Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-11-08
HOLMES is GUILTY
One Minutes Dellberation Pro-
nounced His Doom.
WE'RE UNANIMOUS FOR DEATH
The Man OF Iron Nerve stood Up TO Hear
the Awful Sentence Without
aQuiyer.

Holmes was convicted of murder in the
first degree at 1851 tonight for killing
Benjamin +. Pietzel.
The jury retired to deliberate at $50
o'clock this afternoon. According TO
one of their number. they had reached
their verdict before the doors of their |
room closed upon them. For hunger's |
sake they ate their supper first. Then |
they took a ballot and without hesta-
ton every man of the IL answered |
guilty of murder in the first degree"
But, however atrocious the crime, how |
ever fiendish the criminal, II is hard to |
send a man to the gallows in one min |
ute's time. So, for decency sake, they |
talked about the case for a seemingly |
period, about an hour and half. Then
word was sent into court that they had
agreed. 1t took half an hour to get the
court in readiness to receive the ver-
dict. Holmes spoke to his counsel, Ro-
tan and Shoemaker in the cell room,
before he was taken back to the prison.
He said: II feel that this condemns
me. 1t was an unjust trail" He would
say no more than that.
Immediately after the verdict the
usual application for leave to file a
motion for a new trial was made. Dis
trict Attorney Graham did not oppose
the motion and Judge Arnold fixed the
18th of this month for a hearing. The
principal reason urged will be lack of
time for the preparation fer the de-
Tense. Should a new trial be refused
an appeal will be taken to the supreme
court and arguments heard at it's next
sitting in this city in January 1896. So,
even II everything goes against him,
Holmes has yet some time to spend on
the earth, from which he Is alleged to
have sent so many fellow mortals.
The verdict was a surprise to many
persons who did not believe the crime
had been fastened upon Holmes beyond
| a reasonable doubt.
There was no word of sympathy for
| the condemned felon. He Is regarded
| as a menace to society. Up in Gilman
ton, N. H., there are two old people,
| his father and mother, and he has also
two brothers and two sisters. Not one
| Of his kin was heard from during the
| trial.
A MAN OF IRON NERVE.
When the jury went out an indefinite
recess was taken. Judge Arnold said
| he would remain in the building until
midnight IL necessary, and If no ver-
dict had been reached by that time he
would come to court at 10 o'clock to-
morrow morning. There were many
| wagers that the verdict would be In to-
night, and more as to it's nature. At 20
| minutes of 8 there was hustle of NOV
| ing people in the packed courtroom and
it became known that the jury was
coming in. A moment later Judge Ar
mold took his seat. District Attorney
Graham and his associates entered, and
the jury filed solemnly in and took theiI
seats in the box. Then Holmes was
brought in and placed in the dock The
silence was literally painful. and every
heart in that crowded room throbbed.
The man who was about to hear his
doom pronounced stood erect In the
dock, the same death-like pallor which
could grow no deeper on his face. HI
stared at the jury blankly, his hands
clasped behind his back. Then from
the deep-voiced clerk came the aw
full words: Jurors, look upon the pris
oner; prisoner, look upon the jurors
How say you. gentlemen of the jury
Do you find the prisoner at the bar
Herman w. Mudgett, alias III. II
Holmes, guilty of the murder of Benja
min +. Pietzel, or not guilty?"
The condemning syllables came from
the foreman: Guilty of murder in tn
first degree"
"Ahem!' uttered Holmes. clearing hi
) throat, but his shrunken form neve
trembled, his lips betrayed no culver
his marvellous nerve had not forsakel
: him. There was only tighter clasp o
his hands folded behind him. Then h
slowly sat down, and at the request o
his counsel the jury was polled. A
$ each name was called Holmes wrote
| IN hA nrexir, Of craov may In
hand, and the fingers holding the pencl
never shook. The verdict was formal
: | recorded by the court. The motion 70
a new trial was made, and after Judg
Arnold had spoken word of regret t
counsel for the defense because of las
: Mondays occurrence, when they with
: drew from the case, and appreciatio
r | for their arduous but fruitless labol
= Holmes was taken to his cell room.
t few minutes later the jury wer
1 thanked for their attention and labor
and sent home, the court adjourned
and the most extraordinary case in tn
L annals of American courts was ended.
EVENTS OF THE LAST DAY.
S When he came to the testimony
Mrs. Pietzel, he told the jury that nevs
o in his official experience had he hear
such a tale as that told in the broke
| SeHttuCeS VI tudl ueSpdlIlHB, uOpele'
woman, whom he had kept fitting fro
n place to place in the vain hope of NEE
ing her husband. and all the while
le was carrying with him three separa
detachments-Mrs. Pietzel. Miss Yorl
and the children-all within four blocl
n Of each other, almost travelling togeth,
under Holmes leading strings, and y
each party ignorant of the presence
the other two.
II In conclusion Mr.. Graham said he d
n sired the jury to consider only the ey
n dence connected with the murder
u Pietzel In the Callowhill street hou
> and nothing else.
a When court opened today at
Al o'clock for arguments in the Holm
81 case. Mr.. Rotan, junior counsel for Il
l. defense, announced that his colleagu
Shoemaker. was suffering from cor
plete nervous prostration and was u
w der the care of a physician. He call
this to the attention of the court
~ view of the point of law regarding I
commemorative right to make t
q. closing address to the jury when the d
- Tense presented no evidence. Graha
ended the question by offering to wal
: his right to the last speech, and the
=, will be but one address on each sic
-, instead of two by the prosecution. d
!. trict Attorney Graham began his a