The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-25
CORPSES IN HOLMES CELLAR.
MORE HUMAN BONES FOUND UNDER
THE HOUSE At CHICAGO.

several sections OF the erAcbruc
and Piece of the Upper jaw
With Two Teeth Attached Dug UP.
The body Evidently Hurled in
Quick Lime.
Chicago July 2S.-The backbone OF a hu-
man being was the first awful find this
morning Of the detectives who are at
work in the Holmes building in EnglewOOd.
The second find was rib; later there was
a bone with two teeth and then Chief Ba-
denech and Inspector Fitzpatrick went TO
Englewood to direct the further search.
The find was at once reported to Inspec-
tor Fitzpatrick at the city hall and COM
municated to Chief Badenech. The two
latter officials at once started for the
Holmes house in Englewood to make a
personal examination of the objects and to
have them submitted to physician for
examination.
Inspector Fitzpatrick made an announce
ment Of the lind and said: "Sergeants
Norton and Fitzpatrick reported to me by
telephone few moments ago that in dig
ging in the basement of the Holmes house
they had found the back bone and ribs of
a human being. The report that the Off
Ger makes is that there is no doubt that
the bones are part Of a human body. Chief
Badenech and I will start at once for En-
glewood and examine personally all the
circumstances of the discovery.
Just what bearing this will have on the
case I am unable to say. as the report
is meagre, and allows no room for def
mite opinion. The inspector said he sup
posed the bones were a part of the body
of one of the Williams sisters"
Neither the chief nor the inspector cared
to venture an opinion as to the probable
result of the discovery, although both
seemed to be greatly pleased that some
apparent material headway had been
made in the case, and expressed the hope
that the find would lead to more impor>
tant discoveries. The pieces of human
skeleton were found in the basement un-
der the drug store, and the diggers are
still hard at work.
In the wet EARTH mixed with quicklime,
the men saw what appeared to be several
ribs protruding. They dropped their shov,
els and spades and carefully uncovered
the bones with their hands Seven ribs
were thus taken out, when several sec
tions of the Vertebrae and what is descrlh-
ed as a piece Of an upper jaw with two
teeth attached were found. Eleven
more of the reputed rlps
We're taken out of the place. With the
ribs they found a portion OF a womans
Jacket On the jacket was a small bunch
of hair, too much discolored by the dirt
to give notion of its original color. The
bones lay on a board twenty inches wide
and thirty inches long and this in turn
al a irf
dirt underneath would indicate that it was
the original floor of the cellar and that IL
had been filled with about two feet of
earth at a later period. In this filled por-
ton lay the bones.
Three sections of the vertebrae and four
of the ribs were taken to the office of DR..
Charles f. North, at SiXty-third street
and Wentworth avenue. He examined
them carefully and gave as his opinion that
they were from a human body. i am
not able to apply any tests, but from a
superficial examination l would unhesi-
tatingly pronounce the bones as being from
a human body" said DR.. North. "They are
discolored with age or the attack of some
chemical substance and the damp earth
in which they have been lying has added
to their dicoIoration. l believe a careful
examination will dislose their human ori-
gin"
All the eighteen bones thought to be
brae and apparently were Joined at one
time to the backbone. The quick-Hme
would indicate that the rest of the bones
had been eaten away.
Two pieces of fat bones were found in
the hole, probably, the police think, be-
ing shoulder blades. That sections of the
smaller bones of the body would have
been found without any trace of the larg-
er bones of the arms and legs makes the
find more mysterious.
Detective Norton, who is in charge of
the digging party, will have the spot
looked over carefully in the hope of find
ing traces of some other por-
tions of human body. A
glass containing about four ounces of a
fluid was found in the same place, but
its character has not yet been determined.
After reaching the building the chief of
police and Inspector Fitzpatrick and the
detectives retired to the rear of c. E.
Davis drug store, in the building, with
the newly found fragments.
Joseph Owens, who was the janitor, and
who. it is said. assisted Pietzel and
Holmes to carry the mysterious trunk
into the building was also on hand dur
ing the consultation.
Druggist Davis suggested the theory
that the bones were too small to be
part of the skeleton of either of the Will
Jams girls, and he at once declared his
of the remains of Mrs. COnnors' little
girl, who disappeared when or 8 years
of age.
The detectives have found two jani-
tors who are believed to be more or less
cognizant of Holmes swindles. They are
Joe owens, now of Button. o., and Pat
rick w. Quinlan Of Evanston. Both came
to Chicago promptly in answer TO a sum-
mons from Chief of Police Badenach, and
have been in the sweat box the greater
part of the Gay.
Ouinlan acted a man who was badly
scared. but Owens did not seem much dis
turbed Both of these men were en-
ployed in the Holmes building in 1893. the
year the Williams girls are supposed to
have been murdered. Owens was the reg
ular janitor of the building, while Quin-
Ian was a sort Of Jack-of-all-trade turn
ing his hand to any work which came up
for him to do, and Holmes, with his many
queer schemes, kept him constantly busy.
While neither man was placed under ar
rest upon their arrival at the
building, both of them were from
that time under police surveillance
Oufnlan would say nothing. but Owens
talked rather freely.
The object Of the examination was to
--+ e+. +arqanfs ont of the men and then