Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-11-22
by PITCH DEFILED
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 H.
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
envelops 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. II.
Holmes was convicted two weeks ago,
committed suicide, and that he, Shoe
| maker, paid a woman $40 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 "after 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 1t 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 private detective named
John Schweiler and asked him to pro
cure woman who lived arount
Twelfth and Callow Hill streets, whC
would swear to certain facts in connec
ton with the finding of Pietzers body
Schweiler assented. but instead o
straightway getting the woman, he tolt
his story to Detective Geyer who, fol
the commonwealth, brought to light thu
evidences of Holmes multi-murder o
children. Geyer submitted 1t to the dis
trict attorney, and most slSilfull tral
was prepared, a trap which has brough
about the ruin of the opposing attor
) ney.
: Under instructions Geyer went t
i 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 c
committing suicide. Mrs. Hanniga
readily signed and swore to this, an
Shoemaker gave her two $40 bills for S
: doing. On each bill she marked tn
initials I'D. A. H. and today she exhil
: tied them in court.
Shoemaker walked into the ira
blindfolded. When he read the affids
y Wit to the court, he declared that IL
y contents had been dictated to him
l. the woman. A moment afterwards i
u ), REPUTABLE testimony was produced show
- ing that he had himself made up tt
>. affidavit and dictated 1t to a stenoi
e rapher before he had even aske
0; Schweiler to procure a woman to sig
1t, and that he had not SO much as res
ID or explained it's purport to Mrs. Ham
,e gan.
D. Judge Arnold, who was upon Il
bench during the trial, had called
5; Judges Thayer and Wilson to hear al
decide with him on the merits of
days arguments for new trial. !
the strange revelations came, the thr
judges did not hesitate, by their bea
ing and words, to manifest their sen
of the gravity of the accused lawyer
Il situation. Judge Arnold afterwar
"A privately stated that disbarment pr
ceedings would be considered after t
disposition of the pending char
ES against Shoemaker.