The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-30
HOLMES NOW HAS Counsel
he Gladly Avails Himself Of Legal
Assistance.
FEARFUL ODDS AGAINST HIN
An Overwhelming Array Of Testimony Is
PrOduccd-Aftcr Battling for Hours.
the Prisoner Finally Loses His
Ncrve-Effcet Of Picture,

Holmes tonight recalled the counsel
that he dismissed from his service yes
terday mornig, and gladly availed him
self of their aid. From 10 o'clock until
5 O'Clock this afternoon Holmes strug-
gled against the current that Is bear
ing him away and again and again ne
lost himself in labyrinth of questions
IN his cross-examinatlon of witnesses.
Cool, cunning man though he is. arti
with an intelligence far above that of
the herd of base criminals, he showed
his inability to contend single-handed
against Euch desperate odds as were
arrayed against him. Abhorrent as
the mans crimes make him, the splen-
did courage he exhibited today in the
hopeless fight that he Is making could
not but extort the admiration of those
In the court room.
Fact after fact was piled up against
him In pitiless array by the common
wealth and never once while he was
alone did his iron nerve forsake him.
He met each new eliminating piece of
evidence with the best of his unframed
ability as a lawyer and combatted it
valiantly. The leniency and courtesy
shown to Holmes by the court and the
District Attorney today is unprecedent-
ed in the criminal Jurisprudence of
Philadelphia. District Attorney Gra-
ham determined that it should not be
said that so much as a straw was
thrown in the way of Holmes to retard
him in his defense. and for hours the
prosecuting attorney Of the common
wealth remained patiently silent while
Holmes was putting witness after wit
ness through a long line of irrelevant
and immaterial questioning and was
consuming the time Of the court pur-
poselessly.
Holmes Remarkably Cool.
Throughout his long and trying or
deal Holmes never once allowed him
self to become angry or excited. Only
occasionally when the district attor-
ney would interpose some objections to
his meaningless questions there would
come tightening of the lips beneath
the brown moustache, and a sudden.
cruel, hardening Cf the clear eye, that
showed that the man was putting a
great restraint upon himself.
In answering the district attorney,
or in making his frequent inquiries
of the court, Holmes manner was mild
even unto suppllcation, and. although
more than one covert sneer was d.
rected toward the prosecuting officers,
at TO time throughout the day was
this singular mans voice raised hardly
above a whisper.
The commonwealth today presented
witnesses for the purpose of proving
the cause of Pitezels death and his
Identification. Although~the trial has
hardly begun the testimony of the wit
nesses today fairly wove a web of in
eliminating clrcumstantbal evidence
around Holmes. He approached this
and was at a loss to extricate himself
from the position in which he was
caught. From his line of questioning
it would seem that at one moment he
had decided upon adopting for his de-
fense the theory that Pitezel commit
ted suicide while drunk. and then he
would suddenly swerve off into an en-
tirely different direction. and it would
appear that he intended to base his
denial CT the murder upon the rule
that the body was not that OF Pitezel
at all. but of q substitute of the corpse
placed in the house to deceive the in
surance company.
The Prisoner Wcakcns
At the conclusion Of the afternoon
session, Holmes stated to the court
that the strain was proving too great
for him, and he asked that only two
sessions of the court be held day in
stead of three. This was denied him
and then 1t was he determined to call
In his old counsel. When the court
convened tonight Holmes explained
that he had again called in his two at
torneys and they took charge of the
case.
The defense certainly without wit
nesses and the two attorneys tonight
were only too evidently prepared to go
on with the case. They cross-exam-
nt nh a In, ,,c
they asked it would seem that they had
decided that the best line of defense
would be to deny the identity of the
body found as that of Pitezel, although
this may be an entire supposition.
Holmes tonight for the first time
seemed to lose his nerve. A large pic
ture of little Alice Pitezel was suddenly
introduced by the district attorney and
the sight Of 1t most evidently upset him,
and when the commonwealth proposed
evidence showing that Holmes, in ad-
ditiOn to his other crimes had made
this child the victim of his passions, the
showed his relief in his face when the
evidence bearing upon this point was
ruled out blythe court.
An Interview with His Wife.
In compliance with his request the
woman whom he had deceived into the
belief that she was his legal wife un-
der the name of Mrs. Howard. met
Holmes this morning in the district
attorneys Office in the presence of her
mother. The object of Holmes in seek
ing the interview was to obtain from
the girl the return to him of certain
properties that he had decided over to
her.
This she told him that she would only
too gladly do and that she never again
wished to see him. Holmes asked for
another interview with Mrs. Howard"
at noon, but she was too much pros
trated by the first interview with him
to see him again.