Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-29
a GREAT ScOUNDREL.>


600 Proves to Be One of the Greatest
Scoundrels Unhung-PitzeI, the Alleged
Dead Man, Said to Have Been Seen in
Chicago.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. %. - All the
parties implicated in the conspiracy
by which the Fidelity Mutual
Life Insurance Co. was defrauded
out of $4,000, except B. F.
Pitezel, the supposed dead man, are
in Philadelphia to-day. II. Fl. Holmes,
the arch-conspirator. accompanied by
his alleged wife and Mrs Pitezel, the
latter having with her Media, her To-
year-old daughter, and baby boy. ar
rived yesterday from Boston in custody
of Detective Crawford and Special
Agent Perry of the insurance company.
Jephtha d. Howe, the st. Louis
attorney, who is also under in
dictment for being implicated in the
affair. accompanied by his attorney,
Marshall f. Mcdonald, arrived this
morning.
That Holmes is the most accom-
plished and most desperate criminal
that has been taken into custody for
some years is shown by his own con-
fessions, which are made not as con-
fessions. but simply as giving the story
Of his life.
Took a New and Unexpected Turn.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 21.-The sensa-
tional conspiracy against the Fidelity
Mutual Life association, for which
Herman Mudgett, alias Holmes, alias
Howard; Lawyer Jeptha j. Howe, of
st. Louis, and Mrs. Benjamin F. Pitzel
have been indicted, the former and the
latter being under arrest here, took a
new and unexpected turn to-day.
The development was in the nature
of a dispatch received by President
Fouse, of the Fidelity association, from
the concerns Chicago representative,
in which it was stated that Pitzel, the
reported victim, was seen in that city
within two weeks. Pitzel, according
to the dispatch was located in Meyers
saloon on Sixty-ninth street, in COM
pany with man named Ryan. If
this shall prove to be true, it will con-
firm what Holmes, the arch conspira-
tor, has persistently adhered to--that
Pitzel is alive.
President Fouse is inclined to the be-
lief, in view of this information, which
he considers to be thoroughly reliable.
that P1tzel is among the living. Il
think that murder was done,'' he
stated this afternoon, but l believe
that the victim was man other than
Pitzel."
CThen dwelling upon this development
he continued: Our representative fur
Their says that the Mr.. Ryan, with
whom Pitzel was seen, is a Chicago
business man, who knows Pitzel well.
''Our Chicago man subsequently saw
Ryan, but the latter declared his ina
bility to locate Pitzel, the two having
parted after leaving the saloon
AS Holmes maintains that the three
missing Pitzel children are with their
father, the discovery of the supposed
victim will proba bly, clear up the mys-
terry regarding the offspring.
A Third Mysterious Disappearance Charged
to Holmes.
CHICAGO, Nov. 22.-H. II. Holmes,
the life insurance swindler, now I'M
der arrest in Philadelphia. is charged
with being the cause of the mysterious
disappearance of a third woman dur
ing his operations in Chicago. That
person is Miss Kate Durlzee and she is
said to have had considerable property.
A year ago creditors of Holmes made
desperate effort to find out who and
where Miss Durkee was.
1t was supposed at that time that she
was an accomplice of Holmes, and that
property illegally obtained was being
transferred into her name. Suddenly
Kate Durkee dropped from sight, and
like the William sisters, has left no
trace behind. George B. Chamberlin,
proprietor of mercantile library, who
represents number of Holmes cred
itors, believes Miss Durkee was muir
dered.
''Kate Durkee" was the name signed
to a mortgage on some real estate of
considera BILE value. The mortgage was
turned over to Chamberlin for the ben
eft of creditors. Shortly after the
mortgage was returned to Holmes at
his request to have a clerical error cor
rected, but the document was never
returned.
At this time the Misses Williams dis
appeared and search for the giver of
the mortgage failed to disclose any
such person. Although Holmes had
given several good references, investi-
cation showed that these people had
met dark woman "who had been in
troduced as Miss Kate Durkee," but
did not know her personally.
Charged with Embezzlement and Bigamy
in st. Paul.
ST. PAUL, Mimi, Nov 22.-H. II.
Holmes, the insurance swindler, was
formerly a resident of st. Paul. He
practiced law here for couple of
years and disappeared some four or
five years ago. He had an office in the
old Grand block, and had a great fac
ulty for perpetually getting himself
into scrapes. He was a great dandy,
and at one time sued Chinese laun-
dry for burning pair of cuffs.
He was finally appointed receiver for
a restaurant on East Seventh street,
and after buying all the goods he could
on time and selling them he disap-
peared with the proceeds, leaving his
bondsmen in the lurch. He married
st. Paul woman here, and bigamy is
among the crimes that have been laid
at his door. He was regarded as a very
bright man but a great crook.
Lawyer Mcdonald Arrives In Philadelphia
Without Howe.