The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1895-11-01

LILO uOFCIOptuouto VI l14o AAISb UtsJ tGIl-
fed better, perhaps, than ever before,
the force Of the maxim that truth is
stranger than fiction. From the nature
Of the case and the startling stories con.
corning it, which have gained currency
during the past year, sensational revela-
tons were naturally expected, when ne,
who has come to be regarded as tie
most sldllful and audacious criminal in
modern times, was placed on trial for
his life. Yet, when it occurred in
court, it so far surpassed all Expectations
that the most vivid flights of imagina-
ton could scarcely have conceived the
days events.
PrOtestatiOns and entreaties for q con-
tinuance Of the trial were summary
OveTruled; the sudden Withdrawals Of
the lawyers who had hitherto repre-
scented the prisoner in the face of threats
Of disbarment; the appointment of the
court of new counsel and the refusal by
the prisoner to accept them as his de-
Tenders the declinatiOn of another
lawyer to serve after his selection by
Holmes; and finally the prisoner trying
his own case. This, not to speak of
other sharp passages at arms by Holmes
and the commonwealth prosecuting
officer, is a summary Of what occurred.
HOLMES SENT FOR HIS LAWYERS,
Supposed Murderer of Pitze1 Gives Up COa-
Quoting His Own Case.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 31.-It has be.
come apparent that the picturesque and
startling features of H. II. Holmes
career were not to be confined to his de-
structive waneerings over the American
continent, for with each successive day
comes something still more strange and
unexpected. Monday he dismissed his
counsel and began to try his own case
because the court refused to grant the
plea made by them for continuance.
They left the court in spite of Judge
Arnoid's threat to disbar them and re.
igiously kept away. Tuesday, after
fighting single handed over the machin-
cry Of the commonwealth and the APP
parently overwhelming evidences which
has been forced around him, he threw
up his hands and sent for his lawyers,
Messrs. Shoemaker and Rotan. Then
he told the court what he had done, and
consent to their continuing with the de-
tense was given. There was an impress
sion that this was but another part of
the byplay following Holmes personal
effort to catch the sympathy of the
court and jury by making himself a
much wronged man, forced to fight
alone what would be his last battle, de-
spite his ignorance of the technicalities
Of the law and his alleged physical in
trinity.
The important work of the trial-the
taking of testimony-was begun Tues
day morning at 10 o'clock and with the
exceptions of brief intermissions at
lunch and supper time was continued
until nearly 8 p. m. It had been the in
tention of the court to sit until 10, but
the absense of a witness hindered this
and an adjournment was taken. The
star witnesses Of the trial-Mrs. Pitzel,
Detective Geyer, Agent Perry of the
swindled insurance company, and the
arch criminal himself-Femain to be
! heard as also two score of others. Dis
trict Attorney Graham remarked that
| there was likelihood of the trial Outriy-
allng the DurTant case in point Of time,
CLOSING PLEA FOR DURRANT.
49,, 7,o.,,,-.,,, AM. 70 n IN, Zone. ,.,,7