The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-10-31
MRS. PITEZEL HAS HER SAY
The Widow of Holmes Alleged Victim
on the Stand.
HOW THE PRISONER DECEIVED HER
She Breaks Down When Letters That Had
Been Written to Her by Her Children,
But Which had Never Been
Mailed Were Produced

PHILADELPHIA >. 91.-The public ill
terest in the trii II. H. Holmes for
murder was still at high pitch when court
opened yesterday. Although Holmes had
recalled the lawyers whom he dismissed,
it is still apparent that their presence is
superhuous. 1t is Holmes who is trying
the case. Hardly a question is put to a
witness without being first framed or sug.
gested by him to his counsel.
The first two witnesses, Susan Hurley
and Mrs. Alice Pierce, testified as to Pite-
zels presence in the city in August, 1894.
Then O. La Forest Perry, assistant to the
president of the Fidelity Mutual Life asso-
citation, was called. This is the company
that was swindled out of the $4,000 for
which Pitezel's life was insured, and it
was Perry who began the investigation Of
the conspiracy. He first identified the
policy issued, in which Carrie n. Pitczol,
the widow, is the beneficiary, 1t is dated
Nov g. 1898 Next he identified a receipt
for 50, 1855, the amount of the policy, less
expenses paid to and receipted for by Jeph
tina ID. Howe, the st. Louis attorney, who
represented Mrs Pitezel This is dated
Sept. "a, 1894 Perry was present when
Howe received the money.
When Holmes came to this city at the
request of the company to identify the
body, Howe and Alice Pitezel were in the
Office. Holmes came in afterwards and
was introduced TO them. He and Howe
met as strangers, but he said he had met
Alice before, and she remembered him.
After the payment of the money the mat
ter was closed, until letter was received
by President Fouse, of the insurance com
pany, from Superintendent of Police Har-
rigan, of St. Louis. This contained the
declaration of Hedspeth, the train rObber,
that while in Jail in St Louis he had over
heard Holmes and Pitezel talking of form
ing a conspiracy to defraud an insurance
company out of $4,000 by the substitution
of a corpse for Pitezel. Inspector Gray,
of the insurance company, was sent to st.
Louis and interviewed Hedspeth On the
information thus obtained warrant was
sworn out for Holmes on the charge of
conspiracy, and upon this he was arrested
in Boston. Holmes made verbal state
ment to the witness, in the presence of
three Boston police officials.
81 asked him where Mrs. PiteZel was,
said Perry, "and he replied that he did
not care to tell. Then 1 asked him where
Pitezel was, and he said he was in South
America, or on his way there, and the
boy, Howard, with him. Alice and Nellie,
he said, were in London with Minnie Will
Jams. He said he had given Howard to
his father in Detroit, and had sent Nellie
and Alice from Toronto on train on
which he rode short distance to meet
Minnie Williams either at Buffalo or
Niagara Falls-I forget which
Inspector William e. Gray, of the in
surance company, told Of the trip to st.
I bo TJaIGpat1,' ,'g st at
ment. This was produced, but not yet Of
fered in evidence. In consequence of the
statement, the tracking of Holmes was
begun He was first located in Ogdens-
burg, n. Y, then at Prescott, Canada,
various points in New Hampshire, Bur
lington, VI, and Boston
Orrington n. Hanscom, deputy superin.
tendent of police of Boston, directed
Holmes arrest on a telegram from Fort
Worth Tex, saying he was wanted there
for 'larceny of one horse" (Holmes
smiled at this.) When arrested Holmes
said he did not want to go to Fort Worth,
but that he would go without requisition
TO Philadelphia, where he had defrauded
the Fidelity Insurance company of $4,000
Holmes statement to Perry was then
read by Assistant District Attorney Bar
low, and then Mrs. Benjamin f. Pitezel
/
was sworn.
Mrs Pitezel gave in detail the story of
the policy of insurance being taken on her
| husbands S life while she lived in st. Louis,
! In July, 1894. When her husband came
to Philadelphia she knew he was living
under the name of Perry, and had been
! given to understand that he was in the
patent business. Her husband had told
her that he was an equal partner with
| Holmes in the Chicago "castle" and in
/ Fort Worth property The latter property
was in the name of Benton Il. Lyman
! She knew Howe, the st. Louis lawyer,
through Holmes, and gave him power of
attorney to collect the insurance money.
| She had read in a paper that man named
| Perry had been killed by an explosion in
| Philadelphia, but Holmes assured her her
husband was all right. Her daughter Alice
left st. Louis in Howe's care, she coming
to Philadelphia to identify Pitezel's body,
| as Mrs Pitezel was herself sick in bed
| The next time she saw Holmes he told her
he had taken Alice back to Cincinnati,
and would take Howard and Nellie to her
Then they would all go to Indianapolis.
Mrs. Pitezel continued;
son Oct. % Holmes came to the ST.
Louis house and we went to Howes office
Howe SAID the scheme was fraud ana ne
washed his hands of the whole affair. They
wanted me to sign a paper in regard to
Howe's fee, and after being assured 1
would not be implicated in the affair did
30. Holmes there went under the name Of
Howard. He demanded $500 or $40O of me,
and gave it. He wanted to go to some
bank and pay off a note due on the Fort
Worth property. 1 got the 5000 and he
took it. We went to the bank and he
went to a side window and brought back
the note, saying it was paid, He told me
to take care and show it to Ben when |
saw him"
"How much did you get in all of this in
surance money!"
II received $500 That was all l ever
got"
After this money transaction what be-
ANNE of Holpnspb