The San Francisco call., 1895-07-16

No. 16 st. Vincent street. H. 81. Holmes,
lieved to have deliberately murdered the
girls after he had first murdered their
father in Philadelphia and their brother in
Detroit.
Inquiries began by the police to-day and
led to the knowledge that Holmes and the
children lived at the house in question,
and search was made by the two officers.
A photograph of Holmes was shown to
Frank N. Nudel of the Ontario Educational
Department, who owns No. 16 st. Vincent
street, end without hesitation he identified
it as that of the man who had rented the
house from him last October, and after a
very short stay had departed.
When they reached the cellar it appeared
to the detectives that something had dis.
turbed the cellar floor, and arming them
selves with shovels they began to dig. A
short distance below the surface they came
across the arm and a portion Of the head of
one Of the girls. and further work soon re-
vealed the bodies of all of the victims.
They were nude and apparently had lain
there since last October.
City Detective Inspector Stark was COM
municated with and gave instructions that
the bodies be removed, and they were
taken to Humphreys undertaking estab-
lishment on Yonge street. Coroner Orr
was informed of the CHASTITY discovery, and
called an inquest to be held at Police
Headquarters tomorrow night. 1t is un-
derstood that the jury will meet pro forma,
and after viewing the bodies will adjourn
for one week, to enable the Crown authori-
ties to work up evidence. The bodies of
the little ones were buried three feet from
the surface and were in a fair state of
pres ervation.
Holmes, the alleged murderer of the
girls, is held in Philadelphia on a charge
OF conspiracy, and nice legal point now
presents itself. The murders have been
committed in Canada, the accused
must be tried within its boundaries, but
as Holmes has pleaded guilty to one
charge in the United States he may insist
on being sentenced for that.
H. HI. Holmes, alias Harwam w. Mudg-
EFT, alias H. FL. Howard, was born in New
Haven, Conn.,, and attended medical
school at Burlington. VT, and later at Ann
Arbor, Mich. He was married at the
latter place. He and friend swindled an
insurance company in Chicago out of
$12, 900 soon after graduating. They made
another haul of $4,000 in similar way.
Holmes went into the drug business and
speculated. His wife went home and he
married another woman, with whom he
went to California.
Returning about year ago, he went to
housekeeping with the woman typewriter
of the company, whose acquaintance he
had formed. He tried to cheat fire insur-
ance company out of 100000, but failed,
and learning that his typewriter and her
sister had inherited $4,000 laid scheme
to get the money. The sister came to live
with them and suddenly disappeared,
while he and Minnie, the typewriter girl,
took up their abode at the Plaza Hotel.
Chicago.
Holmes next appeared in Terre Haute,
Ind, where he bailed Pietzel out of Jail.
From there he went to Franklin, Ind,
where he married Miss Yoke, and they
spent their honeymoon in Denver. where
Holmes made $27, 900 in speculation.
At Philadelphia, later on, he and Pietzel
played the last card. Pietzel was insured