Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1895-10-09
MONSTER ~ HUMAN FORM
The Career of the worst yillnIn of
Times Modern.

W D. ~b"NhD ''V N'iNNl VI !
III. IL. Holmes, the murderer,
have no parallel since the time of
GILES de Retz-better known as
Bluebeard .-or the Marquise de
Brinvilliers. Holmes is supposed,
on evidence which is coming to
the police, to have murdered a
man named Pietzel and his chill
dren, Emelie Cigrand, Minnie
Williams, Pearl Conner and per-
haps score of others. He oper-
ated all over the country, in Ca
NADIA, in Philadelphia, in Missis-
sippi, but above all in Chicago;
he is now in Jail in
PhiladeIphia, awaiting his trial.
His motive for committing his
crime was generally money; he
had insured the lives of his VIC
Tins before he killed them. But
as several of the missing persons
whom he is supposed to have put
out OF the way were young and
handsome girls, it may be sus-
pected that he was actuated by
other motives as we'll. In the
case of Bluebeard de Retz, who
was a man f rank and wealth,
lust was the sole motive; Madame
de Brinvi.liers sometimes poison.
ed her victims to get their money,
but many of her crimes seem to
have been instigated by pure
devilishness.
Holmes IS supposed to have
decoyed his victims into his
"castle" at Chicago, a place on
Sixty-third street, built by him
self. On the ground floor he had
a drugstore; above there is a
labyrinth of dark rooms, winding
passages, hidden recesses, CON
cealed stairways and strange trap
doors. 1t reminds The visitor Of
a death trap. On the floor above
the drugstore is d laboratory
which was found to contain
poisons enough to kill a whole
city. Near this Is an office con-
tanning a tall cylindrical stove,
to which cling faint odors of
burned flesh. On the other side
are bath rooms, in one of which
there is movable panel in the
tloor;when raised itreveals q secret
stairway to the cellar. The walls
OF these rooms are loosely
constructed of lath and plaster,
deadened with sheets of mica.
From the roof to the cellar runs
a narrow chute through which
heavy bodies could be lowered;
another chute with a concealed
stairway behind it leads from the
third floor to the laboratory. In
every direction are traps and hid
ing places, of some of which it
was difficult to find the entrance.
The cellar is the browning
triumph of this Curious edifce. 1t
is divided with loosely construct
ed cells or compartments resting
on soil of sand and mud,
which is suppose to have
been Holmes cemetery. HUI
man bones have been found
there. One compartment contains
a gas tank in which the gas which
Holmes is Supposed to have used
was generated; another is filled
with "A vat where bodies are said
to have been decomposed in quick
lime. There was no regular en-
trance to the cellar; it was reached
by series of secret stairways and
chutes of which Holmes only had
the secret.
How Holmes put his victims to
death the police have not made
up their minds. In some cases,
as in that of the stenographer,
Minnie Williams, he is supposed |
to have let them go to bed in |
their rooms, while he entered as
soon as they were asleep
through a secret panel; he then
turned on the gas and left them to
asphyxiate. The police have been
puzzled by the appearance of
dummy vaults, which seem to
have been constructed for no pos
sibe purpose except TO smother
people in. In II secret room a
heavy bench was found, stained
with blood; this would seem to
imply that some at least of the
victims were dubbed or stabbed
to death on the bench. When
life was exti3ct the bodies seem
to have been shot down one of the
cbutes into the cellar, where they .