The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-10-31
AIRS PTTEZEE'S STORY.
The Widow Of Holmes Alleged
y. Victim on the Stand.
now THE PRISONER DECEIVED HER
ehs Breaks Down when Letters That Had
xsssn wsittsn 60 Rsr by Her Children,
bus whieh Hsd Never Been Mailed,
Were pveauesd.

pMe WHtoA nAu NeSeE DeoA sA1Ae~af
wsrs pssauosd
PnrLApxLPHIA, Oct s1.-The public In
tersst in the trial of II. H. Holmes for
murder was still at high pitch when court
opened yesterday. Although Holmes had
yeoalled the lawyers whom he dismissed,
Il IL stili apparent that their presence is
supernuous. 1t IL Holmes who is trying
the CASE Hardly a question is put to q
witness without being first framed or sug-
Eested by him to his counsel.
The frst two witnesses, Susan Hurley
and Mrs. Alice Pierce, testified as to Pite-
sells presence in the city In August, 1894.
Qhen o. La Forest Perry, assistant to the
hfesident Of the Fidelity Mutual Life asso-
citation, was called. This is the company
Chat wac swindled ont Of the $4,000 for
which Pitezeps life was insured, and ii
was Perry who began the Investigation Of
the conspiracy. He first identified the
policy issued, in which Carrie n. Pitezel,
the widow, IL the beneficiary. It Is dated
Nov. Q, 1898. Next he identified receipt
for %, 96, the amount Of the policy, less
expenses paid to and receipted for by Jeph-
tha d. Howe, the ST. Louis attorney, who
represented Mrs. Pitezel. This is dated
Sept. "a, 1894. Perry was present when
Howe received the money.
When Holmes came to this city at the
request Of the company to Identify the
body, Howe and Alice Pitezel were in the
office. Holmes came In afterwards and
was introduced TO them. He and Howe
met as strangers, but he said he had met
Alice before, and she remembered him.
After the payment Of the money the mat
Ger was closed, until a letter was received
BY President Fouse Of the insurance conn
peny, from Superintendent Of Police Har-
rigan, Of St. Louis. This contained the
declaration of Hedspeth, the train robber,
that while In jail in st. Louis he had over
heard Holmes and pitezel talking Of form
ing q conspiracy to defraud an insurance
company out OF 900 by the substitution
Of corpse for Pitezel. Inspector Gray,
Of the insurance company, was sent to st.
Louis, and interviewed Hedspeth. On the
information thus obtained warrant was
sworn out for Holmes on the charge OF
conspiracy, and upon this he was arrested
In Boston. Holmes made q verbal state
mcnt to the witness, in the presence of
three Boston police officials.
II asked him where Mrs. Pitezel was"
said Perry, ''and he replied that he did
not oare TO tell. Then asked him where
America, or on his way there, and the
hoy, Howard, with him. Alice and Nellie,
As said, were In London with Minnie Will
AmF. He said he had given Howard to
Hin father ID Detroit, and had sent Nellie
and Alice from Toronto on a train on
which he rode short distance to meet
Minnie Williams either at Buffalo or
Niagara Ealls-1 forget which"
inspector William E. Gray, Of tho In
Srance company, told Of the trip to st.
Louis, where he procured Hedspeths state
ment. This was produced, but not yet Of
fEred In evidence. In consequence Of the
statement the tracking of Holmes was
begun. He was first located In Ogdens-
burg, N. Y, then at PRESCOTT, Canada,
various points in New Hampshire, Bur
Nnston, Vt, and Boston.
OrrinRton N. Hanscom, deputy superin-
trodent of police of Boston, directed
Holmes arrest on telegram from Fort
Worth, Tex, saying he was wanted there
for larceny of one horse" (Holmes
smiled at this.) When arrested Holmes
Enid he did not want to go TO Fort Worth,
hut that he would go without requistion
% Philadelphia where he had defrauded
She Fidelity Insurance company of $4,000.
J Holmes statement to Perry was then
fsad by Assistant District Attorney Bar
low, and then Mrs. Benjamin II. Pitezel
WAS sworn.
Mrs Pitezel gave In detail the story of
the policy Of insurance being taken on her
husbands life while she lived in st. Louis,
In July, 1894. When her husband came
DO Philadelphia she knew he was living
under the name of Perry, and had been
given to understand that he was in the
.Aa,. t,,.,I I..af 1. 4,Il
her that he was an equal partner with
Holmes in the Chicago "castle" and In
Fort Worth property. The latter property
was in the name of Benton Il. Lyman.
She knew Howe, the st. Louis lawyer,
through Holmes, and gave him power of
attorney to collect the insurance money.
Che had read In paper that man named
Perry had been killed by an explosion in
philadelphia, but Holmes assured her her
husband was all right. Her daughter Alice
left St. Louis In Howe's care, she coming
10 Philadelphia to identify Pitezel's body,
~ Mrs. Pitezel WAS herself sick in bed.
Nhe next time she saw Holmes he told her
ks had taken Alice back to Cincinnati.
aud would take Howard and Nellie to her.
Then they would all go TO Indianapolis.
Mrs. Ritezel continued;
"On Oct. % Holmes came to the st.
louis mouse and we Went TO howe's Office.
HoWe sald the seheme WAS a fraud and he
washed MS hands OF the whole affair. They
wanted me TO sign paper IN regard to
moves fee anu after being assured l
would not be implicated In the AFFAIR did
90 Holmes there went under the name of
Howard He demanded $500 or 800 of me-
and gave 1t. lie wanted to go to some
bank and pay off a note due on the Fort