Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-11-09
DEFENSE WILL BE- SUICIDE
Holmes viii Try to Show That
FietzeI Killed Himself.
The Defendant Admits He Was mt tho
House the iay Pietzei Died-Mrs.
Iictzel on the stand Ihss
Morning.

Philadelphia, Nov. 1.-The defense in
the Holmes trial will be suicide. That
Pietzel committed suicide is the only
defense that can be offered as Holmes
has admitted that he was at the house
the day the man died and that he found
his body and arranged it as it was dis.
covered two days afterwards.
Mrs. Pietzei was the first witness
placed upon the stand when the trial
was resumed this morning.
After a single question Mrs. Pietzel
was turLed over to Mr.. Shoemaker for
cross examination.
Mrs. PietzCl, In reply TO a question.
raid that she la been arrested in Bos'
ton on a charge which she believed they
called conspiracy. She sad that she
was kept in prison seven months on the
charge and then released. She denied
that she had entered into any conspira.
cy to defraud anyone, but what she did
she did To protect her husband.
This concluded the cross examination.
and Mr.. Graham then askee her If she
was not discharged from prison without
IN Indictment being found against her
and with no stain upon her character,
and she answered Yes"
The next witness called was Edward
II. Cass. the Chicago special agent OK
the Fidelity Insurance company. The
defense suspected some kind of a trap
and objected to Mr.. Cass. The objec-
ton was overruled and he testified that
he called upon Holmes Willamette
wife TO learn from her If possible any
thing about her husbands where
abouts. so hat he could get him to
identify Pietzel's body. MIR. Cass was
shown the letters which Holmes wrote
him and identified them. These letterl
have already been published.
After Mr.. Cass identified the letters.
he was turned over to the defense for
cross examination. Only a few ques-
tions were asked him and nothing Of
importance was developed.
The next witness called was John
King. Mr.. King was a reluctant wit
ness. He admitted that he has been ems
gagged in getting out a sensational book
that purpor,s to give Holmes own story.
Then Mr.. King was asked from whom
he got the manuscript. The defense OBJ.
jected ~strenuously, but unavaillngly,
and Mr.. King said that he got the manu-,
script from Mr.. Shoemaker. n of tho
defendants lawyers.
Hiss Amy Long, a typewriter, test,
fed that she copied the manuscript foi
the book. and that she got it from Shoe
maker. She was shown a specimen o.
Holmes handwriting and said that Il!
resembled The writing of the manuscript
she copied.
DR.. Henry Lehman. an expert chem
ist, described the difference of effects
upon the human body of chloroform
taken internally and inhaled.
DIR. Mattern gave some important
testimony and Mr.. Graham gave notice
that the case for the commonwealth
was closed.
The case made out against Holmes
vas woefully weak so far as any direct
evidence duplicating the accused in tha
murder Of Pietzel is concerned. Tho
defense, however, appears TO have no
defense that can he called worthy Of
such a name and this absence of a de-
Tense and Holmes black record have
strengthened the weak places in the
COMMUNICATIVE case.