The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-09-06
DID HOLMES USE IT!
A Theory that thei Alleged Murderer
Dissolved His Victims in NitrO-Bemzinc.

tins of Dir. II. II. Holmes has set
Young Buffalo chemist to thinking an
theorizing, and he has produced
!most novel theory regarding the meth
od probably used by Holmes to max
away with the bodies of some Of hi
victims after all the little preimina
ries in the way of collecting insuranc
money and the like had been con
cluded.
Holmes is man of scientific idea
IA man who has kept abreast with tn
march Of science in all its branches
and who has been apparently som
i thing Of pioneer in research himself
This is shown by the discovery in hi
Chicago castle of a most mysterious
fluid. composed principally of pctro
leum. which, when an acid was added
threw off gas which caused dealt
in short time. That much has beer
discovered; what the acid wa'
remains to be learned.
This Buffalo chemist, who seems tt
have been dcyoting considerable time
to the matter, has worked out theory
that Holmes may have used a prepar'
alton known as nitro-benzine for the
removal of his victims after he had
used them fer whatever purpose he
had in view.
The great study of criminals when
they have committed murder is the
disposal of the body Of their victim,
and strange as il may seem, the most
educated men, the most scientific. the
most studied thinkers. as well as the
uneducated and the heavy Drained. all
commit the fatal error Of a too great
caution.
There was the Parkman Webster
murder, one of the most celebrated in
the history of killing in this country.
Prof Webster. the demonstration of
anatomy at Harvard College, killed
Parkman. The professor had han
died hundreds of cadayers in his time,
and was thoroughly familiar with the
of the remains of bodies after
they left the dissecting room. Yet,
with all his wonderful mind and the
at his Command for
the disposal of body without suspic-
ion. he attempted to burn Parkman's
remains and was caught.
No one ever has accused Maxwell,
the murderer of PreIcr in st. Louis,
Of lack of brains. He was highly edu-
Gated and intensely scientific in a way.
yet after he had murdered his friend
be prepared the body for shipment in
a trunk and then ran away, leaving
the trunk in the Southern Hotel in
st. Louis. Every one is familiar with
he details of this crime, the long
chase after Maxwell, the unavailing
,iforts of his wealthy English relatives
% save him.
Burchell also was an educated man
md thinker When he killed young
}enwell at Woodstock. Ont. and left
him in the swamp he carefully removed |
very mark by which the body could |
,e identified In that he thought lay |
lis safety. Yet he overlooked the fact |
hat the body itself was susceptible of
ecognition and Identification.
Every one who reads the newspapers .
It all must remember the great care
yercised by the murderers of DIR.
'ronin to prevent discovery of their
rhine; and SO with the murderer of
niger in New York some years ago.
he man who killed his friend. August
'oller. and shipped his body to Balt-
lOre in trunk. To stampede identi-
cation he cut off the victims head
nd threw ii into the East River as he
rossed one night with the trunk.
et in the careful forethought which
G eNercised-an he spent two days
CURING out his plans for disposing of
ne body with certain safety to him
'lf-he overlooked a mark of positive
a crooked little finger
nd most peculiar scar at the Joint
hat identified the body, and Unger
now serving Il twenty years sen F.;
nee. Tie would have been hanged
the head could have been found.
ad he cut off the little finger and dis
)sed of it he would be free man to-
W.
Holmes seems to have been more
lccessful, for up TO the present time !
ere does not seem 10 be. Judging from
hat has been published. very much
rect evidence against him in any of l
e cases. True, bones have been
und in his house. but he has a de }
nee for that condition of affairs in !,
e fact that he was medical man
d had the bones for study. And T
rough ali his case the question !!
lnds out clear and distinct: What i
came of the bodies:" c
This may be solution of the ques- a
m this theory of the chemist refer o
| to above. n
Some time ago in MulhoGse, Alasce. a
ere was an explosion in a chemical |!
tory in room where there was o,
red 4 quantity of what is known ID
nitro benzine. There was several o.
N employed in the room and all es- L
ped but one. The nitro benzine, of
lrse, flooded the place and when W
: fire was put out and search made II
the body of the man the mixture m
S several feet deep on the floor. If IL
s thought the workman had escaped. OF
no trace of him could be found. un- &C
part of one foot was found at the &C
ye of a pool of the nitro benzine of
That set the chemists 10 thinking CO
| they experimental with the bod II
of animals. with the result that if he
5 found the stuff DESTROYED every Ii
ticlc of the body, blood. bones, ii,
n. and teeth. Further experiments tn
wed that metal even could be des
'ed by the nitro benzine. so that mn
body of human being fully fo,
sseG, if placed in the chemical ST,
nd be totally obliterated within a re-,
hours, not the slightest trace of mi
n 50 much as button remaining. III,
that would be easier than to place h.,
body of a victim in bath tub and
N the action had taken place 10 -
out the plug: y clear fluid would bee
away and with it all the traces ha,
crime. This, then, is the theory Tor Tor
It Holmes may have used this fca
mical in his work in some cases.
GEMS probable. for so far as can be r, y
ned not the slightest trace of some pn Tr
his alleged victims remains. NOT -
their bones have been found.
here is one safeguard around the
of this chemical nc a ..nr,,,,,..,, ii