The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-08-09
TOLD or PlETzEL'S DEATH
Isolmes Tells : Grewsom stssy II Suicide
and Swindling.

fM
PHILADELPHIA, July 3l.-An entirely
new statement has just been made by
u. III. Holmes, the supposed murderer
Of the Pietzel children. In it the man
Of many crimes gives in detail his ver-
sion Of how Pietzel came by his death
last September, and also states his
(Holmes) connection with the tragedy.
Holmes says that on Saturday night
preceding the death of Pietzel the lat
ter came to his house on North
Eleventh street, where he was staying
with Mrs. Howard" Pietzel told
Holmes a h~eartrending story Of his
pecuniary difficulties and of the sick
ness of his daughter in st. Louis. Il
must have money" he said,
or words to that effect, ito
send to my wife in st. Louis. "
Holmes demonstrated with Pietzel as
to his spendthrift habits, and spoke
substantially to him as follows: Then
you have been.asgood friend of mine;
Ill admit it. / have made lots Of
money through you, but lean not keep
this thing UP. Where is that $50 1
gave you the other day? If you don't
quit drinking you and I will have to
separate.
This conversation is said to have
been carried on along Eleventh street
the men walking north until Morris
street was reached. When they ar
rived aithe corner Pietzel exclaimed:
II am Of no benefit to anyone. / will
soon get rid Of my difficulties. Life
has become a nuisance to me. Holmes
then AYERS that he jokingly remarked:
"Well, your body is as good as any
Nfl.ys hut mould MT oI-.ra -
do anything rash
Holmes accounts for making this re-
mark by saying that he and Pietzel
had under consideration the defraud-
ing of the Fidelity Mutual Insurance
company. Holmes says Pictzel then
became angry and again vowed that
he would commit suicide, Holmes
then explains that Pietzel left him
with the intention of going home.
Holmes says he gave PietZel no money
that night, but promised to meet him
at the Callowhill street house the fol-
lowing morning.
1t was about 10 O'Clock the follow
ing day Sunday, Holmes goes on to
say, that he went to visit Pietzel at the
CallowhiM street house. When he
reached the place no one apparently
was about. Holmes sat in the kitchen
for almost twenty minutes waiting for
Pietzel to appear. The latter, Holmes
supposed, had gone out for breakfast.
Time ore on, and Ben wasnot to be
seen. The conspirator then says that lie
became anxions about his friends
whereabouts and began to search the
house for pietzel. AS I arose to go
upstairs" says the criminal, II noticed
q note lying on the counter in the front
part of the house. 1t was addressed
to me. Then Holmes explains that
he opened the note. 1t directed him
to 60 up to the second floor and to
open a closet, in which he would find
a large blue bottle containing another
letter addressed to him. Holmes fol-
lowed the directions.
He found the note in the bottle as
described, and was Mortified when he
read it. 1t was from Benjamin Pet
eel, and advised that his dead body
could be found in the house. The let
ter pleaded that Holmes look after
Pietzel's children and suggested that
there would be no difficulty in getting
the insurance money from the Fidelity
company now that the dead body Of
Pietzel could be produced in evidence.
Holmes then told his friend of the
appearance OF the corpse, and said he
sat in the room with the body for over
an hour. He was dazed, and hardly
knew what curse to pursue. He final
ly made up his mind that since Pietzel
had taken his life there would be no
harm III destroying any evidence of
suicide, that he might be able to get
the insurance on Pietzel's life without
any difficulty.
Holmes has confessed that he there
upon dragged the dead body to the sec
ond floor, laid the CORPSE on the floor,
pried open the mouth of the dead man
with a pencil, and poured in aquantity
OF explosive chemicals. He then, he
says, placed a lighted match to the
mans mouth when the explo-
sion which SO horribly disfgured
the corpse followed. To give
the more forcible impression that
Pietzel came to his death by an acct
dental explosion, Holmes stated to his
friend that he got q pipe of Pietzel's,
filled it with tobacco, lighted it., and
then blew out the flame after the to-
bacco had been partially consumed
and placed. the pipe beside the dead
mans body.
It was nearly A o'clock in the after
noon before he left the Callowhill
street house. He put on a hat of
Pietzel's TO partially conceal his iden-
tity and placed his hat, which was q
felt, under his coat. He and his wife.
Holmes alleges, left for Chicago that
night.
Says He Robbed the Train OF g $4,000.
49, e i. HHH - /,