The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-11-19

Philadelphia, Nov. 18.-By the arrest of
r. H. Holmes. alias Howard, of Boston,
here, a gigantic swindling scheme has
been unearthed by detectives of the
Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance associa-
ton of this city. On September 8 last,
the corpse Of a man was found at 1916
Callow Hill street this city, and was
buried by the coroner under the name
of B. J. Pitzel.
Now it appears that the corpse was
bold substitute for the purpose of de-
frauding the insurance company of $780,,
600. q. F. Pitzel rented the house on
Callow Hill street during the summer
under the name of B. f. Perry and con-
Quoted patent medicine business. The
last week i'll August he disappeared and
on September 3, man with whom he
had had business relations, went to the
house and found Perry dead on the
floor.
Death was attributed to the explosion
of a jar of cleaning fluid.
On the body was found small sum of
money and two letters dated ST. Louis,
evidently from the mans wife, in which
she 'signified her intention of coming TO
Philadelphia. The body lay in the
fication. The coroners jury said deaf
was caused by burns accidentally re-
ceived.
After the body had been buried in the
ceived by the Fidelity Mutual Life as
ISOLATION, dated at st. Louis, and signed
by an attorney of that city, j. D.. Howe.
The letter stated the mans real name
was Pitzel The company refused to
recognize the unusual claim, and sent
to the general manager in Chicago where
the policy had been issued for descrip-
ton of the man who took it out. The
policy had been issued through the
agency of reputable business man, but
when he was questioned he referred the
inquirer to H. H. Holmes, who had
desk in the same building with the de-
ceased in Chicago during the Worlds
fair.
The general manager could not locate
Holmes, but found his wife and by her
was told that her husband was a travel
ing man and she would communicate
with him.
The next day. however Holmes. wrote
to the Philadelphia office, stating he had
learned the death was in Philadelphia
and that as he expected to be in Balti-
more soon he would stop in Philadelphia;
Meanwhile, Attornew Howe appeared
in Philadelphia, accompanied by a
young girl whom he represented as the
daughter of the dead man. 1t was then
decided to eXhume the body, which was
done by officials of the company. The
and the body was reburied and Attorney
Howe received the 100000 representing
the sum due Mrs Pitzel. a month ago,
one of the company's agents, While III
st. Louis, became cognizant of some OF
the facts, and Formulated the story Of
conspiracy. He discovered Holmes and
Howe had been related in the character
of lawyer and client in a case where
Holmes had been arrested under the
name of Howard for obtaining goods
under false pretenses. Then it was
found that Holmes and Pitzel had been
in business together in Chicago during
the Worlds fair where they conducted
hotel with secret rooms in which they
hid goods, obtained by swindling mer-
chants. The place was called the
Worlds FAIR hotel. While here, Pitzel
took out policy with the Fidelity COM
pany and Holmes followed his example
a month later, both giving notes for the
first payment.
Holmes was chased all over the coun-
try. 1t was learned that Pitzel and
Holmes obtained. by some means or
other, a corpse from the New York hos
pital, brought it here SURROUNDED it by BY
the evidence OF a violent death in the
Callow Hill street house, and obtained
the $4,000.
Holmes was arrested in Boston by de-
tectives who are now after the other
conspirator, Pitzel.