Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1895-11-23
Holmes Evil Spirit Communicated
Even to His Attorney.
RANK PERJURY WAS SHOWN
Lawyer Shoemaker Convicted in Open
Court of Manufacturing Evil
dence for Holmes.

Philadelphia, Nov. 1S.-The evil spirit
that presides over the destinies of H.
H. Holmes, the king of murderers, and
eventually destroys all who ally them
selves with him, found another victim
today. The first swift turn this extra
ordinary case took was on the first day
Of the recent trial. when the arch GRIM
inal dismissed his lawyers and the pris-
oner at the bar became counsel for the
defense. Today the tables were turned,
and the senior counsel for the defense
became a prisoner at the bar.
William Shoemaker, the young attor-
ney whose first association with the
case is obscured in the mystery which
envelopes it's every detail, passed
through an ordeal today as severe as
any his client has been called upon to
face, and the crisis came when he was
held under $500 bail to answer a charge
Of subornation of perjury
This means that the manufactured
evidence tending to prove that Benja-
min T. Pietzel, for whose murder H. Fl.
Holmes was convicted two weeks ago,
committed suicide, and that he, Shoe
maker, paid a woman $40 to sign and
swear to this. But the commonwealth
had supplied the woman, although
Shoemaker was ignorant of this, and
after he had produced this latter dis
covered evidence" and read it with
great impressiveness to the court, and
asked that the argument on the mo-
ton for a new trial, which had been
fixed for today, be postponed to give
him and his associate counsel, Samuel
p. ROtan, to run out this and other clues
recently obtained.
Then it was that District Attorney
Graham arose and exposed the plot. His
declaration came like a thunderbolt.
The court stared in wide-eyed amaze
ment; the spectators turned in their
chairs and gasped; the accused lawyer
sank back in his seat, livid and tremu
lous, while his innocent associate glared
at him with unveiled horror, but the
prisoner in the dock rested his cold,
blue eyes on the shrinking figure OF his
legal representative and smiled with
scorn.
FOUNDATION OF THE CHARGE.
Briefly told, the details Of the charge
are these:
The trial for the Pietzel murder was
not two days old when Shoemaker ap-
preached a private detective named
John SchWeiler and asked him to pro-
cure a woman who lived around
Twelfth and Callow Hill streets, who
would swear to certain facts in connec-
ton with the finding of PietzePs body.
Schweiler aSsented, but instead of
straightway getting the woman, he told
his story to Detective Geyer, who, for
the commonwealth, brought to light the
evidences Of Holmes multi-murder Of
children. Geyer submitted 1t to the dis
trict attorney, and most skilfull trap
was prepared, a trap which has brought
about the ruin Of the opposing attor-
ney.
Under instructions Geyer went to
Mrs Margaret Reah, matron Of the
Fourth district police station, and she,
under the name Of Blanche A Hanni-
gan, was taken to Shoemaker by
Schweiler. Meantime Shoemaker had
prepared an affidavit stating that the
deponent had known Pietzel, and to
him had expressed his intention Of
committing suicide. Mrs. Hannigan
readily signed and swore to this, and
Shoemaker gave her two SO bills for so
doing. On each bill she marked the
initials I'D. A. H" and today she exhib-
tied them in court.
Shoemaker walked into the trap
blindfoIded. When he read the affida-
Wit to the court, he declared that it's
contents had been dictated to him by
the woman. A moment afterwards ir-
REPUTABLE testimony was produced show
ing that he had himself made up the
affidavit and dictated it to a stenog-
rapher before he had even asked
Schweiler to procure a woman to sign
1t, and that he had not so much as read