The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-31

CITY at the request of the company, to
identify the body, Howe and Alice Pit
Eel were in the Office. Holmes came in
afterward 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
CT the money the matter was closed,
until a letter was received by President
rouse, of tine insurance company. from
superintendent of Police Harrigan. OF
St Louis. This contained the
Declaration of Hedspetb, the Train
RObber,
that while in Jail in st. Louis he had
overheard Holmes and Pbtzel talking
of forming a conspiracy TO defraud an
insurance company out OF $lO,U00 ny the
substitution of a corpse Tor Pitzel.
Inspector Gray of the insurance COM
pany, was sent to st. Louis and inter-
viewed Hedspeth. On the information
thus obtained a warrant was sworn out
for Holmes on the charge of conspiracy
and upon this he was arrested in BoS-
: ton.
The witness went to that city and
identified Holmes. The latter had made
q verbal statement to the witness. in
the presence OF Deputy Superintendent
Eanscom, Chief of Police Watts and
John Cornish, a private detective in
Chief Watts office.
q asked him where Mrs. Pftzel was, y
said Perry, land he replied that he did
not care to tell. Then l asked him
where Pitzel was and he said he was
in South America or on his way there
and the boy Howard was with him.
Alice ard Nellie, he said. were in Lon
don with Minnie Williams. He said he
had given Howard to his father in De-
troit, and had sent Nellie and Alice
from Toronto on a train on which he
rode a short distance to meet Minnie
Williams, either at Buffalo or Niagara
t'alls-I forget which,
After an uninportant cross eXamina-
lion, Perry was temporarily withdrawn
from the stand, and Inspector William
=. Gray of the insurance company told
of a. "trip to st. Louis where he procured
Hedspeth's statement. This was pro-
duced but not yet offered in evidence.
In consequence Of it. the
Tracking of Holmes Was Begun.
He was first located at Ogdensburg, N.
Y, then at Prescott, Canada, various
points in New Hampshire, Burlington,
Vermont and Boston.
OrringtOn n. Hanscon. deputy super
intendent 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 testimony.
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
$40, 000 This was entirely voluntary on
Holmes part.
Anna B. Robbins, the stenographer,
who took the examination Of Holmes
by Deputy Hanscom, identified a copy
of the statement.
District Attorney Graham offered the
statement in evidence and Assistant
Barlow read it to the jury. When he
had finished the court took a recess.
When court reconvened Francis X.
Quinn, an employee of the Fidelity
company, identified Holmes signature
to a statement prepared by Quinn, as
notary public. This statement was
read. and is in substance as follows:
While in jail at st. Louis Holmes
had met Hedspeth. who said they could
get out of jail for $500, Holmes to get
$500 and other parties 800. Holmes
told him of a scheme to defraud an
insurance company, but that he needed
a. lawyer. Hedspeth referred him to
Howe, and after several visits to him,
Howe confirmed Hedspeths statement
of the amount of money needed. They
discussed the insurance scheme, and
Howe asked
Where They Would Get a Corpse.
Holmes replied that he would be all
right, as he had plenty If experience
in that line. The details were carried
out and Holmes made arrangements
in New Y DIRK on August 8 to get a body,
but the one obtained lacked the wart
and other marks peculiar to PitzeL
Holmes meanwhile came to Philadel-
phia and saw Pitzel. While there he
got word from New York that a body
was ready. He went there, got it and
brought it back here to PitZel. Holmes
and his wife then left town. He went
to St. Louis, where he found Pitzel's
wife and children much excited
Holmes had several interviews with
Mcdonald and Howe and the latter
wanted to abandon the insurance
scheme Holmes said he would take
his chances because the stake was big
enough Howe demanded $4,000 of the
money, if it went through, and Holmes
claimed that this was outrageous, as
he had taken all the chances and done
all the dirty work When Howe
threa tened exposure. Holmes smiled,
ard told him he was not afraid, as he
had every discriminating word Howe
had uttered.
I have had a photograph in the bu-
reau drawer" he exclaimed coolly. The
money was finally obtained. and Howe
kept S2,0OO OF 1t, MIS-. PleIZel Delng
given the balance. This concluded the
statement.
The PitzeI Ladies.
During its reading three women were
ushered into court by side door. One
was ''Dessa" Pitzel and another her
mother There was buzz in the court
room when District Attorney Graham
called Mrs. Pitzel.'
A tall. slender woman, dressed in
shabby black. her face pale and worn
took the witness stand. In answer to
a long series of questions from Mr.
Graham she said:
MY name is Carrie a. PitZel. and
BENJAMIN f. Pitzel was my husband.
In July. 1894. we lived in St. Louis
NV husband had taken a policy in the
Fidelity company for $4,000. On July
% he left for Philadelphia IN connec-
ton with the matter. know. the pris-
oner. Before july, 1894, I had seen
him several times with my husband,
when he came 10 our house in st. Louis,
and when we lived on Madison avenue,
CHICAGO. I correSponded with my nus
hand while ne was in Philadelphia. The
letters were addressed to No. 1916 CAL
sovhill street He answered them and
in one spoke of settling in Philadelphia.
Re said he was in the patent business
in that city. knew he was living I'M
der the name of Perry"
Ibid you know anything about the
property of Holmes-the Sixty-third
street CASTER"
'.By my husband telling me about it'i
"Did he have any interest in that?"
ssNr,- +,>Sl1a n said he did -