St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-11-21
HIS CHASTITY CONFESSION
Includes Land SWindleS, Life
Insurance Frauds and
Murder.
MRS. PITZEL is ARRESTED.
Police Believe, However, That
She Is But a Dupe Of
Rogues.

spirator Il. II Holmes. accompanied by
Mrs. PitZel and a pretty woman who
calls herself Mrs. Holmes, arrived in
this city today in custody of Detective
Crawford and Special Agent Perry, OF
the Fidelity Mutual Life association.
Mrs. PItZePs slXteen-year-old daughter
Media, and her One-year-o!d boy were
also with the party. Mrs. Holmes dis
appeared soon after her arrival, and no
clue to her whereabouts could be OBJ
tanned. II is thought that she is stopping
at hotel in the neighbOrhOod of police
headquarters. The train.gwhich left
Boston at 7:3O last night. was behind
time, having been delayed by wreck
near Bristol. Mrs. PitZePs nervous
condition was such that she was unable
to walk from Broad street station to the
Central station across the street, and
had to be supported by Detective Craw-
ford and a policeman. After their ar
rival the party was closeted with Super
intendent of Police Linden until late i'll
the afternoon. When the conference
was over Detective Crawford detailed
the story of the trip, the most important
feature Of which was the relation made
to him by Holmes of the story of his
whole life. 1t reads like the most sem
sational of rOmanceS. Holmes sat be-
side the detective with handouts on.
The train had scarcely emerged from
the Boston depot before the prisoner
tried TO
Bribe His CaptOre
He offered the detective $500 if he
would allow him to hypnotiZe him so
that he could escape. He said he had
REQ uently nypnotized persons, having
acquired the art from a college profess
sor in the West He said he could get
the money from his wife and Mrs. Pit
Eel. When he saw that his words ha d
no effect, Holmes entered into general
conversation and told the story Of his
life. He said he was raised In Bur-
lingtOn. VT, and was SO well educated
in school there that at fifteen he was a
teacher. For some time after he went
to college there, aud later in Detroit,
Mich. Here he formed the acQuaint-
ance of Il medical student, who, he said,
furnished the body in New York in tine
present case. He refused 10 divulge his
name. During vacations they worked
on 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 get
ting a body and beating an Insurance
company. This was twelve years ago.
The doctor got his life insured for Sl2,-
500. They obtained the body in Chicago.
took it East, arranged the details of
Identification and successfully got the
money, with which they continued their
studies. He refused to name the COM
pany thus swindled.
They Worked This Scheme
afterward with success, Holmes said,
obtaining sums ranging from $1,000 to
$4,000. Once Holmes got his own life
insured tor $4,000. He went to a hotel
in Rhode Island. At that time he wore
a beard. He secured a corpse in Chi
cagO. cut OFF the head and took the body
to lonely spot not far from the hotel.
Then he shaved Off his beard, returned
to the hotel. asked for Holmes and en-
gagged 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, however, fell
through. the mother of his wife when
she discovered it threatening to IufOrm
the police, and Holmes fled TO the West
Resuming his story, Holmes said that
while living in Chicago about fifteen
months ago he fell i'll with typewriter
girl and furnished house on the out
skirts, where they lived together. A
younger sister came to visit them, and
the woman grew SO jealous of her that
in Qurrel one day she struck her over
the head with stool and killed her. To
save the woman with whom he was liV-
ing, Holmes said he
Put the Body in a Trunk,
loaded it with stones and sunk it in the
lake. This girl had property in Texas.
and he and PltZel took it off her hands
and sent her abroad. 1t was worth. he
said, $40, 900, 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 legal
title to the property the notes were
worthless, and it Is for this affair thew
are wanted in Fort Worth. To save
this property, Holmes said he and Pitzel
formed the scheme of Swindllng the
Fidelity company. He told the detect
ives that for the crimes he committed
he deserved to be hanged a dozen times.
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 aud an imbecile brother;
two orphans IN Chicago who live in one
of his properties, three separate alleged
wives and their children and his own
mother and father in Kankakee. He
woald not give the names of the women.
He firmly maintained that Pitzel is
alive in Salvador, and that he will hear
from him through the personal column
CT certain New York newspaper.
A telegram was today received by
President Fonse, of the Fidelity COM
pany, to the effect that Howe, the st.
Louis lawyer, was en- route to this city
with Mcdonald i'll the capacity of his
'adviser."
Neither the detectives nor Mr. Perry
would make public anything concern.
Ing the Interview with Superintendent
Linden, but Mr.. Perry said that as a re-
suit it had been decided to arrest a num-
ber of other persons whose names would
not yet be given out.
Mr. Perry related in detail the story
Of Holmes arrest in Boston and the
manner in which Mrs. Pitzel was de-
coyed from Burlington. He said that
In the secret conference today nothing
had been said that would in the slight.
est degree refute his original theory that
PitZel had been murdered.
When in the West lie saw the parents
of Mrs. Pitzel, and they told him that
their daughter had complained of the
exorbitant fee charged by ST. Louis
lawyers, 50O In confederation of his