New-York tribune., 1895-11-01
FOURTH DAY OF THE TRIAL.

PHILADELPHIA Oct Si-The fourth day OF the
Holmes trial opened this morning with the prisoner
looking as fresh and bright as when ne was nrst
arraigned In court. When placed In the DOCK ne
scanned a letter. and that the man Is not wholly
neryeless was shown by the way the paper shook In
his hand.
sidney l.. samuels. a Fort Worth. Tex. lawyer
was the first witness His testimony showed that
Holmes never obtained any money on the ho'e
signed by Petsel. but used IT 70; extort the N'V"
from Mrs. Pietze
Soon after this Homes for the first time since the
trial began broke down and wept. A fair' ponu-
haired girl was led toward the witness-stanu.
When Holmes saw her he started ana MS paniu
face flushed and then grew ghasuy pale nc
beckoned eagerly TO his attorneys. ana WIN tears
running down his cheeks talked with grea. e"in'
ness TO them. The witness was Georgla'a ione
the girl whom he married under the name Oh H. W.
Howard Holmes urged his lawyers to use every
means In their power TO prevent the Witness iroi"
testifying but their efforts were use.ess' as '"e
Court overruled all their exceptions ana oruereu
the examination to go on The witness hep. nc
ewes cast down. and a court officer repea'eu nei
low answers 10 the jury. Never once o'u sne
glance at the man she thought was her nus
band He on the contrary, looked longingy 'o"aru
her and occasionally he wiped away tear
MISS YOKES STORY.
Miss Yoke testified that she knew the prisoner
under the names of Holmes and Howard she me!
him IN ST Louis and while he was In jail engaged
Thomas b. Harvey and Howe as lawyers to defend
him Mr. Graham asked her II she was IN fhl'a-
delphia with Holmes in August. 1894 she sad Una.
she was and then he asked her If she remempefeu
a man calling to see Holmes al No i sa' Nprth
Eleventh-st on Saturday night, September !. She
replied in the affirmative. This man, Holmes mas
since told her was Petzel Holmes said at the time
ttat he had an engagement with the man the next
day The next day he was out OF the house from
1890 10 $50 or O'Clock.
Mr. Graham next seemed to bring out something
that ne did not like. He asked the witness wheh
the prisoner returned on the Sunday afternoon Il
ne said anything about going away. she repieu
that he had spoken of this before, ana the only
thing II was necessary to do was to pack up. This
reply seemed to nettle Mr.. Graham.
When they left this city that Sunday night they
went to indianapolis. Holmes remained with hef
for a day or two in indianapolis. and then went to
ST. Louis he returned to indianapolis, and from
there went TO Franklin, Ind. the home of her
parents and from there TO Indianapolis AGAIN
There he told her that he had received telegram
calling him TO Philadelphia 10 close deal with
the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad. and he came here lie
remained away several days This was the time
Holmeo was identifying Petzels body. Holmes
told her OF identifying Petze"s body but from his ac
count Of the matter he only drawn into the case
by accidentally meeting Howe on the train 10 PhiIa
delpha. Holmes took her from Indianapolis to Pc
troit. This the time he also ndd the fletzel
family moving along with him in two sections
From Detroit they to Toronto, to- wh'ch
place Holmes was also leading the Pietze family
Here the defence oljes.sd TO the testimony as ir-
relevan; and immateria!. and the Court sustained
them directing Mr. Graham not to go into trivial
details Of this Journey.
Holmes took her to Prescott. Ogdensburg and
Burlington. VT; In fact over exactly the same
route as he took Mrs. Petzel and her children.
During all this journey Miss Yoke never saw the
Pietzel family.
HOLMES CROSS EXAMINES HER.
Mr. Rotan said his client insisted cross-ex-
amining the witness himself. Judge Arnold gave
his permission, and Holmes rose quickly to his
feet. His voice steady and stronger than II
had been at any previous time since the trial
began. His questions were directed toward showing
that IT was no sudden determination which led him
to leave the house at No. 1906 North Eleventh-st.
on that Sunday afternoon. but that the matter
was fixed and decided on beforehand, His manner
was courteous and gentle as he led Miss Yoke on
from question to question. She admitted that they
had & talked OF leaving the city nat day ana when d
already half-packed her trunk. Holmes, she said.
this Point, it would seem that Holmes had decided
on the suicide theory as defence, as that + about
bring out the fact that his manner was. different
rom the ordinary. He brought these facts out
ney from indianapolis to Burlington. HIS object
Ga s 70 a en p h the dns Th m
TO bring out were of great Importance to him He
gave notice that he would probably call Miss Yoke
After recess Mrs. Pletze was called to the stand
sras sn Holmes Looked sed{ her as he % did &
ence her by the power OF his mind over hers. Mrs.
she avoids Holiness glance and the terror and
shrinking In her face w9<n she loes catch his look
and trousers her husband had on when he LETT
home. and she was excused.
DETECTIVE GEYER on THE STAND.
The next important witness was Detective Frank
z. Geyer the who unearthed the bodies of
the Pietze children. He said that he had inter
view with Holmes in this city after the latter was
brought here from Boston. Geyer said to Holmes
that he understood that the body found at No.
l.Sl6 Cailoyhil-sr was a substituted body Holmes
New-York and got the body rom a medical stu.
dent he knew. brought it to this city in trunk
ern Union office. at Tenth and Chestnut SITS. and
gave the check for the trunk to him. He then went
night started for the West. Holmes told him that
the next Time he met Pietzel was in the Postofice
In Detroit Holmes said that he had given nstruc-
s, tions to Pieze how to prepare the body for the
acteS this and od yeT s the
6ody Is, Eas that Of Pietxe On hearing this Geyer
dered him and killed the three chlidren.d mo. /
didn't Nj Geyer." replied Holmes. 81 will tell you
Homes then told the story that Pietze committed
suicide and Of his finding him dead on sunday
Pietzel hii killed himself by laying a cloth across
his face and allowing. chloroform to drip from a
bottle on the towel. Pieze lef, note for Holmes,
telling him that he intended 10 kill himself and ad-
v.sing him 10 make such OF his body as they
had intended 10 do with the bogus corpse. After
some reflection Holmes says he did this. and fixed
the body as 1t was found. The children, Holmes
When asked where their trunks were Holmes
said he left them IN hotel in West Madison
ave. in Detroit At another interview Holmes
contrad4eted himself by saying that he had put
the boy Howard In charge Of a named Hatch
in Indianapolis. and that he had never any
Of them since he sent the girls from Toronto.
Mr. ham .cil Ot
the hnding OF tho childrens bodies. The defence
objected strenuously and the jury was taken from
the room while the argument the question was
made. This matter MAS the most important thai
had yet come up. The Commonw wealth undoub
edly has based much Of Its on the evidence
OF the killing OF the children by Holmes, not alone
for the effect II would produce. but TO show thai
the murder Of P.etze was but one link in the
chain Of deaths be plotted II evidence Of the
murder of the children were barred out. the Com
monwealths case would lose much Of lis strength