The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-11-04
CONVICTION ON HOLMES.
The Jury Unanimous for a First
Degree Verdict.
THE oONvICTs WONDERFUL NERVE


ward Evidence of Emotion.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. Al. H. Holmes,
the most remarkable criminal America
has ever produced, must die on the gal
lows for the murder of his fellow swind-
lor, Benjamin F. Pitezel
When the jury returned the verdict of
guilty Holmes was as calm as at any time
since the trial began. This does not show
bravado so much as it shows that lack of
sensibility for which criminals are noted.
The jurors were unanimous in their be-
lief of Holmes guilt from the first mo-
ment of their deliberations. They said
after court adjourned that they remained
out three hours only for appearance sake,
seeing that five days had been spent in the
trial They took only one ballot
Holmes counsel will appeal, and it is
probable that the supreme court will
finally decide his fate within two months
While the jury was out Holmes was
locked in the cell room on the floor be-
meath the court room, guarded by two of
fcers. He chatted pleasantly with them,
and with bravado seldom encountered he
tossed up pennies and bet acquittal or
conviction on the fall of the coin. Strange
to say, the luck was nearly always with
1 him on the drop, the betting being heads
for acquittal and tails for conviction, the
loin dropping heads up seven times out of
! ten
The Jury went out at 5;45 o'clock Satur-
day evening and came back at S45. The
! twelve men were all very solemn. Their
gravity showed at once to those spectators
] who often see criminal trials that they
I had agreed upon verdict that would send
the plausible swindler and murderer to
death He was not in the court room
when they entered.
| The court crier called the roll deliber-
ely. Every juror answered in a low
dice. Clerk Henszey nodded to two court
officers at the back of the room. They
unlocked the grilled door that ends
the tunnel and Holmes stepped into the
! court room He advan ced through q mar
row lane between closely packed throngs
of men and women. AS if by an effort he
abandoned for once his jaunty, swinging
gait. So far as one could tell by watching
| him, he felt that the throng expected him
to be sedate, and he did all he could to sat
| isfy them.
But beneath that reserve the man was
/ shaken with fear The cowardly heart that
| did not falter at sending his near friend
and three innocent little children to hor-
rible deaths was now fluttering wildly at
| the prospect of his doom. He had been
| violently i'll just before entering the court
room, yet he had so thoroughly schooled
| himself to self control that his demeanor
was perfect
! During the dialogue between the clerk
and the jurors that sounded his death
knell, Holmes was absolutely unmoved.
/ He contemplated the foreman as if he were
wondering how tall he was or what was
the exact color of his eyes He made him
self appear to have no personal interest in
( the man or what he was saying.
Judge Arnold, in fatherly way, compli-
mented Messrs. Rotan and Shoemaker for
their conduct of the defense, and they re-
piled. Then the judge nodded, and the
/ two court officers took Holmes out of the
room, one walking before and the other
after him. He was still forcing himself
to be tranquil. His step was light and
| springy.
From the time he came until he went
out less than ten minutes elapsed. The
strain had been so severe that one would
have thought hours had passed. On his
way down to the prison van he remarked
to the guards accompanying him:
! wv ell, Jne jury lttS llOI6 W ItSI6U gudu
l have in this verdict 1 knew what it was
the moment saw little Hertel's face. He
could not look at me; his hand was trem
bling as he stood up, Look at mine. Does
it tremble?"
Holmes held out his right hand 1t did
not waver 1t was firm.
The last day of the trial was, of course
the most dramatic. Mr.. Shoemaker, OF
Holmes counsel, was overcome with nerv
GUS prostration, and in his absence Dis
trict Attorney Graham agreed to foregc
his privilege of making two addresses tc
the jury. Furthermore, the district at
torney summed up first, thereby giving
the prisoners counsel the last word
Mr. Rotan summed up for the defense
His speech was earnest and could hardl!
have been bettered under the circum
stances, He made remarkable admissions
however. He repeated Holmes assertion
that he found the body of Pitezel, VIII,
had committed suicide, dragged it to an
other floor Of the house and arranged it t,
look as if the man had died accidentally
from an explosion of liquid.