The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-22
MYSTERY OF PITZEL Case
The Supposed Victim of Holmes Turns
Up in Chicago,
UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENTS
The Insurance Representatives Are Ger.
tain That Murder Has Been Committed
hut Pitzel Has Been Seen Alive
Since the Finding OF His
Alleged Corpse.
BY the United Press.


By the United Press.
Philadelphia, Nov. 2l.-The sensa-
tional conspiracy against the Fidelity
Mutual Life association for which Her
man Mudgett. alias Harry Il. Holmes,
alias Howard, Lawyer j. d. Howe, OF
St Louis, and Mrs y. +. PitZel have
been indicted, took a new and uneX-
pected turn today The development
was in the nature of dispatch re-
coived by President Fouse, of the FL
deity association, from the concerns s
Chicago representative, in which it was
stated that Pitzel the reported victim,
has been seen in that city within two
weeks. Pit2el, according TO the dis
patch, was located in Meyers saloon
on Sixty-ninth street in company with
man named Ryan
II this shall prove to be true, it will
confirm what Holmes has perslstently
adhered to-that Pitzel is alive.
President Fouse is inclined to the be-
lief, in view Of this information, which
he considers to be thoroughly reliable,
think murder was done" he stated this
afternoon, but 1 believe the victim was
man other than Pitzel." Then
dwelling upon this development he con-
tinued: "Our representative further
says that the Mr. Ryan, with whom
Plt2el was seen, is a Chicago business
man who knows Pitzell well, having
had business relations with him,
our Chicago man subsequently saw
Ryan, but the latter declared his inabil-
lty to locate Pltzel. the two having
parted after leaving the saloon. The
Pinkerton agency and our representa-
tive are now at work upon a clue and
should not be surprised il Pitzel was
found in few days"
Lawyer Howe is expected to arrive
this evening from st. Louis. President
Rouse states that he expects to recover
portion at least of the $4,000 fraud
ulentiy secured from the association.
I'VE have procured an attachment in
st. Louis against Howe" he said, "to
recover $1,000 of the money he re-
ceived."
AS Holmes maintains that the three
missing Pitzel children are with their
father the discovery of the supposed
victim will probably clear up the mys.
terry regarding the offspring.
Media PitzePs Opinion.
President Feuse had an interview this
afternoon with Mrs Pitzel The lat
ters l6-year-old daughter Media was
M m hn h, t,lI i
not proceeded far when the girl de-
clared that she believed her father to
be alive. The daughter then told of a
conversation she had with her father
in Chicago in August last during which
Ptzel said: MY daughter, if at any
time you should hear that | am dead or
that anything very serious has hap
pened to me, do not believe it, | will
be safe, no matter what you hear"
The girl had barely finished making
this statement when her mother sprang
TO her feet, and throwing her arms
around wildly, exclaimed: "Such lies,
such falsehoods, / have never met with
as in this affair; and even you, my
child, have deceived me heartleasly and
mercilessly.' AS the mother finished
she cast look Of scorn on her daugh-
ter's cringing figure.
The girl further said that after the
death Of her father was reported she
met Holmes in Boston. Holmes said to
her: Il suppose your father told Won
what to think if his death was re-
ported" To this Media made an affirm
ative reply. whereupon Holmes declar-
ed well, that's right"
The president of the Fidelity associa-
ton secured additional information
from Mrs. Pitzel, which tended to show
that Howe was in league with Holmes.
Holmes Tells His Story.
In his story Holmes said that when
first he and Pitzel determined upon the
conspiracy he, Holmes, was told bv
Hedgepeth, the ST. Louis train robber
VINO is now in JAIL that Howe was n
coQi ana nerVy man and one that could
be trusted Holmes visited Howe ana
outlined the plot to him. Howe in
CURED closely into the details of the af-
fair and was unwilling to appear as tha
pllhcipal IN 1t. He advised that if It
was successful that some friend of the
family identify the supposltous corpse
first, as insurance companies are liable
to be suspicious of attorneys who an
pear in cases when there is no evident
need for their services.
HoWe's advice was followed and ha
and Holmes and Alice Pitzel came east
to Identify the body. Holmes left Alice
ana Howe in Washington and came or
here first
Vhe Identification of the body fol-
lowed, as has been told, and then Howe
put IN the claim for the $4,000. Howe
Holmes and Mrs. Pitzel and Marshall
Mcdonald, Howe's law partner. met in
Howe office and Mcdonald counted ont
the money to Mrs Pitzel. OF the $40. 600
Howe retained $500 for counsel fee,
and $iO0 for expenses.
subsequently a division of the money
was made as follows: Pitzel. So. 900.
Holmes sent 1000 to a broker named
Blackman at 60 Dearborn street Chi
cago; deposited $1,000 in the Merchants
national bank at Indianapolis in his
wires name, gave Mrs Pitzel $500 and
retained the balance as his share.
Holmes, when told that Pitzel had
been seen alive In Chicago within the
last two weeks. expressed doubt of the
ract. While claiming not to know
where Pitzel is he says that he is either
In South America or in the extreme
southern part of the country.
Is pitzel in South America?
holmes seemed to be greatly shocked
when informed that he was suspected
OF the murder of the three Pitzel chill
dren. He vehemently denied having
harmed the children and says that he
left them in Detroit, at the house of a
Mrs. Burns. He claims not to know the
name OF the street on which Mrs. Burns
lives. but says that he could easily find
II. Holmes sticks to his story that Pit.
eel Will turn up, more especially when
he hears that his wife has been arrested
and that his friend Is in danger of being
indicted for his murder.
The identity Of doctor from whom