The Portland daily press., 1895-10-31
HEARTRENDING
Is the Story Of Poor Pietssrs
Widow.
A DRAMATIC DAY IN THE HISTORY
OF A GREAT CRIME,

Mrs. pietze1 On the Stand for Long Time
-vbe Terrible Strain Tells Upon Her,
Rut She Bears Up Bravely-She Seems
to Have Been Completely Under
Holmes Power.
pbiladelpbia October 30.-The third
day of the Holmes trial opened promptly
aft 10 O'Clock. Holmes jeanne in with his
usral half smile upon his face that he
has worn every morning and saluted the
court officers cheerfully.
Many people were in the court room this
morning than on any previous day, in
anticipation of more sensational evidence
than has yet been offered.
After he was placed in the dock this
morning Holmes held another consulta-
tion with his attorneys.
The first really important witness
called was G. La Forrest Perry, assistant
to the president of theIFidelity Mutual
Life Association, the company which
Holmes swinal d out OF 900. Perry
was the man who first worked up the in
surance swindling case against Holme,
and collected much of the evidence that
has led to his trial for murder. Mr..
Perry identified the insurance policy for
$40. 600 taken out November 9, 1898, by
Pietzel, and the receipt of Jephtha D.
Howe the ST. Louis attorney, acknowl-
edgipg the payment of the money. The
policy was paid the swindlers on Septem-
ber "a, 1894, 20 days after Piezels death.
Mr.. Perry told of the visit of Holmes.
Howe and Alice Pietzel to the office of
the insurance company prior TO the visit
to Potter's field TO exhume the body. On
that occasion Holmes and Howe pretend
ed not to be acquainted, and acted to-
wards each other as ordinary strangers
do when just introduced to each other
Mr.. Perry detailed the conversation in
the office of the company concerning the
identification of the body and the marks
upon it by whom it would be known.
Then Mr.. Perry went on to tell how the
strange tale of Holmes's crimes became
known. He told of the letter to Hedge
peth, the Missouristrain robber, revealing
The swindle upon the company and OF
the tracing and arrest of Holmes and
Mrs. Pietzel in Boston for swindling the
company. Holmes at the time of his ar
rest made verbal confession of the
swindle and the next day made the con-
fession in writing.
When Mr. Shoemaker, Holmes's senior
counsel, began the cross examination
he and Mr.. Perry at once got into a
squabble of words over the person who
first mentioned the marks by which
Pietzel S body was identified.
Mr. Shoemaker then got into tangle
with the district attorney over the war
rant of arrest for Holmes fromeTexasl that
was held by the Boston police at the
time the prisoner was arrested.
The district attorney contended that it
made no difference about this warrant,
and that it had no bearing on the case
The point was finally smoothed over and
then another squabble took place. The
W illness was stubbo1nly determined not
to answer any questions more fully than
was absolutely necessary and the defen
dant's attorneys were equally determined
to make him answer more explicitly than
he did. They exacted from the witness
that there was third warrant for
Holmes by the coroner of Philadelphia.
The prisoners attorney tried to elicit the
point that this warrant WAS held over
Holiness head in the way of a threat to
induce him to confess to the cnspiracy
charge. That this was SO could not be
proven by means of the witness, and the
district attorney took exception to the
line Ol QuosUlOuIuS WuloH was ousuaiH6u
by the court.
The district court then examined the
witness who told Holiness story of
Pietzel being in South America with the
boy Howard and the two Pietzel girls
being in London with Minnie Williams.
Vim. E. Geary, an Inspector for the in
surance company, testified that he took
penitentiary. This statement was pro-
duced and exception to the reading of it
was taken by the counsel for the defen-
dant. Geary related the search for
Holmes from st. Louis-to sOgdensburg,
N. Y, to Prescott, Canada, through New
Hampshire and Burlington, Vt, and
finally to Boston, and WAS dismissed
without cross examination.
Deputy Superintendent OF Police Han
scom of Boston, was the next witness.
He testified that he ordered Holmes ar
rested upon receipt of a telegram from
Fort Worth, Tex, charging him with
stealing horse. The Texas warrant was
only used to hold Holmes until warrant
conld arrive from Philadelphia. When
HOLINESS was arrested he said to witness
that he did not want to go to Fort
Worth, butsthat he wanted to go to Phil
adelphia where he hadsdefrauded an in
surance company. This statement was
made voluntarily by Holmes to the wit
ness and he further added that he was
willing to go without requlsltlon.
Francis x. Quinn, notary. public, iden-
titled the signature of Holmes on docu-
ment shown him. The document was a
statement made by Holmes in this city
to the authorities November 49, 1894 The
statement was another confession of
Holmes of the swindle of the insurance
company and implicated Jephtha D.
Howe, the St. Louis attorney. The
statement was read tosthe jury by Mr..
Barlow. After the reading of Holiness
deposition, Mrs. Pietzel was placedfupon
the stand. The woman showed the ter
rible suffering she has undergone in the
face, but walked unassisted to the stand.
She carefully avoided looking at Holmes,
but he gazed steadily and composedly at
her for at least minute. 1t was only
when the district attorney asked her if
she knew the prisoner that Mrs. Pietzel
for an instant raised her eyes to Holiness
face and then as she answered she
quickly averted the look.
Mrs. PietzeI was SO weak that it was
necessary for court crier to repeat her
answers to Mr.. Graham's questions II
was slowly elicited from the woman that
she knew Holmes and that her husband
THE BEST PROOF