St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-23
WURDERER'S TRAP
HOLINESS CHICAGO RESIDENCE
BUILT FOR HUMAN SLAUGH-
TER HOUSE.
SECRETS OF THE CELLAR.
MYSTERIOUS CHAMBERS AND
CHESTS FILLED WITH GRIM
BELONGINGS.
A HANGMAN,s BLOODY ROPE
Fresh Horrors UnfoIded as the
Work of Investigation
Proceeds

Pietzel is back in Chicago, after her
trip to Toronto for the Identification
Of the bodies of her children. She is
now ready to tell all that she knows
regarding the operations of Holmes
as an insurance SWindler. She made
important statements regarding the
sWindles and the measures taken to
carry them out, but says that she was
kept in ignorance that any of them
entailed murder. Bones and articles of
clothing were turned up in the base
ment of Holmes house today. Some
of the bones were from the butcher
shop, but others resembled those of
human foot. In a chest holding
secret belongings Of Holmes the po-
lice today found a vest identified as
one long worn by Holmes, upon
Which there are dark stains resem-
bling blood. In a box were found a
thin shirt and other articles of un-
derwear. The shirt had the initials
u. B. D." worked in red letters.
The box was found under the floor,
and was covered with a layer of fire
brick. In the cellar near where the
bones We're found was woman's
shoe, with evidence Of fire on the
sole. AS the earth near where these
articles were found was not re-
moved in laying the foundations of
the house no reason for their burial
can be assigned by the police ex-
cept to hide murder. Close by is the
bottom of the shaft which made
quick connection between the top of
the house and the basement. while
just over the spot is the blind stair
way which leads into the third floor
by a trap door placed under a sta
tionary bath tub.
HUMAN SLAUGHTER HOUSE.
A meeting Of the detectives en-
gagged in the examination of the
house was held tonight, and they
announced that in their opinion the
house had been constructed for the
purpose of deliberate slaughter.
More care than ever will now be
taken in searching the premises. In
a,'noosed rope, stained dark about
the knot, the police think they have
made an important discovery. The
rope, which was found hidden be-
meath a quantity of rubbish, is of
considerable length and strong. At
one end is a plated loop and at the
other a running or ''hangman's
moose" About the knot and on the
rope near the moose were found sew
eral dark spots which the police i'm
mediately concluded We're blood
stains. The length of the rope is such
that, were the plated loop attached
to the wall up stairs of Holmes Sc
cret dumb waiter shaft, a BODY
hanging from the moose would Just
clear the floor at the bottom of the
shaft. This coincidence convinced
some of the detectives that Holmes
alleged victims had been pushed
through the up stairs door to the
dumb waiter and strangled to death
in the shaft below. Others of the
officers, however, refused to acept
the theory, and the rope was sub
mitted to an analysis to determine
the nature of the stains Owing to
escaping gas the digging in the base
ment was badly delayed. Numerous
efforts to stop the leak proved un-
successful. During the day a second
wall in the basement, about ten feet
from the west foundation, and ex-
tending parallel with it for about
thirty feet, was found by detectives.
There are two doors leading into the
apartment thus created and each
one was securely locked. The rub
bish was plentiful in this place.
HOLMES EVIDENTLY LYING.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, July 22.-At
his own request H. H. Holmes, insur-
ance swindler and alleged murderer.
was brought into the office of District
Attorney Graham today and allowed to
make statement. It consisted sub
stantially of a repetition of the Hatch
story, and despite rigid cross-examin-
alton he persisted in his previous state
ments. When Holmes was brought in
TO the room his wife, a young and
rather pretty blonde, was present.
When their eyes met they seemed to
Shrink from each other, the woman
especially manifesting a feeling of
disgust and horror for the much-ac-
cused man. To prove his assertions
Holmes produced the diary kept by
himself and wife in Toronto. where
he alleges he gave the Pietze1 chill
dren to Hatch. The diary would have
confirmed some of his statements had
not his wife given additional informa-
ton. She declared that while they
were living together in Toronto ho-
tel Holmes went away for two days,
saying that he was going on a fishing
trip. When he returned he was tired
and there was mud on his trousers.
APPALLING DISCOVERIES.