The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-08-09

examining the oil under the micro
scope, the expert got some of it on his
hand, and later placed two of his fling
ers on an iron plate in the laboratory.
A short time afterward he noticed
that the marks of his fingers were dis
tinctly visible on the iron and all eff
forts TO rub it off were futile. The ex-
pert theory is that Holmes got a s.uall
quantity of this oil in bowl, added
either, petroleum, benZine, gasoline or
even common kerosene to it, and placed
it in the vault. A deadly gas would
be given off Immediately, and all
Holmes had to do was to lure his vic
tim into the trap and then shut the
doors. Death would soon result. The
explanation of the footprint on the
iron door is that one of the alleged
victims, in her struggles, upset the
bowl of oil and placed her foot in the
LIQUID that had run over the floor and
then placed her foot against the door,
leaving the tell-tal mark a whole
trail of blood stains has been found in
the house where he evidently dragged
one of his victims.
Pat Quinlan, the janitor of the
building, and his wife have both made
confessions after being meshed in IA
chain of evidence connecting them
with the crimes. They related that
in their opinion Miss Cigrand, Mrs.
Julia Conner and her daughter Pearl,
and Minnie and Mamie Williams are
all dead and that Holmes murdered
them. Pietzel, they said, quarreled
frequently with Holmes because the
latter would not act squarely with his
associate in his dealings, and they be
lieved that Holmes killed Pietzel SO as
to prevent any telling of his crimes,
which, they believe, Pietzel was aware
of to some extent. AS to whether
Pietzel participated in any of the muir
ders they do not know. They believe
that Holmes after killing the former
felt it necessary to dispose of the dead
mans children and that Alice, Nellie
and Howard Pietzel were killed by
him. AS to Miss Van Tassel, they
know nothing and never saw her.
Miss Cigrand, Mrs. Conner. Pearl
Common, Minnie and Mamie Williams,
they thought, came to their death in
the Holmes building. Mrs. Quinlan
related that one day when her husband
was away she saw Holmes poking into
the stove in his office, which was red
hot, something which looked like parts |
of the human body, and that horri |
BILE odor came from the room. Quin |
Ian said that after Holmes had gone |
away he found bottle of chloroform |
in the steel vault. They both said |
that they saw the Williams girls about |
July ), 1893, for the last time and that |
they must have been put out of the !
way at that time. Quinlan and wife |
both admit that a business in receiv !
ing and disposing of dead bodies stolen |
from country graveyards was carried
On in the castle under the direction of |
Holmes. The bodies were brought to
the castle. chemicalyrtreated and then
of to medical colleges. The
collins were remade by Quinlan, Pietz
Il and Holmes, refined and disposed of
to undertakers at a fair profit. Chief
Badenech says he has conclusive evil
lence that Holmes murdered Pietzel.
He would not say where the murder
was committed, but left the inference
hat Pietzel was killed in Chicago and
he body shipped to Philadelphia.
Holmes meets this announcement
With soothing. He says:
In relation TO the aggregation of charges made
~ the Chicago police will say that they can
rot prove anything positively against me- yum
an will not confess anything, and his wife does
rot know anything TO confess. / am willing to
limit that Emily Cigrand was employed by me
Is a clerk and typewriter. for quite a wife. but
cannot say where she is now. wanted some
keletons for my own especial use, and although
hey come high had 10 have them. Well,
when saw these skeletons were So expensive ]
conceived the idea that il would he good bus
ness venture to engage in. So procured some
,odies and had the bones seraped and articu-
ated should the police find Hatch he is liable
o turn around and accuse me of numbering
hese children. Of all other things am accused
wrongly il that case. As long as Hatch keeps
,ufYof the waV they cannot prove that muir
Tered the Pietzel children, but if he is found and
ccuses me of that crime do not know what to
To- IL would be a case Of dog eat dog, for he
an swear just as strongly as can. \
The New York Sun printed a 7-col-
INN article Sunday founded on an in