Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-08-01
HOW PIETZEL DIED
HOLMES TELLS A RATHER
FISHY STORY TO A FRIEND.
COVERING UP A SUICIDE
Pietzel Was Dependent Because He
Had no Money-Another Discovery
in the "Castle"-Tanks Where
Chemicals Destroyed the Flesh Of
Holmes Victims.

Philadelphia, July 30.-The bulletin
prints an entirely new statement SAID
to have been made by Holmes, giving
in detail his version of how Pietzel
come to his death last September.
Holmes says that Oh the saturday
night preceding the death Of PletZel,
the latter came to him; told a heart
rending story of pecuniary difficulties
and the sickness of his daughter IN
st. Louis. He wanted money to send
to his wife Holmes demonstrated
as to his spendthrift habits and said
if he did not quit drinking they must
separate. Pietzel exclaimed Il am OF
no benefit to any one. l Will soon
get rid Of my difficulties. Life has be-
come a nuisance to me-
Holmes AYERS that he jokingly re-
marked:
well. your body is as good as any
other. but | would not advise you TO
do anything RASH
Holmes accounts for this remark by
saying that he and Pietzel had under
consideration the defrauding OF the
Fidelity Mutual Insurance company.
Holmes then explains that Pietzei left
him with the intention of going home.
Holmes gave PietZel no money, but
promised to meet him the next morn
ing. 1t was about 10 O'Clock Sunday
when he reached the place. No one
apparently was about, but he found
a note directing him to go UP to the
second floor and open a closet in
which he would find a large blue bot
tie containing another letter addressed
to him. Holmes followed directions.
He found a note advising him that his
Pietzel's) body would be found in the
house The letter begged Holmes to
look after his children and suggested
that there would be no difficulty in
getting the insurance money now that
the body could be produced.
Holmes said that he sat in this
room over an hour He was daZed,
but finally made up his mind that
there would be no na1u in destroying
any evidence of suicide so he might
get the insurance. He thereupOn laid
the corpse on the floor, pried open the
mouth and poured in a quantity Of eX-
plosive chemicals; placed a lighted
match to the mouth, when the explo-
sion which horribly disfgured the
corpse followed. To give a more
forcible impression that Pietzel came
to his death by an accidental eXpio-
sion, Holmes got a pipe, filed it with
tobacco, lighted it and then placed it
beside the body.
Chicago, July Bottle search in the
Holmes building was proceeded with
yesterday on information given by NJ
M. Chappelle. who articulated the
skeletons, that Holmes had two watts in
the cellar which had since been
walled in. One of the vats was used as
vessel in which the flesh was eaten
from the bones by the use of acids
the other for the purpose of hlea ching
the bones. Twelve labOrers worked
all day and were about to give up
the search when one struck his spade
against something which gave forth
metallic sound. The object proved to
be a tank, apparently eight feet long
and three feet in width. 1t will be in
vestigated today. One of the many
theories advanced concerning Holmes
castle is to the effect that he was
professional procurer The presence Of
so many young girl about the prem
ises at various times led to the sus-
picion that Holmes added this to his
other nefarious schemes. In TINS way
the disappearance Of some of the IN
fortunate creatures is accounted for.