Evening star., 1895-11-01
THE CASE AGAINST HOLMES
What the Prosecution Have Thus Far
Shown.
Detective Geyer Tells OF the Prison
er's Contradictory Statements Re-
gnrding Pitezcl's Body.

In the afternoon, a1ter Inc StdT report
closed, the defense in the Holmes trial at
Philadelphia yesterday scored an important
victory and one that will keep the prosecu-
ton down to narrow lines. Detective Geyer
was telling his story, and when he reached
the point that referred to Toronto and tie
finding of the bodies of the Pitezel girls Mr.
Rotan objected.
Mr.. Graham fought him with all the vigor
at his command. But the young lawyer
downed his older and more experienced
opponent. Judge, Arnold decided that the
questions not be asked This means that
the small army of witnesses from other
places cannot tell their stories unless they
bear directly on the case of Pitezel. They
cannot relate the story of the murder of the
two little girls and of the little boy.
This means much
There was no session last night and into
the late hours of the night Mr.. Graham md
Mr Barlow were together mapping out new
Lines of battle,
So far they have shown motive for nur-
der, they have established that the body
is that of Pitezel and they have shown that
Holmes profted by the mans death. Both
by the prisoners own confession and by
the testimony of others they have establish
ed that there was conspiracy to Gefraud
the Fidelity Mutual Life Association and
that Holmes and P:tezel had been jointly
engaged in other questionable enterprises.
They have shown that Pitezel was last
seen alive on Saturday night and that be
died between then and Monday. They have
shown that the body was arranged by some
hand; that the corpse was burned and The
furniture in the room arranged. They ..ave
brought medical testimony to Indicate how
he died. They have developed suspicious ac-
tions on the part of Holmes, and the fact
that he was away from his wife on Sunday
the day the murder is believed to have oc.
CURED, for five hours, returning warm and
excited and leaving at once for Ind!anap-
oils.
Holmes admits the body to be that of Pite-
eel but says the dead man committed sui
eide.
On this latter line Holmes will probably
make his defense. He will fight hard to
prove his point. If he does, it means his re-
lease from one of the many accusations
made against him.
What Holmes Said About the Corpsc.
After Miss Yoke, or Mrs. Holmes No 2,
had been cross-examined by Holmes with
out bringing out anything important De-
tective Frank P. Geyer testified regarding
a statement by Holmes in his cell on No
vember 70, 1894, about the body found in
the Callowhill street house. Holmes said
to him that it was not Pitezers hody hut
a substitute.
He told me he left the 11th street house
en- Sunday, September 2, in the morning.
and went to New York, where he went to
a medical student and procured a corpse.
He put 1t in a trunk. and had it taken by a
furniture car driver to Jersey City, where
1t was shipped on the same train to Phil
adelphia that Holmes came over on. He
reached this city about o'clock in the
afternoon. and met Pitezel at the main Of
flee of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany, giving him the check for the trunk.
Then he went up to the l1th street house,
and that night went west. The next place
he saw Pitezel was in Detroit, where he
met him at the post office. I asked him
where Pitezel and the children were, and
he SAID in South America. He refused to
whcm he got the corpse, saying that the
student was supposed to be dead, as years
before he and Holmes had swindled an in
surance company out Of $4,000. Besides,
the student was a prosperous man of fam
lily. He would only give his name in the
event OF being brought up for murder. He
said he had told PiteZel how to prepare
the substituted body; to place it on the
moor, with the arm on the breast, pat the
hquid in the mouth and set fire to it. The
liquid had been used for cleaning clothes.
He also told him how to force the liquid
into the stomach by working the arms. He
said PiteZel had told him that after he left
the Callowhill street house he was walking
through the city hall and threw away the
hat he had been wearing and put or a silk
enc.
Admitted the Corpse Was Pitezers.
"A few days before his arraignment for
conspiracy, to which he pleaded guilty. l
saw him ih the cell ROOM and he said the
story he had told me about the substitu-
ton of body was not true, and that the
corpse found in the house was that of
Pitezel 1 said: Well, Holmes, if that's the
case. then you murdered Pitezel and the
children He said: No. l didn't. When
left the 11th street house, at IL o'clock
Sunday morning. September 2. l took the
10th street car and went to the Callowhill
street house. 1 opened the door with a key
had and. not finding Pitezel there. wen.
upstairs. On the third floor j found him.
He was lying on the floor. his arm across
his breast and a cloth over his face.
Nearby there was a bottle of chloroform.
with IA thin hose in It, placed that the
drops of chloroform would fall on the cloth.
1 put my head to his heart and found that
he was dead. Then l went down stairs
and found note telling me to look inside
a bottle in the closet. l id so, and found
a note in 1t, in which P.tsZel said l sh oui
take his body and do just wha; had want
ed him to do with the substitute corpse.
went up stairs again and dragged his body
Gown. to the second floor, where 1t was
found. placing the broken bottle and the
pipe in position, and burning the face just
as had told him to do
VANDERBILTS NOT INVITED.