The Portland daily press., 1895-08-01

n New Hampshire, Mudgett assuring her
that it was best for him to go to Chicago
where honor and fame awaited him. She
Was satisfied with his promise that he
would return and take her to Chicago
just as soon as he had saved enough
money to start housekeeping Fondly
Believing him, she took the little boy
ald went back to the New Hampshire
hills Mudgett kissed her goodbye
Herman E. Mudgett was lost to the
world. ii. H. Holmes made Chicago the
base OF his operations and entered upon a
career of crime which has no parallel in
history.
Holmes had calmly decided to make
swindling a profession. 1t is probable that
he did not contemplate making murder a
part OF his trade, and it is doubtful if his
earlier career in Chicago was marked by
the SYSTEMATIC slaughter OF those victims
who stood in his way.
IN the management of these operations
Holmes displayed a tact and Judgment
Which mark him as genius. His victims
were not Ignorant dupes, but were keen,
shreWd business men. The average insur-
ance company does not pay ten and
twenty thousand dollars to every one who
happens to be in need of such amounts of
money, but Holmes had no trouble in
evolving o scheme which never failed to
deplete the Golfers of the insurance COM
pny against which it was directed. Bust
ness firms which look up a man family
tree before cashing one hundred dollar
check would hand SO, 600 to Holmes after
he had made brief talk. and consider
themselves fortunate to meet such an
affable gentlemen.
Holmes does not look like man who
can do as he has DONE He is 5 feet IA
inches tall, weighs 14S pounds, has
dark brown hair, a very LARGE m ustache,
which he generally wears curled up and
has light, gray blue eyes. He walks in a
stoop shouldered meditative way and is
very deliberate in speech. His voice is
low and puny. He claimes to
POSSESS HYPNOTIC POWER
saying he was taught how to acquire and
use it while in college in Vermont.
There is every reason to believe his
over those he selected as victims indicates
that he possesses mesmeric or hypnotic
powers in marked degree
What crimes Holmes commmittea from
1888 to 1890 cannot here be disclosed.
Here and there trace of his trail can be
disc vered, but it breaks off short and no
witnesses come toward with testimony OF
value. If in these year Holmes followed
his more recent policy OF numbering all
witnesses to his swindling operations, he
has private graveyard in more than one
state, and d cleW can be had to many q
strange disappearance until now 8
mystery.
ONLY BY MURDER
could he escape speedy disclosure, and
the fact that he escaped all these years
can be explained only on the theory that
he took good care that no eliminating
witness was up against him. Not until
Holmes chooses to make a truthful state
ment of what happened in this period
can an authentic history be penned
Minnie Williams of Fort Worth Texas,
is the first character introduced in the
series OF tragedies.
| Minnie was a small heiress. Being, be-
sides pretty and lovable, she was a great
| fayorite. But she was ambitious. Thrust
| ing aside the Establishments and pro
| feSsions of Texas youths, she went to Bos
ton to study the art of expression-to
become an elocutionist.
1t appears that one evening-one memor-
able evening, she was introduced to a
young man. a most plausible young man,
named Harry Gordon-that was his name
Mt that time: his profession" caused him
frequently to change 1t subsequently
had possibly changed it frequently be
| fore
| Minnie Williams fell desperately in love
| with Gordon, who was none other than
| Herman Mudgett alias III. II. Holmes.
| She went back home and talked of moth
| ing but Harry Gordon. She showed his
| picture to her sister Mamie, to her
| friends and wrote him love-sick letters
| and read his answers to her girl friends
| in Fort Worth In the meantime Minnie
had been studying hard in Dallas, and
when she graduated obtained position
as school teacher at Midlothian, a short
distance from Fort Worth, so that the
two sisters were often together. Minnie
received frequent and ardent letters from
| Gordon, and in 1892 she went to Chicago.
| She had not been long in Chicago when
she wrote to her sister Mamie that she
| had met Mr.. Gordon and that he was
| very nice and attentive. Next, that she
and Mr.. Gordon were married. Here
| followed an invitation for Mamie tc
| come and visit them. Mamie went and
| took with her a small trunk.
| Soon the principal of the school at Mid
| lothian, where she had taught, received a
| letter from Mamie requesting that hel
other trunk big one, be forwarded tc
her address in Chicago.
| Dated July 4, a letter from Chicago con-
veyed the information to her relatives in
Mississippi that next day Mamie would
leave with her sister Minnie. That was
| the last that was ever heard of Minnie
and Mamie The little school mistress
trunk, containing all her belonings on
earth, arrived too late. 1t was never
claimed at the address to which it was
sent, and remained there.
Holmes was in the
HEIGHT OF HIS CRIMINAL CAREER
when as Harry Gordon he lured Minnie
Williams to Chicago. No phase of Holmes
career is more shrouded in mystery than
his relations with Minnie Williams
From all that can be learned she came to
Chicago in the fall of 1892 and became
his stenographer. She may have become
his mistress or may have been deceived
by a mock marriage The Holmes castle
at 701 Sixty third street had already
been erected. Holmes secured the money
to start the enterprise with money OBJ
tanned in Denver. A successful specula-
ton in that city nettted him $27 600 He
was then in company with one Of his for
mer wives, formerly Miss Yoke who is
| now known as Mrs. Howard
Beyond the fact that Holmes and Pitzel
secured the bulk of Miss Williams prop
erty in Texas, little is known of the girl
and her sister Annie. or Mamie, as she
| was known in Fort Worth. Holmes says
that Minnie became jealous of his atten.
tions to Annie and killed her Holmes
took the body and sank it in Lake Michi-
gan He treats this incident as a mere