The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-08-08
KILLED BY HOLMES.
HE WAS At LEAST THE MURDER
Err OF BENJAMIN PIETZEL.
The Police Finally Worm "a Confess
sion From Pat Quinlnn. the jan
itOr of Holmes castle" which
shows That Holmes Killed Pietzel.

tins of III. III. Holmes was resumed
at his castle to-day. III the damp
basement with its swinging electric
lights. a half-dOzen labOrers were kept
at work with pick and spade. while
as many detectives carefully exam
ined every handful of earth thrown
up. The rappiag Of walls sounding of
ceilings in the search for trap doors
and secret chambers was conducted
Under the personal supervision of In
SpectOr Fitzpatrick. and not an inch
of wall or flooring is being missed.
The detectives found two coal chests,
in one of which was q hammer,
spotted and stained 1t was believed
by some of the officers that the spots
were blood stains. and an analysis
was ordered
Professional PrOcurer.
One Of the many theories that has
been advanced concerning the Holmes
castle and the many uses 10 which
it was put was to the effect that he
was a professional procurer. The
presence of so many young girls about
the premises at various times has led
to the suspicion that Holmes added
this 10 his other nefariOuj schemes.
OF the uIfortunates is accounted for.
The search Of the Holmes building
was prosecuted today on the informa-
ton given TO the police by NJ. O.. Chap
pell. the machiniSt WHO says that he
articulated the skeletons Of three Of
the supposed victims, that Holmes
had two watts in the cellar. one Of
them he said WIS in the southeast
corner and the OthC, in the southwest
corner of tue rear cellar They had
since been walled up. he sad. One
Of the watts, according to Cnappell>s
statements. was used as a vessel in
which the flesh was eaten from the
bones by the use Of acids. The other
was for the purpose of bleaching the
bones.
Twelve laborers worked all day
digging out the two corners deSig
mated by Chappell, ard were about to
give up the search as unsuccessful.
when one Of the men at work on the
southeast corner struck his spade
against against something which
gave forth metallic sOunl. The
metal object proved to be huge
tank in the shape Of boiler. 1t was
located just outside the south cellar
wall, and its top was four feet from
the grounds surface. Work was
stopped before the tank was fully un-
covered
Philadelphia. July 31.-HOlmes has
made a statement in which he says
that Pietzel committed suicide in a
hotel here. Holmes discovered the
body first ana exploded chemicals in
the mouth of the corpse in order TO
make it appear that PietZel's death
had been caused by an accident. so
that he (Holmes) could draw the in
surance on pietzers life. Holmes de-
MES that he ever committed murder.
Chicago, Aug. /. - Tomorrow an
officer from the central station will
start for Little Rock. Ark. commits
stoned by Chief Radenoch to inter-
view Convict Allen who claims that
he can relate the secret chapters Of
III. III. Holmes career of murder and
fraudulent dealings. Digging in the
cellar of the Holmes building to-day
was less fruitful than any day yet
spent investigating the underground
schemes Of the Philadelphia prisoner
Bones by the dozen were found but
as tangible evidence against the swim
dler they do not seem to count for
much. The labOrerS confined their
work principal to the southeast end
Of the basement where was located
the mysterious tank. An investiga-
ton of the tank revealed nothing
even as cir .umstantial evidence
against Holmes. The tank was easily
made accessible and nothing was
hnr lint -
petroleum in its raw state. Nowhere
We're there traces of carbolic acid Of
other fluids which might have been
used by Holmes in putting away his
victims.
Clinton Sherman. formerly living at
GAG Sixty-ninth street. came to the
castle today and said he had been
employed by the mysterious Richard
son, now missing. to remove bodies
from the castle and deliver them to
Chappell, the articulator at the medi-
cal college. Sherman's name was
found several days ago among the
private papers of Holmes. Detective
Fitzpatrick discovered he had been
an inmate of the castle. Sherman is
cOlored man. He heard he was
wanted and left the produce farm on
which he is working and came to the
city at once. He told of several mys-
terious happenings in connection with
the removal Of bodies which he was
told were "stiffs" procured from Gem
eteries and hospitals, to be sold to
medical students.
Chicago, Aug. 2. Experiments
were made to-day with the liquid
found in the bottom of the vat in the
cellar OF Holmes house and il was
found that when mixed with ben.
zine or kerosine it would emit a
vapor SO deadly that no human being
could live in 1t. Whether or not
Holmes used the vapor for suffocating
his victims 10 NOT known hut tho No