The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-10-31
How Holmes Robbed Her of
Husband and Children.
TOLD ON THE WITNESS STAND.
Evidence Enough Already TO Send
the Monster 10 the GallowS.
The Mu ti-Murderer's Wife. or Mis-
tress. 10 Testify Against Him-Mar-
velous Self-Control of the Prisoner
While Listening to the Recital by
the Widow OF His Partner.

/ the Widow OF His Partner.
/ Philadelphia oct. So-Durlng four long
/ hours t0aay, under the scrutinlzing gysza
I OF a court room crowded with strangers
/ 20 ner, a pale. worn woman underwent am
ordeal which well might have broken the
! nerve of many a strong man. She vas
1 AIRS. Carrie Alice piszei W3th bravery
and foratuae she stood The test. IN spste
/ OF the fact THAI her physical system lad
/ been so shattered by the battle OF woes
/ under which she has ali but sucsambed
/ that she was obliged 10 interrupt her pitt
/ fui narrative AT frequent intervals 10 ac-
/ cept spoonfulS ot medicine from sAe
trained nurse who attended her. In a
/ voice broken with grief she told the whola
/ distressing story OF how her hash4aa was
/ spirited away from her and murdered ous
| OF shecr greed OF gain; how she hade her
little ones goodby. contiGfng them to thu
| care of the man Holmes in al .rathful-
| ness. little thinking that when she next
| should see them the TWO little girls would
/ he lying side by side on the maroie slab
/ OF a morgue. cold IN death. and the boy
! a parcel ef moldering bones. Between her
/ bitter sohs She related every delait-from
| the first meeting with Holmes almost up
| 10 today-aad so affecting was The story
| that even District Attorney Graham. long
used 10 tales Of grief and distress. paused
/ in the examination 10 wipe away furtive
| tear. The woman'S physical condition was
| such that the court had 10 repeat her tes-
t.mony after her. because or her weak
/ voice.
Throughout It all the shrunken. pallid
| figure in the dock who. TO one unfamiliar
| with the shocking story. would never havo
| appeared such criminal. sat unmoved.
| Not a muscle quivered, not lash moved,
| even when the strain became so great that
! the hearing halted 20 give the wretched
woman an opportunity to recover herself.
| Indeed. once or twice. as some statement
| from her liIss struck chord in HIS breast
| III chords there he in such mana ma
| Hcious sneer played around his thin, blood
! less lips. but never once-siid the woman
| look toward him. During every moment
OF the long examination she kept her eyes
| riveted on the commemorative officers or
! the counsel for the defense. as II fearing
| 10 shift them to either size, lest IN their
| course they should fall upon the face OF
| the man in the dock.
| The cross-cxamination OF the witnesses
| WAS conducted actively by Shoemaker and
| Rolan, the lawyers whom Holmes dis
| missed on Monday and recalled last night.
but IT was apparent that 1t was really
| Holmes himself who was conducting the
| defense. lie continued TO take conious
| notes, and almost momentarily mis- attor-
/ neys We're at the doclxside, accepting sug-
| gestions from him.
In the opinion OF all those who hoard.
~.
the evidence of today Is strong enough 10
| send him TO the gallows. Slowly but none
| the Iess surely was the chain forged
| around him. and II is chain which will
| he hard 10 break. There win be a pretty
| point OF law in the case presently--if any
| thing associated with IL can be called go.
| There is a law here that a wife cannot tes-
| tify against her husband. In spite Of this.
| Mr.. Graham declared that he would call
| the alleged Mrs. Holmes. or Howard. TO
he tv (, s.rt..s L. =
| batting Holmes assertion that this woman.
| whom Mr. Graham persists in calling Miss
| Yorke, is his lawful Wife.
The flrst witness today was Susan Hur-
| ley. who keeps a boarding house at No. fei
| Race street. She said Ptzcl boarded AZ
her house for a week IN August fsqi
| Mrs. Alice Price, OF 1904 Callowhil street.
identified PitZers picture as that OF tho
4 man who lived at 1916. She had known
/ him through his buying cigars at her store.
! q. Ia Forest Perry, assistant 10 tho
! president of the Fidelity Mutual Life As
/ sociaton. was then called. This is tho
| company which was swindled out Of the
! $4,000 for which Pitzefs life was insured.
| and II was Perry who began the investiga-
ton into the gigantic conspiracy. He first
| identified the policy issued. on which Car
| rie l.. Pitzei. the widow. is tho beneficiary.
| 1T is dated November 2. iSa3 Next Perry
| identified receipt for a.7i5s5 the amount
/ OF the policy. less expense. paid 20 and
| TeEcfpfFd Tor bN j. -. Howe. the 81 LOUIS
! attorney who represented Mrs. Pitzei.
| This Is dated September o. ISat Perry
/ was present when Howe received the mon
| ey. When Holmes came 70 this city at
/ the request Of the company 80 identify ths
! body Howe and Alice Pitzel were in this
! Office. Holmes camein afterward 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 matter was
| closed until letter was received by Pres
| ideut Fouse of the insurance company,
from superintendent or Police Hsrrigan.
/ Of St Louis. This contained the declara-
/ ton Of Marion Hedgepeth.the train robber.
/ that while in jail IN ST Louis he had over
heard Holmes and Pltzel talking Of FORM
| ing conspiracy to defratia an Insurance.
company out Of $1,000 by the substitution
/ of corpse for Pitzel. Inspector Gray of
| tho Insurance company. was sent m ST.
| Louis. and interviewed Tfedgepeth. on
/ the information thus obtained a warrant
! was sworn ont for Holmes on the charge
( Of conspiracy. and upon this he was ar
/ rested I'm Boston. The witness went 10
\ that city and identified Holmes. The lat
/ ter had made verbal statement TO this
/ witness IN the presence or Deputy Super
/ iutendent Hanscom. the chief OF police and
John Cornish. a private detective. In Chief
/ Watts Office. Il asked him where Mrs.
/ P1tzel was" said Perry, "and he replied
/ that he did not care 20 tell Then asked
/ ftIrn where pitznl was. and he said he was
1 fn South America or on hts way there,
and the boy Howard was with him. Alice
I and Nellie. he said. were in London with
! Minnie williams. He said he had given
| Howard 20 his father in Detroit. and had
/ sent Nellie and Alice from Toronto on r
/ train on which no rode n short distance -
meet Minnie Williams. either AZ Buffalo
4 or Niagara Faiis--I forget which"
/ After an uniu1r,ortant cross-ex animation
/ Perry was temporarily withdrawn from
I the stand Inspector William r. Gray. 81
/ the insurance company. told Of a trip -
| ST Louis. where he procured Hedgepeth's
I statement. This was produced. but not
/ yet offered IN evidence. Ia consequence -
4 II The tracking of Holmes was begun. He
( vas first located ~ OrdenFburF ~. v.
{ then It Prescott Canada. various points
IN New Hampshire. Burlington. VI. anf
{ Boston.
o. y Hanscon. deputy superintendent
/ of roHce - Boston. directed Holmes ar
| rest on a telegram from Fort worth Tex.
I saving he was wanted there Tor larceny
( ~ one horse" Holmes smiled - this tes-
I tirnouv. When arrested Holmes said he
( da not want 70 90 20 Fort Worth. tus
Z that he voufd 80 without requisittnn -
1 philadelphia. where he had defrauded fh-
/ FIdeiifv Tuzurance coFnrany omf % sia.-
+ ho0 This was entirely voluntary on
Z Hoimes' part.
/ Anna Robbins. steuogranher who fo0S
! the examination - fgnines ~ ffan~ec-n.
( Identified q copy - tne sfsferfnt pie-
1 frfrf Afrnrmrw ftrahrwr offered sha state