The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-11-23
Holmes Evil Spirit Communicated
Even to His Attorney.
RANK PERJURY WAS SHOWN
Lawyer Shoemaker Convicted in Open
Court of Manufacturing Evil
dence for Holmes.

Philadelphia, Nov. 1S.-The evil spirit
that presides over the destinies of IL.
II. Holmes, the king Of murderers. and
eventually destroys all who ally them
selves with him, found another victim
today. The first swift turn this extra
ordinary case took was on the first day
of the recent trial. when the arch Grim
inal dismissed his lawyers and the pris-
oner at the bar became counsel for the
defense. Today the tables were turned,
and the senior counsel for the defense
became a prisoner at the bar.
William Shoemaker the young attOr-
ney whose first association with the
case is obscured in the mystery which
envelopes it's every detail, passed
through an ordeal today as severe as
any his client has been called upon to
face, and the crisis came when he was
held under $500 bail to answer charge
of subornation of perjury.
This means that the manufactured
evidence tending to prove that Benja
min f. Pietzel, for whose murder II. H.
Holmes was convicted two weeks ago,
committed suicide, and that he, Shoe
maker, paid a woman 500 to sign and
swear to this. But the commonwealth
had supplied the woman, although
Shoemaker was ignorant of this, and
after he had produced this latter dis
covered evidence" and read it with
great impressiveness to the court, and
asked that the argument on the mo-
ton for a new trial, which had been
fixed for today, be postponed to give
him and his associate counsel Samuel
p. ROtan, to run out this and other clues
recently obtained.
Then it was that District Attorney
Graham arose and exposed the plot. His
declaration came like a thunderbolt.
The court stared in wide-eyed amaze
ment; the spectators turned in their
chairs and gasped the accused lawyer
sank back in his seat, livid and tremu-
lous, while his innocent associate glared
at him with unveiled horror, but the
prisoner in the dock rested his cold
blue eyes on the shrinking figure of his
legal representative and smiled with
scorn.
FOUNDATION OF THE CHARGE.
Briefly told. the details of the charge
are these:
The trial for the Pietzel murder was
not two days old when Shoemaker ap.
preached a private detective named
John Schweiler and asked him to pro
cure a woman who lived around
Twelfth and Callow Hill streets, who
would swear to certain facts in connec
ton with the finding of Pietzels body
Schweiler assented. but instead O.
straightway getting the woman, he tolC
his story to Detective Geyer, who, fol
the commonwealth, brought to light tn,
evidences of Holmes multi-murder o
children. Geyer submitted it to the dis
triCt attorney, and a most skilfull traI
was prepared, trap which has brough
about the ruin of the opposing attor
ney.
Under instructions Geyer went t.
Mrs. Margaret Reah, matron of tn
Fourth district police station, and she
under the name of Blanche A. Hanni
gan, was taken to Shoemaker b,
Schweiler. Meantime Shoemaker ha,
prepared an affidavit stating that tn
deponent had known Pietzel, and t
him had expressed his intention o
committing suicide. Mrs. Hanniga-
readily signed and swore to this, an
Shoemaker gave her two $40 bills for $
doing. On each bill she marked tn
initials I'D. A. H" and today she exhih
tied them in court.
Shoemaker walked into the ira
blindfolded. When he read the affida
Wit to the court, he declared that it
contents had been dictated to him b
the woman. moment afterwards il
REPUTABLE testimony was produced show
ing that he had himself made up tn
, affidavit and dictated it to a stenOe
rapher before he had even aske
Schweiler to procure a woman to sig
, it, and that he had not so much as rea
or explained its purpOrt to Mrs. Ham
gan.
Judge Arnold, who was upon til
bench during the trial, had called
( Judges Thayer and Wilson to hear an
decide with him on the merits of t.
: days arguments for a new trial.
, the strange revelations came, the thrt
= judges did not hesitate, by their bea
ing and words, to manifest their sens
q of the gravity of the accused lawyer
situation. Judge Arnold afterwarC
: privately stated that disbarment pr
ceedings would be considered after Il
disposition of the pending chars
against Shoemaker.
SAY THAT PIETZtL Is STILL ALIN
Chicago People spring New SensatiC
7