The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-11-01
A GOOD POINT FOR HOLMES
Evidence Regarding Other Murders Ex-
cluded by Judge Arnold
MISS YOKE ON THE WITNESS STAND
One of the Alleged Multi Murderer 8
wives" Gives Evidence for the Prose-
cution in the Great Murder Trial.
Cross Examined by the Prisoner.

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PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 1.-The first wit
ness in the Holmes trial yesterday was
Sidney L. Samuels, a young lawyer of
Fort Worth, Tex, who invariably spoke
of Holmes as 'the individual" He was
shown the note identified by Mrs. Pitezel
on Wednesday as the one Holmes pre-
tended to pay at the st. Louis bank, and
for which he took 5000 from her. The
body of the note was in Mr.. Samuels'
handwriting, and was made when one II.
NJ. Pratt who was "this individual, ," en-
deavored to negotiate loan. The note
was never endorsed or the loan made,
however, and 'the individual" subse
qucntly claimed to have lost it.
Inspector Gary, of the insurance com
pany, testified that he had seen at the pris-
oner's house at Willamette, Ills, a wo-
man who represented herself to be
Mrs. H. H. Holmes. She was not the
woman known in this case as Miss Yoke.
Mr.. Gary's testimony was introduced TO
prove that Miss Yoke was not the pris-
oner's legal wife, and was therefore COM
petent to testify against him. The defense
entered u formal objection TO all the evil
dence of Mr. Gary concerning Miss Yoke,
but was overruled Exception was also
taken to the evidence of Miss Yoke
Miss Yoke the alleged wife, was ushered
in She was at once called to the stand,
and gave her testimony in a whisper,
which was repeated by the crier For the
first time Holmes broke down. He gazed
steadily at her for a few seconds, while his
hands twitched nervously and his lips
opened and closed, but she carefully avoided
meeting his eyes Then he suddenly bent
forward over the little desk in his dock,
and the tears began to trickle down his
cheeks. He drew his handkerchief out,
and for moment or two sobbed. Quickly
recovering himself, he dried his eyes and
bowed his head, busily engaging himself
with his notes, but still occasionally Civ
ing way to a sob.
Georgeanna Yoke, for so she gave her
name, is tall, slender woman, about 25
years old She testified that she knew the
prisoner in St. Louis by the names of H.
H. Holmes and H. M. Howard. When he
was in Jail in ST. Louis she engaged Thomas
b. Harvey to defend him. She also be-
came acquainted with Lawyer Howe there.
She came to Philadelphia in August 1894,
and lived at 1905 North Eleventh street
with the prisoner, whose real name she
then believed to be Howard. The prisoner
declared he was engaged in the copying
business. looking after leases, etc. From
Philadelphia the couple went to Indian
apolis, where he left her, saying he was
going to St. Louis On his return he took
her to her mothers home in Franklin,
Ind, and then made several visits to Phil
adelphia and st. Louis alone.
The witness continued: after we came
back from Philadelphia to Indianapolis he
went twice to st. Louis, and on one of
those occasions he said he was going to
meet man from Fort Worth who was to
buy the block in that city When he re
turned from this trip he said he had sold
the block for S35, 600, $4,000 in cash and
the balance payable semi-annually. After
his return from Philadelphia he told me
he had met Howe on the train. He had
the little girl with him, and was going to
identify the body of his clients husband.
He told me of the visit to the potter field
in Philadelphia, and of the finding of the
Identification marks after the doctor had
failed to locate them.
"Of the money he received for the Fort
Worth property, he said he had sent
$1,000 to his broker Mr.. Blackman, in
Chicago. He gave me 81, 900, perhaps more,
perhaps less. He gave me several presents,
a Bible, locbet, diamond earrings and a
little heart set with pearls"
The witness said she had known Petezel,
but by the name of B. II. Lyman, of Fort
Worth She then told of her travels with
Howard" to Detroit, Toronto and Pres
colt (Canada), Ogdensburgh, n. Y, Bur
lington, VT, and Boston, where the pris-
oner was arrested.
At the conclusion of the direct exami-
nation Attorney Rotan stated to Judge
Arnold that, with the courts permission,
the prisoner would like to conduct the
cross examination of this witness himself,
and Judge Arnold nodded his assent.
Holmes then stood up in the dock and
conducted the cross examination. There
was noticeable tremor in his voice and
his eyes filled with tears, but he restrained
them.
There was no change in the demeanor of
the witness under her husbands" ques-
tioning. She kept her eyes cast upon the
floor and the crier repeated what she had to
say. 1t was apparently Holmes purpose
to have the time fixed they were together
in Chicago in such way that an alibi
would be established in connection with
the Pitezel girls taking off.
After some unimportanG testimony by
Detective Crawford, Detective Geyer was
called District Attorney Graham handed
him bundle of letters, and Geyer stated
that they were letters found in a box, be
longing to Holmes, which he had delivered
over to the district attorney.
Mr.. Rotan objected. He argued that it
was irrelevant to produce picturis taken or
letters written subsequent to Pite2elS
death.
Mr.. Graham retorted that it would sub
sequently be shown that these letters cor
roborated the case of the prosecution that
Holmes had killed Pitezel; that Holmes
had deceived the mother, and that the let
ters declared that he had kept her in ig-
norance of the children whereabouts.
Judge Arnold reserved his decision on
this point for the present.
Detective Geyer testified as to the yari-
GUS interviews he had with Holmes, In
oluding the last one, in which the prisoner
told him he had given Howard Pitezel to
"a man named Hatch in Indianapolis An