Evening journal., 1895-07-20
MINNIE WILLIAMS FATE
Indications That She, Too, Was
Murdered by Holmes.
HER BODY WAS PROBABLY BURNED

Charred Remains Found In a House In
Chicago Formerly Occupied by Holmes
and the oirl-Mrs. Pitzei Identities tho
Bodies Of Her children.
CHICAGO, July eo.-Another appalling
crime will be laid at the door Of II. IL.
Holmes, tho notorious insurance swindler
and the alleged murderer Of the Pitzels.
That Minnie Williams OF Fort Worth,
Tex, met her death at the hands Of
Holmes there Is scarcely q doubt That
she died in this city in a violent manner
has been proved almost conclusively.
Late last night the police found In a
stove IN the three story brick building nt
,0l sixty third street, which was built by
Holmes and IN which both he and the
Williams girl lived, quantity Of charrod
bones, buttons known to have been on
dress owned by Minnie Williams, and
partly melted portion OF % watch chain,
which was positively identified as having
been the property Of the girl.
Mrs. PitzeI Identities the Remains.
ToBoNro, July 2O.-Mrs. Pitzel has
identified the bodies Of the two children
found Monday night In the cellar on st.
Vincent street as those of her girls Alice
and Nellie. The latter was identified by
her hair and the former by a pecullarity
of the upper front teeth She was not al
lowed 20 see any other portions Of the bod
les, as both were in such an advanced
stage Of decomposition that 1t was thought
the shock would derange her As It was,
Mrs. Pitzcl broke down completely and
sohbod and cried throughout the trying
ordeal and long after passing through IL.
Detectives Geyer of Philadelphia and Cud-
dy of the local staff and the doctors We're
perfectly satisfied with the Identification.
The case which the Canadian authori-
ties now have against Holmes isveiy COM
plete, and is much stronger than that
mado out against him at Philadelphia,
which fact leads a great many here 60 be-
lieyo that the prisoner viii certainly be
eNtradtcd Summed up, this is the cases
Holmes has bcen traced from the United
States to this city with the children. His
identity was established at the Palmer
House ana that OF the children at the Al
bion. Then both murderer and victims
were recognized at the very scene OF tho
crime-not by one Witness but by several.
An immediate motive Tor committing
| the deed Is also clearly shown being due
/ 60 the fact that Mrs pitzel was in the city
and might nc any time meet the children
on the street Again, Holmes borrowed a
/ spade on tho last day that the girls were
soen alive at the cottage or anywhere else,
Il giving as his reason for doing so that he
/ wished TO make bin for some potatoes,
which statement was shown to be palpa.
by false.
An this, and his going away the next
| day, nro strong corrohQratiyc inots which
| Holmes win lind IL hard to escape tn,
finding Of the toy belonging 20 tho littli
| girls in the house and Of thoir partially
burned clothing Is also another link n
the chain.
The Inquest Begun.
The inquest on the body Of Alice, th'
eldest girl, was resumed at the policl
court william Mcdonald, the lad wh'
lived with his parents at l6 St. Ninccn
street after Holmes had left the plncc, WA
the first witness examined He told hov
he had found the snake toy, which HarolI
Pitzel used 90 play with, in a satchel in
closet in one Of the bedrooms Of thl
house. He did not know what became o
any other of the articles, but because o
its popularity he had kept the toy.
Mrs. Pitzcl was tho next witness fo
| the Hrst lew minutes or her examination
her voice could hardly be heard, but a
the inquiry proceeded it gained strength
aud toward the close she was speaking
clearly, She told the story Of Holmes
wanderings with the children as. far q
she know Of them, of her meetings will
him--in fact, the whole story that ha
been made public through the press.
Her description Of the satchel spokel
OF by Mcdonald Tailed with that given b.
the lad. She alS stated that the snak
toy did not belong TO Harold, but wns on
of the treasures of the girl Nellie who al
ways carried it with her in satchel.
The doctors making the post morten
stated that, owing to the decomposed con
dition of the bodies, it was almost inpos
| sible TO make any definite statement as {
internal violence. The stomach had no
yet been analyzed, The inquest then ad
| iourned until the evening Of the cath inst
While this inquiry was in progress al
| inquest was being held at the morgue o
the body Of the child Nellie After hear
ing evidence to show that the body wa
the one removed to the st. Vincent stree
house the inquest was adjourned for on