St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-26
THE FIEND MAKES A STATE
MENT REGARDING MINNIE
WILLIAMS. Il
CLAIMS SHE is ALIVE,
BUT A FUGITIVE AND THE MIR
DERESS OF HER SIS
TER,
GRAPHIC TALE OF a CRIME.
Body cf the Girl Sunk in the Lake
and Her Effects Scattered
Broadcast.

NEW YORK, Aug. 25.-A signed
statement written by H. H. Holmes
in the Moyamensing prison at Phil
adelphia, and certified to by his law
yer, which goes into all the details
of his acquaintance with Minnie r.
Williams, is printed in a local paper
Holmes writes that he first met Min
ME Williams at an intelligence Office
kept by one Campbell on Dearborn
street, Chicago, in January, 1895, and
employed her as stenographer She
was installed in his office in the
building which has become known as
Holmes Castle" and from March
to May of that year occupied rooms
in the building adjoining the office.
Occasionally meals were served in
the building, and if any bones have
been found in the stove there.
Holmes writes, it will be found by
microscopic examination that they
are the remains of such meals. He
continues:
NO CARNATIONS.
Certain it is that no human being
was ever cremated there during my
occupancy of the room, my own ex-
perience, years ago, being quite suf-
ficient to show the danger of such
proceedings on account of the awful
odor,- if had no other motive to
deter from such a course
Holmes says that in April Minnie
Williams, knowing him to be in need
of money, gave him a draft for So. 500
the proceeds of the sale of prop
erty, and asked him to use it until
she should need it. In order that
she should be protected he trans
ferred to her by warranty deed a
house and lot at Willimette. Ill. val
ued at $500. The money was re-
turned to her in May, 1898, being
paid by Isaac R. Hit & Co., of Chi
cago. She desired to convert her
other Southern property into cash or
improved Northern property, and he
advised her to execute a worthless
deed (by having some one other than
herself sign the same to a fictitious
person, and offer the property for
sale at a very low cash figure. and
years later to demand an additional
sum in exchange for a good deed.
This was done, Clarence A. Phillips
forging the name of Alexander E.
Bond upon the deed SO made, which
deeds are still in existence.
About this time, Holmes narrates
MISS Williams was taken i'll. suffer-
ing from acute mania, and was re-
moved to the Presbyterian hospital
near Clybourne avenue car limits
being enrolled as Mrs. Williams as
her ailment was such that it was
prudent for her to pass as a mar
rled woman. When she grew betfar
ana returned to his house, her sis
ter, Mamie Williams, came from
Texas to visit her.
returning one evening early in Ju,,,
from day in the city, he was greeted
by cry from Minnie Williams in the
parior: rs that you? My God, I
thought you would never come
- MAMIE IS DEAD"
was Se1'eo upon the moor, hold
ing ner sisters head in her arms, rock
ing BACK and forth and moaning, much
as mother would over a child
lie found that Minnie Williams had
peen dead for hours, and laid her body
upon the bed in his own room, finding
no mark of violence but a slight dis
coloration on one of her temples.
according to the story written by
Holmes, Minnie Williams had been
away the preceding night and he.
Holmes, had also been unexpectedly
detained by business all night. When
Minnie Williams returned that morn
ing she noticed that his bed had not
been occupied during the night.
This is what Holmss writes: "And
with only this one thought in her dis
ordered mind, she had rushed into the
adjoining room, where her sister sat.
and in a voice, which only the very
few who have been intimately ac-
quainted with Miss Williams can an
preciate or understand the tragedy of.
had said: You devil You have stolen
my husband from me- At the same
time she had struck her sister. with a
small foot stool. causing her to fail
/ to the floor, where, with hardly a
struggle, she had ceased to BREATHE
At first Minnie thought her sister had
only tainted and tried to revive her,
then found her efforts useless and re-
mained in the position in which he
found her. Then came the question of
what to do. Holmes story of what
was done follows:
SANK HER IN THE LAKE.
1--WE clothed Mamie in a light dress
she had liked to wear, and taking a
large trunk she had brought with her
from Texas, 1 placed her therein. /
went to the livery stable and OBJ
tanned a covered conveyance, and upon
my return 1 engaged a man to ac-
company me to the house and help
me place the trunk in the carriage.
I then drove to the lake side and
waited until night had fallen, thus ap-
pearing to parties noticing he, if any,
that I was waiting the return of some
belated boating party. Then / pro-
cured a boat at some distance and
took it near my waiting place, and
later, with considerable trouble,
placed the trunk in the craft and pro-
ceeded about one mile from the shore
There in the darkness passed beyond
the sight of this world, into the ever
grasping depths of Lake Michigan.
all that was mortal of this beautiful
Christian girl.
Coming toward the shore I thought
it wise to deposit the trunk upon an
other and remote portion of the beach.
1 did this and after returning the boat,
drove away and later came back for
the trunk. ~
"The housekeeping was broken up.
and very shortly thereafter Mr. siIaJet
took Minnie Williams to Milwaukee,
| where she remained in a private in