The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-11-21
How n Typewriter Fell Victim to
His Wfles and Murdered Her
Sister Through jealousy.
HIS DEALINGS WITH PITZEL
WELL SUPPLIED WITH FUNDS If
HIS STORY BE TRUE.
supporting Two Dozen People, In
Has Several-TwO Girls Missing.

Pitzel and a pretty woman who calls her
self Mrs. Holmes, arrived in this city to-
day in the custody of detective Crawford
and special agent Perry, of the Fidelity
Mutual Life Associa lion. Mrs. Pitzels six
teen-year-old daughter Media and her one
year-old boy were also with the party.
Mrs. Holmes disappeared soon after her
arrival, and no clew to her whereabouts
can be obtained. 1t is thought that she
is stopping at a hotel in the neighborhood
of police headquarters. The train, which left
Boston at 7:3O last night. was behind time,
having been delayed by a wreck near Brls-
tol. Mrs. Pitzels nervous condition was
such that she was unable to walk from
the Broad-street Station to the Central sta
tion across the street, and had TO be sup
ported by detective Crawford and a police
man. After it's arrival the party was clos
eted with Superintendent of Police Linden
until late in the afternoon. When the con-
ference was over detective Crawford de-
tailed the story of the trip. the most i'm
portant feature OF which was the revelation
made to him by Holmes of the story of his
whole life. 1t reads like the most sensa-
tional of romanees.
Holmes sat beside the detective with
handouts on, and the train had scarcely
emerged from the Boston depot before the
prisoner tried to brbe his captor. He Of
fered the detective 500 if he would allow
him to hypnotic him so that he could
cape. He said he had frequently hypnotized
persons, having acquired the art from a
college professor in the West He said he
could get the money at once from his wife
and Mrs. Pitzel. When he saw that his
words had no effect Holmes entered into
general conversation and told the story of
his life. He said he raised inf Burling-
ton. VT, and so well e1ucated in school
there that at fifteen he was a teacher.
For some time afterwards be went to col
lege there. and later in Detroit, Mich. Here
he formed the acquaintance of a medical
student, who, he said, furnished the body
in New York in the present case. He re-
fused to divulge his name.
HIS FIRST SWINDLE.
During vacations they worked farms
to raise their college expenses, but one
summer they found themselves without
means, and it was then that the medical
man suggested the idea of getting body
and beating an insurance company. This
was twelve years ago. The doctor got his
life insured for $12,5OO. They obtained the
body in Chicago, took il East arranged the
details of Identification and successfully got
studies. He refused to name the company
thus swindled. They worked the scheme
afterwards with success. Holmes continued,
obtaining sums ranging from $4,000 TO
$4,000.
Once Holmes got his own life insured for
$4,000. He went to a hotel In Rhode
Island. At that time he wore a beard.
He secured corpse in Chicago cut off the
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 a room to wait for
him. He had brought the head with him
and burned it beyond recognition in the
fireplace of the hotel. This scheme. how
ever, fell through, the mother of his wife.
when she discovered 1t, threatening to tell
the police. and Holmes fled to the West.
Resuming his story, Holmes said that
while living in Chicago. about eighteen
months ago, he fell in with a typewriter
girl and furnished house on the outskirts,
where they lived together. A younger sis
ter came to visit them. and the woman
grew so jealous of her that in quarrel
one day she struck her over the head with
stool and killed her. To save the woman
with whom he was living Holmes said he
put the body in a trunk, loaded it with
had property in Texas. and he and Pitzel
took it off her hands and sent her abroad.
1t was worth, ne said. $4,000, and after
getting it i'm their hands they went through
Texas. buying carloads of horses on notes
this property, but they never had
legal title TO the property the notes were
worthless and it is for this affair that they
are wanted in Fort Worth. To save this
property Holmes said he and Pitzel formed
the scheme of swindling the Fidelity COM
pany. He told the detective that for the
crimes he had committed he deserved to be
hanged dozen times.
PLENTY OF MONEY.
Holmes is not lacking for money, as he
himself admitted that at the present time
he Is supporting nearly two dozen persons,
including the girl murderess. her mother
and an imbecile brother; two orphans in
Chicago, who live in one of his properties;
three separate alleged wives and their chill
dren and his own mother and father in
Kankakee. He would not give the names
of the women. He firmly maintained that
Pitzel is still alive in San Salvador, and
that he will hear from him through the per-
sonal column OF certain New York news
paper.
telegram was to-day received by Pres
ident Fause, of the Fidelity company, 10
the effect that Howe. the st. Louis lawyer
was en- route to this city with Mcdonald
In the capacity of his adviser"
Neither the detectives nor Mr. Perry
would make public anything concerning the
interview with Mr.. Linden. but Mr. Perry
said that as result 1t had been decided
TO arrest a number OF other persons. whose
names would not yet be given out Mr..
Perry related in detail the story OF Holiness
arrest in Boston, and the manner In which
Mrs Pitzel was decoyed from Burlington
He said that In the secret conference to-
day nothing had been said that would in
the slightest degree refute his original the