Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1895-11-02
Holmes Changes His Mind About
Doing Without Lawyers.
THE TAKING OF TESTIMONY
Physicians Strongly ASSERT That petzel
Came 70 His Death by Chloro.
form pois ming.


n career We're not to be confined to his de
e structive wanderings over the Amer
e lean continent, for with each successiv,
d day comes something still more strang,
: and unexpected. Yesterday he dismiss
: "a his counsel and began to try his owr
case. because the court refused to gran
: the. plea made by them for a continue
] | ance.
! Tonight, after fighting single handed
against the tremendous machinery OF
] the commonwealth and apparently
overwhelming evidence which has been
: forged around him, he threw up his
: hands and sent for his lawyers. Shoe
: maker & Rotan. Then he told the
court what he had done and consented
to their continuing with the defense
The important work of the trial-the
taking Of testmony-Was begun this
morning and with the exception of brief
internissiOns al lunch and supper time,
was continued until nearly O'clock
tonight
The star witnesses of the trial-Irs
Pietze], Detective Geyer, Agent Perry
OF the sWindled insurance company and
the arch-criminal hinself-remain to
1e heard, as we'll as two Others The
announcement that the taking of evi-
dence would begin today drew a still
larger crowd to the city hall, but the
&GIH3ra ale police arrangements kept ey-
efNb9d5- out except attorneys and those
Interested in the case.
Holmes, in custody OF a court officer.
was placed III the dock The days pro-
eeedEngs were begun by District Attor-
ney Graham, who arose and said: Il
desire to say to the court. in view of
What was said last night before the
adjournment of court, that the lady
| known as Miss Yorke and Mrs Howard.
| was sent for, saw the prisoner and had
ample opportunity for an interview
with him
When Mr.. Graham concluded, Holmes
said that he had only had three
minute interview with the woman and
asked that it be renewed during the
/ noon recess. His request was granted.
| Then the prisoner asked that plan be
produced of the CalloW Hill street
house where he is believed to have
| murdered Piatzel. The district attorney
said such a plan was in court and
would be produced at the proper time.
II also ask" " Holmes continued. that
4 quantity of liquor which MI Graham
said | used in my efforts to externinate
the E.ietze1 family be submitted to an
aiysis. / want to prove that while it
contains but a small quantity Of nitro
Glycerine, It is entirely harmless, ana
is sold i'll every drug store"
DO You mean the liquor you left with
Mrs. Pietzel III Burlington, VT % ssYes."
THAT has never been in my posses +
sion.
Then came another request from the
prisoner. lie wanted to know if during
the testimony of one witness, all the
other witnesses should not be excluded
from the room.
Judge Arnold answered that this
would he done if the exigency arose.
WITNESSES CALLED +
jeanette Pietzel, 'Dessa," the daugh-
ter of the dead man, was the first wit
ness called. She was called to identify
several large crayons Of her father,
which she did.
John Townsend, q photographer en-
ployed in the detective service, and
William II. Rau, a private Photographic
er, then identified. the photographs Of
Holmes taken by them after his arrest
Eugene Smith, who found Pietzels
body in the Callow Hill street house on
September l. 1894 then told a detailed
story Of his discovery, which has been
already fully published The witness
was present when the corpse Of Pietzel
was exhumed from the potters field
and was there first introduced to
Holmes.
Lawyer Howe of st. Louis, Alice Piet-
Ee1, the young daughter and the insu1-
anea officers were there. The body was
recognized by the witness as PietzeI,s.
lIolmes offered $50 to have the corpse
a@emated. and asked Howe about it,
Ihe lawyer answered that the widow
Fsagid first have to be consulted
Holmes told the insurance people of
taa marks Of Identification, and after
lbe body had been dug up he pulled
out a lance and cut a Wart and other
marks from the corpse. At this time
the witness had recognized Holmes as
the man he had seen go up stairs in the
Cal!oW Hill street house.
Holmes, on ss-eXamination asked
a number of inmaterial questions, but
showed much legal skill in their con
stl2Jction. Holmes subjected Smith to
a long and searching cr0ss-examina-
ton, dwelling upon every point Of the
testimony adduced by the common
wealth, but the witness was unshaken
WITNESSES KEPT OUT
DR. William J. Scott was called and
at this juncture Holmes renewed his
plea TO have ali the witnesses except
the one on the stand excluded from the
room.
Mr.. Graham objected. Holmes com
promised by asking that the witnesses
with the murder of Benjamin
F, Pietzel be excluded. This was
granted him, and as Holmes called out
the names OF those witnesses they left
The room.
The examination Of DR. Scott was !
about 70 be resumed when the dis
triet attorney asked that all the Wit
nesses connected with any part ST
the case to retire. After the witnesses
had all left the room, Holmes asked if
his wife was to be a Witness
Again I must ask" said the district
attorney, (which wife do you mean?"
You know" responded Holmes. with
a flush Of anger. The woman you see
fit to designate as Miss Yorke.'
We'll. she is not in the court roon.o
concluded the prosecutor and / de- !
.line to say whether or no she will be
a witness"
DIR. SCOTS STORY.
DR.. Scott was then permitted to tell 8
MS story concerning his having been i
ealled in to examine Pietzels body af-