The herald., 1894-11-21
STRANGER THAN FICTION,
SWindler Holmes Career of
Crime.
A Full Confession Of His Dark
Deeds.
He Deserves to Be Hanged a Dozen
Times Over.
Defrauding OF Insurance Companies Re-
ducsd to = scionce-Mrs. Pitzsl's
etory-Lawysr Howe
Missing.


PHILADELPHIA. Nov. 20. The arch
conspirator. II. H. Holmes, accom- pa
MED by Mrs. Pitzel and a pretty woman
who calls herself Mrs. Holmes, arrived
In this city today in the custody of De.
tsctive Crawford and Special Agent Perry
/ of the Fidelity Mutual Life association.
Mrs. Pitzel's 16yesr old daugh Media,
and her 1-year-old boy were also with
the party. Mrs. Holmes disappeared
soon after her arrival, and no clue to her
whereabouts could be obtained. 1t is
thought she is stopping at hotel in the
neighborhood of police headquarters.
After the arrival, the party was
closeted with Superintendent of Police
Landen until late in the afternoon.
When the conference was over, Detective
Crawford detailed the story of the trip,
the most important feature of which
was the relation by Mr.. Holmes OF the
story of his whole life. 1t reads like
the most eensa ational of romances.
Holmes sat beside the detective with
handcuffs on. The train had scarcely
emerged from the Boston depot before
ne tried to bribe his captor. He offered
the detective $500 II he would allow him
to escape. He said he had frequently
hypnotized persons. having acquired the
art from a college professor in the west.
be said he could get the money from
his wife or Mrs. Pitzel. When he saw
his words had no effect. he entered into
general conversation and told the at ory
OF his life.
He said he was raised in Burlington,
Vermont. and was go we'll educated in
the schools that at Is he was teacher.
For some time afterward he went to
college there and later in Detroit, Mich.
Here he formed the acquaintance Of .
medical student, who, he said, fur
nlshed the body in New York in the
present case. He refused to divulge
his name. During vacations they woi aed
on farms to raise their college expenses.
but ore su mmer they found Themselves
without means. and then the medical
man suggested the idea OF getting a
body and beating an insurance COM
pany. This was IL years ago.
The doctor got his life insured for
$4,000. They obtained body in Chi
cago. took it east, arranged the details
OF Identification and successfully got
the money with which they continued
their studies. He refused to name the
company thus ewindled. They worked
the scheme afterwards with success.
obtaining sums ranging from $4,000 to
$4,000
Once Holmes got his life insured for
$4,000 He then went to a hotel in
Rhode leland. At that time be wore a
beard. He secured corpse in Chicago.
cut off the head and took the BODY to a
lonely epOt not far from the hotel. Then
he shaved off his beard, returned to the
hotel, aeked for Holmes and engaged a
room to wait for him. He had brought
the head with him and burned it be-
yond recognition in the fireplace of the
hotel. This scheme, however. fell
through. the mother of his wife, when
she discovered the scheme, threatening
to tell the police, and Holmes fed to
the west.
Resuming his story he said that while
living in Chicago about l8 months ago.
ne tell in with q typewriter girl and
furnished a house on the outekirts
where they lived together. A Younger
sister came to visit them and the
woman grew 80 jealous of her that in a
quarrel one day che struck her over
the head with stool and killed her.
10 save the woman with whom he
lived, Holmes said he put the body in
a trunk loaded with stones and sunk
it in the lake.
This girl had property in Texas, and
he and Pitzel took it off her hands and |
sent her abroad. 1t was worth, he said,
10000, and after getting it in their |
hands they went through Texas buying |
carloads of horses on notes on this prop
erty, but as they never had legal title !
to the property, the notes were worth
less, and it ls for this affair they are |
wanted in Fort Worth. 70 save this |
property Holmes aaid he and Pitzel |
formed tho scheme Of swindling the FL
delity company. He told the detective |
that for the crimes he had committed |
he deserved to be hanged dozen
times.
Holmes Ia 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 children and his own
mother and father in Kankakee. He
would not give the names OF the women.
He firmly maintained that Pitzel ia
alive and in San Salvador, and that he
Will hear from him through the personal
column of certain newspaper.
Mr. Ferry said that as result of the
interview it had been decided to arrest
number OF other persons whose names
we're not ready to be given out.
Mr. Perry related in detail the story
u Holmes arrest in Boston and the
manner in which Mrs. Pitzel was de-
'oyed iyom Burlington. He said that in
he secret conference today nothing had
,een said that would in the slightest
legree refute his original theory that
'itzel had been murdered. When in
he west he saw the parents of Mrs,
'itzel. and they told him their daugh-
er had complained of the exorbi tant
90 charged by the st. Louis lawyer
$500. In corroboration of his murder
heory, Mr.. Perry said that he had from
ars. Pitzel an exact description OF
er husband. agreeing in every respec.