The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-21
yellow Fiction OUTDONE
Remarkable Narrative Given by
Holmes, the Insurance SWindler.
WOULD HYPNOTIzE CRAWFORD
Failing to Get an Opportunity to Escape,
the Captive Relates an Astonishing
Tale Of Crimc-Admits Being Big
amist and an All Around Fraud.
BY the United Press.

BY the United Press.
Philadelphia, Nov. 20.
The developments today in the con-
spiracy and possible murder case
whereby $4,000 insurance was obtained
from the Fidelity Mutual Life Associa-
ton were the arrival in Philadelphia of
Herman Mudgett, alias Harry II.
Holmes, alias Howard, the arch-con-
spirator; Mrs. Benjamin +. Pitzel, alias
Cook, the wife, or widow of the victim
with her 16-year-old daughter, and the
receipt of intelligence that Lawyer
Howe, of st. Louis, who was indicted
as a co-conspirator, is on his way here.
Holmes and Mrs. Pitzel were brought
from Boston by Detective Crawford and
Supervisor of Claims Perry, of the FL
deity association. Mrs. Holmes is not
under arrest, but accompanied her hus-
band, and the PitZel children were in
the company Of their mother.
Detective Crawfords Story.
Detective Crawford today told the
story of the trip from Boston which was
full of exciting incidents. The party
left Boston last evening and on the
train Holmes, handcuffed as he was to
the detective, went over his adventures
from boyhood. When the train was
passing Providence Holmes turned to
his custodian and remarked: See here
Crawford, think my wife and Mrs. Pit
eel can raise between them $500. | am
hypnotizer. If you will let me.hypno-
tize you so that we can escape, will
give you the $780,"
"Hypnotism," returned the detective,
always spoils my appetite. | am
afraid $500 is no investment when
weighed against possible dyspepsia"
Holmes then told the detective that
he was raised in Burlington, VT, and
attended the schools there until he was
fifteen years old. He taught school for
a time, and afterwards went TO local
college, working in summer time to pay
his fees. Graduating in Burlington he
went to Michigan college and there
made the acquaintance, as student, of
the physician, who, he alleges, agreed
to supply the body used in this last
fraud, from New York. About twelve
years ago, one summer, they were short
of funds, and Holmes friend thought of
an insurance swindle, in which bogus
body was to be used. The friend, now
a physician, had his life insured for $12,-
500; the body was procured in Chicago;
the identification with the insured doc
tor was made, and Holmes secured the
money.
The scheme was repeated several
times. On one occasion Holmes insured
his own life for $20,OOO Then he went to
@ hotel in Rhode Island wearing beard
He got a'body, took it two miles from
the hotel, cut the head off, and buried
the rest. He shaved, went to the hotel.
registered under a new name, and asked
for Holmes. They said he had gone out,
but was staying at the hotel. The
swindler took the head, charred it in the
hotel furnace and tried to identify 1t as
his own. This particular scheme fell
through.
A Type Writer in the Case.
The arch-conspirator then without
giving any names dwelt upon his deal
ings with Miss Williams as narrated to-
day in q United Press dispatch from
Chicago. In Chicago, he said, where he
was living with his second wife, he be-
came intimate with young girl, a
typewriter. He furnished apartments
for her, where she was visited by an
elder sister. The young girl, infat-
uated with Holmes, became jealous OF
her sister, and one day in his absence
she Drained her with stool.
when I came back l found the dead
body in the rooms. l took the corpse
put it in trunk and sunk it in the
lake. This was year and half ago
The younger sister, in danger of arrest
for murder, was anxious to escape. She
owned some property at Fort Worth
amounting to $4,000. Pitzel and I took
this property off her hands and gave
her money to fly the country. We ther
bought horses, getting credit on the
strength of the Fort Worth property
But the deeds were not straight, ant
we needed money to keep the thine
going. So the two Of US agreed to worl
the insurance scheme, and that is how
this trouble began"
Supervisor Perry who ran Holmes t.
earth in Boston last Saturday declared
this morning that he believed the cas-,
to be one of murder; that Pitzel upor
whose death the insurance was collect
ed, is in reality dead and has not disap
peared, as Holmes alleges. Mr.. PER-!
said that Holmes has three wives, on,
In New Hampshire who is divorced ant
with whom is 13-year-old child; an
other in Illinois who has child of
years; and the spouse who accompanies
him to Philadelphia and whom PER-.
believes to be innocent. When aske,
how Holmes accounted for the disap
pearance of three of Mrs. Pitzels chill
dren, the supervisor said He claim
to have left one child at hotel in In
dianapolis while he went on to Detroit
where he delivered the other two t
Pitzel, their father.
Assistant District Attorney Kinse
stated that the district attorney ha
not yet taken action upon the murde
allegation. mo evidence of murder ha
been presented to us" Kinsey continued
for all of the testimony upon whic
the indictments were drawn bears upo
the conspiracy alone. The indictment
say the body found in this city and upo
which the $4,000 insurance was paid,
not that of Pitzel. II it should prove
be PitzePs remains, all that need
done Is to draw up new indictmen
Then the trial for murder would go on.
KILLED BY THE CARS.