The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-08-28
THE PIETZEL BONES.
Concluded from First Page.)

put the property in the hands of an agent
down in the city. One day in October a mar
came to me and, IN rather an impudent
manner. demanded the keys for Mr.. Lam
casters property. 1t struck me as rather
sfranSe sp snat to so w yGnnE hairs hgp in sneh a q c man
handing sort of a way. and / demanded
why he wanted them. He said he had
rented Mr.. Lancaster's house of an agent,
whose name / have forgotten, but ! think
II was the Cruise agency. l gave him the
key. The photograph Of Holmes looks very
his manner was such that / cannot soon
forget
Mr.. Geyer heard all of these stories and
he was convinced that, beyond a doubt. the
was none other than the notorious Holmes,
and the boy he brought there was Howard.
the last of the Pietzel children, whose
murder remained to be explained. The de-
tective came to the city intending 70 re-
turn in the evening and complete his search.
when he could do so quietly, without being
disturbed by a curious crowd.
Drs. Thompson and Barnhill were left
at the house with the two boys. Walter
aged fifteen and eleven, respectively. They
were deeply interested IN the search and
they commenced looking around to see what
cellar intended for a laundry, and they
were attracted by a pipe opening in tho
chimney, which Is about three and one
his arm in the opening and pulled out a
handful of ashes. He observed nothing
unusual about the first find. He brought
forth another handful and in 1t was a
piece of bone. The two boys began working
energetically at getting the material from
the chimney. They brought out several
the two doctors OF their find. Detective
Geyer had not been gone fifteen minutes.
SKULL BONE AND TEETH.
Drs. Thompson and Barnhill went to the
cellar and the ashes were removed from
the opening. A section of the human skull.
showing the sutures, was found. Several
small pieces of bone were obtained and
DR.. Barnhill started with these pieces to
the city to show them to Mr.. Geyer. DR..
Thompson and the boys. with a reporter.
continued the search. More of the ashes
were taken from the chimney. Three ve--
tebrae, pieces of a skull, a small section Of
a rib and part OF the hip bone were found.
Seven teeth. which a dentist at the suburb
said were undoubtedly those of a child be-
tween nine and twelve years of age. fol-
owed. Four or five large buttons were re-
moved. which might have belonged to the
overcoat worn by Howard. A silver buckle,
another find. Two large bones, to which
chung burned flesh and cloth, were the next
prepared to say they belonged to a
child's body, as they were thought to be
too large. The physicians said they might
had chung some flesh and clothing. Evil
dence that portions of the trunk which
had been destroyed were burned. was also
found. There was the lock and the steel
bands. which the fire had been unable Ito
destroy. Every indication was that there
had been an effort at co~ncealment. Had
the burning OF the portions OF the trunk
been done innocently enough there would
be no reason to conceal them in the Chin
ney. 1t is evident that they were placed
while he lived in the house nothing was
ever thrown in the chimney, for such would
be unhandy. as material would have TO be
forced through a six-inch opening. The
family never threw chicken or other bones
there, and Mr.. Brennan saws the same for
his family. @
purchased furniture: moved IL to the house
and gave out the impression that il was
10 be occupied. He went there with the
have the gas turned on. for that would make
other persons acquainted with him. He did
everything to avert suspicion. He had no
light. A small piece Of candle, burned
close TO the neck OF a whisky flask, was
afterward found. and this probably served
as a light for the murderer at his work.
The boy played in the yard. little think
ing OF his great danger, feeling secure in
the keeping of the former pretended friend
OF his father. That night Holmes went
with the boy to a drug store. probably to
purchase candy for him. The two returned
TO the house. and Holmes Is the only one
Tbe w xnGws w wna' DONE aeans Quietly 'n and.
safe to say. there were no
outcries- Holmes was humane in his muir
ders, putting his victims out of the way
so as 10 cause them the least possible pain.
Among the ashes taken from the chimney
was found a long needle. such as physicians
use for probing. With this instrument the
boy might have been killed The boy dead.
Holmes was alone TO conceal the eviiencrs
of his crime. He was many rods from any
house and not likely to be disturbed. He
had brought to the house a large stove.
Dry wood was picked up and a portion Of
the old trunk served as kindling. Every
thing that belonged 10 Howard Pietzel was
probably destroyed. or as nearly destroyed
as possible. with fire. The few bones and
the ashes from the fire were placed in the
chimney, and the murderer FASTENED from
the scene of his crime to prepare for an
other. Such Is the theory OF the detectives.
At first II was thought that the trunk
: was the one taken from the Circle House. In