The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-08-23

HOlmes' Castle burned.

Wallace streets, Chicago, which is sale
) to have been the scene of numerous
murders by the owner, was discovered
to be on fire at 1870 O'Clock Monday
J morning. After au hour of hard worl
the firemen succeeded in getting thu
flames under CONTROL but not until aftel
they left the building in condition tc
become more of curiosity than it was
while being searched by the police fol
evidence of crime Firemen who were
early on the scene nhesitatingly de
clare the fire was of incendiary origin,
and it is generally supposed the intcn
ton was to destroy it and any evidence
it might contain relative to the Holmes
case. The fire started in the rear OF
the structure on the first floor in the
southwest corner of the building, and
the first known of it was when Thomas
Rogers the Waterman at the railroad
crossing, heard a muilled explosion. a
moment later smoke was seen issuing
from the north windows of the build
ing. A small crowd gathered, but were
frightened away by three explosions
similar to the first. In an instant the
whole building was wrapped in solid
sheet of flame, and the work of destruc-
ton was we'll under way before the fire
engines that had been summoned could
get to work. The damage is about
SIS. 600.
The castle was 1852 feet long The
second floor, which was unfortunately
burned, contained 30 rooms connected
by doors cut in walls in every con
cevablc place These, with narrow
passage ways and irregulary shaped
halls, made labyrinth that would
defy an officer pursuing a person famil
lar with the place. The very foot fall
of a person on the second floor carried
a note OF alarm to Holmes by means of
system of electric wires. a group of
small rooms in the middle of this floor
was thus described by one who had eX
amined them =
From two rooms which have access
to the remainder of the floor you step
into a dark closet. There are five
doors leading into the closet, making
it really only framework for doors.
One of these doors opens into good
sized closet. Another door opens into
the sealed chamber. This door was
boarded up when search through the
building first began, and it took an
experienced eye to detect the presence
of doorway. When Detectives Norton
and Fitzpatrick. who had charge of
the search of the supposed bodies of
Minnie and Annie Williams, tore down
the lathing and plaster, they found
themselves in dark chamber, with no
entrance save the one through which
they had gone in. This secret conceal |
ed chamber was one of the largest /
rooms in the house. 1t is about II
feet long and eight feet wide. 1t could |
not have been intended for a closet.
There was no furniture in it. The air (
was sitting when the detectives enter
ed, and there was no visible means for I
ventilation at that time. Later, I
however, in a triangular end of the /
chamber, resembling a closet there was /
found near the ceiling an opening I
which apparently ended in darkness, +
Investigation showed that shaft ran /
up few feet and then. turning at a
right angle. opened into dummy ele
vator shaft This shaft is large enough .
to admit the body of a man. and access
to the sealed chamber could be gained
easily by getting on top of the dummy
elevator at the second floor and raising
it few feet.
The north door of the five opening
into the closet leads to bathroom. In
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south American Troubles.
War appears Ia be inevitable be
tween Peru and Bolivia. The latter
government refuses 10 apide Dy tne dr.
Jltratlon before the fapal Nuhclo, or
. receive the PERUVIAN minister az Id
PaZ, Peru has ordered MN To return
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pa M 49,, 10 az d., ,bo rnraIr !
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'a,h ans ,I,aro cbased there hv pieroia
,sri sn nJol no and salute Bolivia by y