The Irish standard., 1894-11-24

by Mrs. Pitzel and pretty woman
who calls herself Mrs. Holmes, arrived
In this city Tuesday in the custody OF
Detective Crawford aud Special Agent
Perry. of the Fidelity Mutual Life as
Eocia ton.
Swindled Many Insurance Companies.
Holmes said he was raised in Bur
iington, VT, and SO well educated in
school there that at ID he was a
teacher. For some time afterward he
went to college there and later in De-
troit, Mich. Here he formed the ac-
quaintance of q medical student, who,
he said, furnished him i'll New York
the body used in the present case. He
refused to divulge his name.
During vacations they worked on
farms to raise money to meet their
college expenses, but one summer they
found themselves without means and
it was then that the medical
man sugg ested the idea of get
ting a body and beating an insnr-
nnce company This was twelve
years ago The doctor got his life in
sured for $4,000 They obtained Il
body in Chicago, took it east, arranged
the details of Identification, and got
the money with which they con tinued
their studies. He refused to name the
company thus swindled. They worked
the scheme afterward with success,
Holmes continued, obtaining sums
ranging from $40, 900 to $780, 600.
Cnce Holmes got his own life insured
for $4,000 He went to hotel in
Rhode Island At that time he wore
beard. He secured a corpse in Chicago,
cut off the head, and took the body to
lonely spot not far from the ho-
tel. Then he shaved off his
beard, returned 10 the hotel,
asked for Holmes, and engaged a
room to wait for him. He had brought
the head with him and burned it be-
You'd recognition in the fireplace OF
the hotel This scheme, however. fell
through, the mother Of his wife, when
she discovered it, threatening to tell
the police, and Holmes fed to the west.
Jealous Girl Murders Her Sister.
Resuming- his story Holmes sa id that
while living in Chicago, a bout eighteen
months ago, he fell in with Minnie
Williams, typewriter girl. and fur
nished "a house on the outskirts,
where they lived together. A younger
sister cane to visit them. and the
woman grew SO jealous of her that
in a quarrel one day she struck her
over the head with a stool and
killed her. TO save the woman with
whom ne was living Holmes said lac
put the body III frank. loaded il with
stones and sunk it in the lake. This
girl had property in Texas, and he and
Pitzel took it off her hands and sent
her abroad. 1t was worth, he said.
$4,000, and after getting it in their
hands they went through Texas. buy
ing carloads OF horses on notes on
this property but as they never had
Ii legal title to the property the notes
were worthless, and it is for Jh S affair
that they are wanted in Fort Worth.
TO save this property Holmes said he
and Pitzel formed the scheme Of
swindling the Fidelity company. He
told the detectives that for the crimes
he committed he deserved to be hanged
a dozen times.
Says Pitzei Is Alive.
Holmes is not lacking for money, as
he himself admitted that at the present
time lie is supporting nearly swo dozen
persons, including Minnie Williams,
her mother and an itnbecils brother;
two orphans in Chicago, who live OH
one OF His properties, three separate
alleged wives and their children, and
his own mother and father in Kan
kakee. He would not give the names
Of the women. He firmly main ia ms
that pitzel is alive iii San Salvador
and that he will hear from him
through the personal column OF GER
tain New York newspaper.
Special Agent Perry said that he had
obtained from Mrs Pitzel an exact de-
scription of her husband, agreeing in
every respect with that Of the corpse
found in the Callowhill street house
Mrs. Pitzel, he continued, was perfect
ly innocent of any completely in the
whole affair She had been forced,
through ignorance and pressure of
various kinds, to sign certain papers,
but she told Perry that she had re-
ceived only $500 in cash. She said
Holmes had taken 5000 OF the money
and put it in a land speculation at
Fort Worth, in which Pitzel was also
interested. Holmes told Perry that
this was true.
Mr.. Perry said that Holmes is said
to have one wife in New Hampshire,
from whom he claims to have been 9i"
vorced and by whom he has child 13
years Old; another III Illinois whom
Mr.. Perry himself saw and by whom
there is a 6-yearold child, and the wife
who is at present in this city.
Think Both Girls Were Killed.
Chicago. Nov. 2l.-Added to the con-
fession OF Holmes as telegraphed from
Philadelphia Tuesday is dispatch
from Fort Worth, Tex, intimating
that Holmes made away with both OF
the Williams sisters for their property.
worth probably $4,000. Then there
also was discovered in Chicago late
Tuesday night witness, one Pat Quin-
Ian, who tells story strangely cprrob-
Grating many Of the details of the news
from Philadelphia and Fort Worth.
There seems to be little doubt that
IL