The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-11-26
Incidents That Show Him to he
Ninth Degree Of Fraud.
QUEER BUSINESS METHODS
AND STRANGE DoINGs IN HIS sIxTY-
THIRD-sTREET BUILDING.
Talk with His Father-fn-Law, John g.
Bell<nnp, Who In an Inmate Of
the Marion Soldiers Home.


in long article on the huge insurance
swindle. says: History is silent as to just
when Holmes honored Chicago by taking
up his residence here. but it was probably
about nine years ago 1t would take half
the city directory TO give a list of the bus
mess enterprises in which Holmes has been
engaged in Chicago. He first blossomed
into prominence the proprietor OF con-
Germ known the "a Il c Gopher Com
pany'' which was located in the Monon
Building. Probably the only reason special
prominence has ever been given to Holiness
connection with the COPPER company was
tnat he COPPER was a sure-enough honest.
well-made copier, that would do what II
was advertised to do. Probably because IL
was an honest business Holmes failed in
it. He carried away the blessings of other
tenants and fifty gallons of giycerine which
did not belong to him. 1t is believed
Holmes afterwards blossomed out as a
manufacturer of giycerine soap. but this is
not definite. Englewood. that much-neg-
lected suburb. then attracted Holiness at
tention. Holmes decided that Englewood
wanted Ivening up. and for several years
he gave his undivided attention to the en-
livenment OF Englewood. And he did en-
Iven IL.
At Sixty-third and Wallace streets he
opened a drug store on the ground floor
Above it he installed Mrs. Holmes. Crhis
woman is supposed TO have been the daugh-
ter of j. S. Belknap, now an inmate OF the
Soldiers Home at Marion, IndD She was
tall and blonde, with brown eyes and an
expression of confiding innocence. But she
wasn't innocent a bit. In the argot of State
street she was dead on to Mr.. Holiness
little game" Mr.. Holmes was fond OF ex-
ercising his fascination on every woman
who came into the store, and Mrs. Holmes
up stairs got mad about it. Whenever
feminine voice sounded in the store longer
than she thought proper she would quietly
descend the stairs and make personal re-
marks to Mr.. Holmes.
A HINT TO THE WISE.
Getting rather tired of these little inter-
ruptions. Mr.. Holmes set his inventive
genius to work and manufactured another
patent. While Mrs. Holmes was out Mr..
Holmes removed the board from the third
step of the stairs. beneath it he placed a
push-hutton, furnished with wires, bat
tery and q small buzzer. Then he replaced
the board, and put the buzzer underneath
his favorite seat behind the counter. The
result was that the next time Mrs Holmes
started down stairs to catch her recreat
spouse she pressed the button and Mr..
Holmes did the rest. He was the busiest
man in Engiewood when she peeked over
the showcase. and there wasn't any woman
in the store.
Here it was this arch trickster was To-
Gated when a mysterious fire burned the
roof OF the place. This was unkind be-
cause the fire also took the roof of one OF
Holiness hidden rooms and discovered a
large safe for which a vault company had
haap .brpfipU time Holiness hQW-
ever, rose to the occasion and tried to col
lect insurance on the fire. In this attempt
Cowie got after him and succeeded III TAX
ing up $4,000 worth of policies and saving
the company just that amount ,,,s..
make several volumes IL coilated and print
ten sa @ out. s.e Everybody in Ensiewood has G a
story now to tell of the man. Strange
enough, these stories are all true.
pearance in Englewood was seven years
ago A Mrs. DIR. Holden operated drug
store across the street ss oIns from the place
employed in the store of Mrs. Holden, and
soon after a change of .proprietors was
announced. The kitish ambition of Holmes
would not permit him to do clerical work
very long. He proposed to buy out Ms.
Holden, and the offer was accepted.
definitely. He was noted for leaving loop
holes in all his deals. IL was not long after
the deal with Mrs Holden until the corner
gossipers were retailing talk about Mrs.
Holden's suit against Holmes for purchase
money. There was a lawsuit and finally
the story wore out and the transaction was
forgotten.
HOLINESS WONDERFUL BUILDING.
Holmes pursued an even tenor for a
while and then blossomed as a builder.
This was when he began that famous build
ing across the way, at the corner Of Sixty
third and Wallace streets 1t put up
on the instailment plan. Sometimes the site
teemed with workmen. Then the place
would be deserted. Holmes was out seek
| ing new loans when the latter situation
was presented. The architecture of the
| building was a reflex OF the owners mind.
| It was crooked and unlike any other build
| ing. There were rooms that had no doors.
| There were recesses In places where they
| was under cover the man changed his mind.
1t was then that the roof burned on.
Nothing was thought OF that at the time.
roof fire Holmes put on some flats to rent
| where the roof had been. There were Sc
cret chambers here and there about the
| building. The man did everything on the
| line of the conjurer.
There was man near by named Gott.
| Holmes made a contract with him to board
nine of his workmen. Holmes gave Gott
checks for the mems board and shs cheeks
| Holmes had no funds. There was a row
| about that, but 1t affected Gott more Sc
| riously than II did Holmes, at least men
tally. Gott, failing to get his money in any
/ other way, threatened 10 thrash Holmes.
4 That did not perturb Holmes 1t ended as
/ all of his troubles had ended, by dropping
| out Of sight. Holmes hypnotized his af-
/ fiictions and lawsuits.
When the building was finished and after
/ Holmes had moved in with his pharmaccu-
| tical stock and the miscellaneous goods
| which attach TO a modern suburban drug
store ne began TO scheme
The story of his patent gas machine, de-
| tailed elsewhere, is literally true. Ii took a
man like Holmes 10 make a combination or
| Junk aiid chemicals which would produce
| something that puzzleI. The gas company.
1 that is Cne of them. sent an expert 10 exam
inc the machine. and the expert looked at
| the invention for weeks and reported 10
! the company that IL was a marvel. Ii IL
| not often that a gas company gets the
worst of a deal anywhere. But this New
! HAMPSHIRE young man fooled this one. The
| company did not buy the machine, but II gave
! it such an Endorsement as enabled Holmes
I TO sell IL to Canadian for 5000. and when
/ the Canadian found how sorely he had been
1 duped IL Is said he died OF a broken heart.
| This may be exaggerated. But IL is ex-
| aggeration that the gas company discov-
| cred that Holmes had tapped one OF their
| mains and supplied his patent with gas.
MARVELLOUS SODA FOUNTAIN.