Family Relation-A Miss
ing Stenographer.
CHICAGO, Nov 21-The man H. II.
Holmes, who with Mrs. Pitzel, is in Jail
mt Philadelphia has bad record here He
and the woman are charged with collect
ing $l0O 600 insurance on the life of b. +.
Pitzel, and the officers are in doubt
whether the body identified as accidentally
killed was that of Pitzel foully murdered,
or a corpse provided for the purpose while
Pitzel has skipped" Holmes is suspected
here of making away with Miss Minnie
Williams n stenographer who was in his
employ and who has disappeared since
Holmes left this city. He lived on his
wits while here
Arrives at the Quaker City.
telegram from Philadelphia says:
Arch -Conspirator II. II. Holmes, accom-
panied by Mrs. Ptzel and Il pretty wom-
an who calls herself Mrs. Holmes, ar
rived in this city in the custody
Of Detective Crawford and Special
Agent Perry, of the Fidelity Mutual Life
association. Mrs. Pitzcl's 16ycar-old
daughter Media and her l-year-old boy
were also with the party. Mrs. Holmes
disappeared soon after her arrival and no
clew to her whereabouts could be OBJ
tained. II is thought that she is stopping
at hotel in the neighborhood of police
headquarters. Mrs. Pitzel's nervous con-
dition was such that she was unable to
walk from Broad street station to the
Central station across the street, and had
TO be supported by Detective Crawford
and IA policeman. After their arrival the
party was closeted with Superintendent
Of Police Linden until late in the after
noon.
Tried to Bribe the Detective.
When the conference was over Detective
Crawford detailed the story of the trip
khe most important feature of which was
the relation made to him by Holmes of
the story of his whole life. 1t reads like
the most sensational of romances. Holmes
sat beside the detective with handcuffs on.
The train had scarcely emerged from the
Boston depot before the prisoner tried TO
bribe his captor. He offered the detective
$500 if he would allow him to hypnotize
him so that he could escape. He said he
acquired the art from a college professor
in the west. He said he could get the
money from his wife and Mrs Pitzel.
When he saw that his. words had no eff
feet Holmes entered into general convcrsa-
tion and told the story of his life. He said
he was raised in Burlington, Vt, and so
| well educated in school there that at 10 he
| was a teacher.
Got His Education by Crime.
For some time afterwards he went to
| college there and later in Detroit Mich.
| Here he formed the acquaintance of a
| medical student who, he said. furnished
the body i'll New York in the present case.
| He refused to divulgc his name. During
| vacations they worked on farms to raise
| their college expenses, but one summer
| they found themselves without means and
it was then that the medical man sug-
gested the idea of getting body and beat
| ing an insurance company. This was
| twelve years ago. The doctor got his life
insured for 81, 800. They obtained a body
| in Chicago, took it east, arranged the de
I tails of Identification and successfully got
the money with which they continued
their studies. He refused to name the
company thus swinded. They worked
the scheme afterwards with success
| Holmes continued. obtaining sums rang
ing from $4,000 to $4,000.
| MOther-in-Iaw Wouldn't Have 1t.
Once Holmes got bis own life insured for
So 900. He want to II hotel in Rhod,
Island At that time he Wore IA beard ii,
secured n corpse in Chicago, cut off til,
head, and took the body TO a lonely spot
not far from the hotel. Then he shaved
off his beard returned to the hotel, asked
for Holmes, and engaged room to wait
for him. He had Brought the head witt
him, and burned it beyond recognition il
the fireplace of the hotel. This scheme
however, fell through, the mother of hi:
wife, when she discovered it, threatening
to tell the police, and Holmes fed to tn,