The Red Cloud chief., 1896-04-17

PHILADELPHIA, April 81. II.
Holmes. the multi.murdcrcr now
under sentence of death for the muir.
der of Benjamin rictlcl, has made a
confession.
In prcfacing the confession, which
covers in full nearly three newspaper
pages, written in Holmes own hand.
writing, ana detailing with "A minute.
ness that i, At times revolving, the
= ses,mutilator aud author Of twenty.
pen murders, a. he admit, himself
10 be, states with something like
pathos that he does 50 simply that he
may obtain money enough 10 educate
his boy.
Holmes writes of his b~lopi.curdliuy
atrocities with an abandon that simply
appallS one. Not one grain of rcnorsc
seems to enter into the construction
of that document and never for a mo-
mcnt except in two isolated caScs-onc
where he refers touchingly to the
memory of Minnie Williams and an.
other time when he pathctically
speaks OF an outrage perpctrated on
his boy, does the redeeming element.
pity, figure in the case.
II was porn WIN inc ucVil IN me,
,ays he, in one part Of his confession.
81 could not help the fact that | was
a murderer no more than tho poet cat
help the inspiration to sing, nor the
ambition of AN intellectual mau t. be
great. was born with the evil one
standing as my sponsor beside the bed
where ] was ushcrcd into this world,
and he has been with me since. The
n.linnfinn g., tp,trll,' N IN mo a.
naturally as the inspiration 20 do
right I'M to the majority of persons.
From what | can see | believe fully
that | am growing 10 resemble the
devil: that the osscous parts of my
head and face are gradually assuming
that elongated shape SO pronounced
in what is called the degenerate head,
and that the siiniltudc IS almost COM
plcted.
''ln fact. 50 impressed am | with
this belief, continues Holmes, that
] en- convinced that ! have no longer
any thing human in me-
Holmes confession from this on
speaks of his early experiences of his
boyhood days on the farm up in YER
mont and the life he led until he en-
tered the college to study medicine in
Michigan.
1t was not until after he was gradu-
ated, fully equipped with the knowl-
edge of poisons and the easiest way TO
sever the simple thread of life, that
Holmes began his career as a muir
derer and mutilntor.
When he began he admits himself
he was ruthless, and never once halted
until he took twenty-seven lives.
"And / would have committed six
other murders" he added, had not
certain occurrences INTERVIEWED"
Probably one of the worst, most
brutal, revolving and disgusting
crimes this arch mutillator ever com
United was one he speaks of in chap
ter devoted To- his boy-the son of his
first wife. The only explanation lie
offers is that he did it simply To crafty
his love for m%utillaiion.
at vas shortly after ! was mar
ried," he declares, and our boy wa
then but n voungstcr. called him in
from the road, where he was frolicing
about like an innocent with n lot OF
other lads, and took him ont To Il req,
barn. ] don't know what il was that
possessed me. but | took u surgical
knife along with me.
With the utmost abandon, n will
mere and there an expressed sigh oI
regret, Holmes then tells how he went
through the operation of mutilating
his own son. Finished with that,
Holmes felt satisfied and did not muir
ler his boy outright