Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-11-20
PITZEL MYSTERY.
Mrs. Pitze| Says That Her
Husband Is Alive.
Admits Knowledge Of Insurance
SwindIe and Tells Her Part in It.
Holmes Denies Murder-Saw Pit1el Alive in
October at Detroit.

Boston, Nov. lq-Mrs Carrie Pitzcl,
wife of the man whose life was insured
for SO. 600 in the Philadelphia insurance
fraud case, came here, today, from Burl-
ington, VT. in company with a detective,
and is held on the charge of conspiracy af-
ter the fact She told the officers that TO
the best of her knowledge her husband is
alive, though she has not seen him since
July, when he left her in 81. Louis. She
claims that she received word from him in
Philadelphia, he stating that he had as
sumed the name of Perry, owing 10 some
difficulty he had in the South.
She claims that about week ago after
the death of the man in Philadelphia sup
posed To be Pitzcl, she read in St Louis
paper of the death of q man named Perry
she believed it might be her husband. In
two or three days she received call from
Holmes, with whom her husband had
been in business. Holmes told her that
her husband was not dead \ few days
after Holmes told her that a bogus body
had been used for that of her husband to
get the insurance money. She at first re
fused to have any thing to do with the
matter, but Holmes finally overcamc her
scruples and she consented to allow the
swindle TO be consummatcd.
Holmes introduced her to man who
would act as her representative and
would collect the money. 1t was decided
that Alice. Mrs. Pitzcl's child, should go
to Philadelphia to identify the remains.
The child and Holmes left st. Louis, sept
% or %, and since then Mrs. Pitzcl has
not seen her. The mother was to have
gone. but was i'll Mt the time At
Holmes suggestion she went to the home
of her parents in Illinois, taking her Oldest
daughter, Dcssa, and her baby.
She remained there until Holmes sent
word for her to go to Chicago where she
met Holmes, who told her that she would
see her husband in Detroit. She went to
the latter city. also to Toronto, Ont, Og-
dcnsburg, y. Y, and Burlington, Vt,
without finding her husband. At Bur
lington she went under the name. .of Cook,
and at Detroit, Ogdensburg and Toronto
she gave her name as Adams. She says
that she has not seen her children Nellie
and Howard since she went to her parents
home. Holmes had given her to under
stand that they were with Il widow in
Covington, Ky.
Today Holmes stated he did not see
bllLtl dlItI ut SbNt ilii WV 'lNNn i'' '''N
body in Philadelphia, until he saw him
in Cincinnati the latter part of Septcm-
Der. Holmes claims that he then took
Alice, Nellie and Howard to Cincinnati
where he was to bring the family to
gethcr He claims that Pitzcl became IN
toxicated and the children saw and rccog-
nized him, where upon he had Pitzcl go
to Detroit, where he took the children, he
says, about October l..
In Detroit Holmes says he heard the
police were looking for him He supposed
it was for the Fort Worth affair. He
claims he hired ii carriage, put Pitzcl alive
into a trunk, put the trunk on carriage
and drove out of the city about two miles,
where he took Pitzcl from the trunk
Later in the day, he says he drove the
three children to the place where their
father was, and that was the last he saw
of them. He says he thinks they are in
New York.
OF the $40, 600 he says he got s7100, out
of which he paid Pitzel $500 or $4,000. Or
the remainder, Mrs. Pitzels representa-
tive got $4,000, but Mrs Pitzel received
only about $500. He sticks to his origi-
nal story that he got the body from a
medical friend in New York, but refusing
to give the name Holmes and Pitzel are
said to be wanted in Fort Worth, Texas,
for alleged larceny Of horses. At Fort
Worth Pitzel was known as Benz. r.
Lyman.
In Holiness possession were found let
ters written by Mrs Pitzcl to relatives
and children, which she had intrusted to
Holmes. but he never sent them. 1t
has been learned that Pitzel and Holmes
had a cipher code to he used in telgraphing.
Holmes, Mrs Pitzel and the two children
left for Philadelphia, tonight, III cha &c
of an officer.