The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-07-25
THEY WANT HOLMES BADLY
POLICE THINK THEY
CAN CONVICT HIM OF THE WILL
LIAMS MURDER.
ANOTHER CRIME LAID AT
HOLMES DOOR.
IT is Said the Mysterious Disappearance
Gpo9L!Q 9q ugO sIouuoO SLY 20
yTraceable to Him--Searching the
60. Holmes House.

4 IS, Holmes House.
Chicago, July 21.-It is the intention of
the Chicago police to make every effort
TO have II. II. Holmes, the insurance
sWindler, brought here to answer to the
charge of having murdered the Williams
girls. The officers are convinced that the
murder of the Williams girls was the first
committed by Holmes and they argue that
in consequence he should be required to
stand trial for it first. They also insist
that they will be able to produce evidence
that he did murder the sisters.
The police are by'no means satisfied by
the analysis made by a doctor Saturday
that the substance found in the big stove
in Holmes Old office was fire clay and not
human bones. They say that fire clay
would not become brittle in any kind OF
heat, whereas a portion of that found in
the stove crumbled in the hand OF De-
tective Fitzpatrick.
1t developed that the substance on winch
the first report of the finding of the bones
of Minnie Williams was made Us III the
A.honds of Detective Geyer of PhiIadelphil.
If was said that he visited Chicago
week ago and when he left carrded with
him positive evidence that body mad
been burned in the big stove in Holmes
office. 1t was learned today that Detec-
tive Geyer would come to Chicago after
he COMPLETES his search for the remains
of Howard Peitzel i'm Detroit and Will CO.
operate with the Chicago officials in what
ever may be done hereafter.
LIN police circles it was said tonight that
rhe only hope of convicting Holmes was
in Chicago. 1t was said that the Pmll-
delphia authorities could convict ON noun
ing more than THE insurance sMlndde
and the Canadian authorities would NOT
90 to the expense of eXtraditing and try-
ing him. :,
In the event that Detective Geyer fails
TO locate the body of Howard Peitzel in
Detroit. verything will depend upon the
work of the Chicago police. No work was
done in the basement of the EngleWood
house today, but % men will be put to
work in the morning digging 1t up. llhe
work that has thus far been done III tllIs
direction has been without system and
that it is likely that evidence of a crlme
NAV have been more deeply buried. Ihe
.
Saturday has been filled with waiter and
If will reuilire the service of ire en-
cine to pump it out before an investigation
can proceed.
ANOTHER CHARGED TO HOLMES.
Chicago. July 21-A local paper says
'sTo the long list of murders and other
crimes directly traceable to the arch
III. H. Holmes must now be added tne
mysterious disappearance OF MIS-. 1. ~
Conner and her 12-year-old daughter Wlth
4 reasonable certainty that they may nave
rfbeen disposed of in the same manner III
which the rest OF Ms NlcuIlilS uile' 'ie'i
death. -,
"NIrs. Conner and her child were last
seen in the company of Holmes in tins
city in 1898 Since then all trace, OF
Them has been lost, and The shrcwdest
detectives. who, at the instigation of the
woman's family, have been worHlng on
the case, are now of the opinion that me
finding of their bodies is the only possible
solution of the mystery. There are CIR
cmmStancps which, while at first seeming
susceptible of explanation, now point &c
another double murder at the hands OF
the greatest william of modern tunes.
'1AIrS. Conner came originally from
Davenport. Iowa, where She was mar.
ried TO I. l.. Conner, jeweler, nearly ID
wears ago, probably i'm 1850, when sine
was but IS. though 1.-THE exact TIME Is
unknown. To them a child was born. and
in 1889 Conner and his wife, and child,
the latter then Z or years OF age, cadne
to Chicago. Holmes at that time was just
heoinninr to frame the swindles for
which he afterwards became notorious,
and had started drug and jewelry store
i'm Enclcwood. Conner went to work Tor
Holmes and moved his family into "a HAT
over the store. 1t was not long atter ''nls
until Conner became aware that tine reiaT
TONS between his wife and Holmes were
not of a nature consistent with the law OF
society Before long Mrs. Conner and
her child disappeared and no trace OF
them has since been found"
A. AIinter. nephew of Mrs. Conner, dis
credits the story that she and her daugh-
fer were murdered by Holmes. He thinks
both are alive and that Mrs Conner does
not care to make her whereabouts known
ON account of the trouble She had with
her husband.
The men injured by the explosion at the
Holmes house yesterday evening were:
Timothy Mulhan, Joseph Petrelo, Thomas
OIfert, lanes Kenyon, Fire Marshal Joe
DalIck. Thomas Guers James Meagher
and Edward Mccormack.
The first three men were members OF
the construction gang and all of them We're
badly though not fatally burned. The
others We're firemen. who were overcome
by gas.
An investigation showed that the gas
came from an old cedar tank about -
feet deep and 10 feet i'm diameter. 1t
was partially filled with a peculiar smell
ing liquid. the exact nature Of which llas
not vet been determined. From the sides
of the tanks numerous pies extended, the
ends projecting inside dhe tank, being
carefully wrapped in burlaps.
Marshal Kenyon. with several of his
men, descended into the tank to make a
careful examination Of it. Within a few
the gas was becoming too much for .hLnn.
He and his companions were quickly
harled M and all of them recovered
Within a few minutes witt, the excep-
tion Of Kenyon. He acted ike . crazy
man and ran down an alley IN tne rear ear
Of the house. shouting and waving ms
hands. He was pursued. brought BACK
and in a short time was himself again,
The opinion was that the, tank tank was or a
swindling device of Holmes: VINO ar one
timn while living here. claimed to nave