Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-08

accused said the body was not that of
Pietzel, but was one substituted to de-
fraud the insurance company.
week later Holmes honored Geyer
with another confession" "Mr. Geyer,"
he said, that story told you about the
substituted body is not true. 1t is the
body of Benjamin f. PietZel but l did
not murder him or his children. On Sun
day morning, September q 1 found Piet-
eel dead in the third story of the Callow-
hill street house. / found a note in a bot.
tie telling me that he. was tired of life
and had finally decided to commit sui
eide. He requested me to look after the
insurance money and look after his wife
and family. l then fixed up the body
in the position it was found. These chill
dren you speak of are all right. They are
with Minnie Williams in London. 1 gave
Howard to Minnie Williams in Detroit
and sent Alice and Nellie to her from Te-
ronto. They met Miss Williams in
Niagara Falls and sailed for Europe
from New York"
Between this time and his trial for con-
spiracy to defraud the insurance COM
pany, to which he pleaded guilty, Holmes
made many other confessions" but they
differed very little from those already
given. Each time he pretended to tell
the truth, but sedulously avoided do
ing so. Nobody believed what Holmes
said about Peitzel, and he would not say
anything about the children except that
they We're all right.
In his many interviews with District
Attorney Graham Holmes persisted that
the three missing Pietzel children were
with Minnie Williams in London. He even
persuaded Mr.. Graham to have an ad-
vertisement in the shape of a cipher puz-
zle inserted in New York paper, for the
purpose of bringing Minnie Williams and
the little PietZels back from Europe. The
district attorney placed little faith in
what Holmes had told him, but the ad-
vertisement was published as sort of
last and hopeless effort. When the bodies
of Nellie and Alice Pietzel were unearth-
ed in Toronto, Holmes denied having kill
ed them. When Howard's charred bones
were located in superannuated stove In
Irvington, Ind, Holmes calmly denied
any knowledge of the lads death. When
the murders of Minnie Williams and her
sister were discovered, Holmes said Min
ME killed Nancy in a Jealous frenzy. and
he buried the body in Lake Michigan.
He vigorously denied having put Minnie
to death so as to secure her property. The
disappearance of Emily Cygrand was
traced to Holmes, but the criminal said
he knew nothing of the girls fate. The
partially consumed bones that were
found in the Chicago "castle" are known
to be those of some of Holmes victims.
About the last time that Holmes was
taken to the district attorneys office to
confess Mr.. Graham lost patience with
him. Holmes gave repetition of his pic
turesque falsehoods. He actually gave
the district attorney veritable jolly
about the Pietzel family and Minnie Will
lams being still alive. The scene that
ensued was extremely dramatic Mr..
Graham said
"Holmes, you are an Internal lying
murderer. I will hang you in Philadel-
phia for the murder of Benjamin Piet-
EEL" Holmes nerve was still with him,
and he said: 81 defy you. You have no
evidence to prove me guilty"
Mr.. Graham looked with disgust and
determination at Holmes and said:
You will surely hang in Philadelphia
for numbering Benjamin Pietzel."
The trial and conviction followed. The
district attorney endeavored to prove
during the trial, through Detective Gey-
er, that Holmes also killed the Pietzel
children, but Judge Arnold, before whom
the case was tried, declared this to be
irrelevant. Geyer had unearthed the
murder of the children after a prolonged
investigation, and the commonwealth
was also prepared to prove that Holmes
also committed these crimes.
Holmes embraced the Catholic faith
when 1T became evident to him that he
must hang, and Rev. Father Daley min-
istered to his spiritual wants. Through
out the trial and subsequent imprison-,
ment this archcriminal maintained
nonchalance that was remarkable.
Herman Webster Mudgett was born
in Gilmanton, N. H., May 16, 1860. On
July 4, 1878, he married Clara A. Lover
ing at Alton, N. H., and on January 28,
1887, under the name of Harry Howard
Holmes, he committed bigamy by marry
ing Myrta q. Belknap. few weeks
thereafter Holmes applied in Chicago for
a divorce and the suit was pending until
June 4, 1891, when the court dismissed 1t
owing to the non-appearance of the COM
plainant.
Holmes continued his bigamous career
by marrying Georgiana Yoke, in Denver,
Col, on January IL, 1894, he assuming the
name of Henry Mansfield Howard on this
occasion. A son was born to the first
wife, and this is the boy whom Holmes Is
said to have made the chief beneficiary
of the proceeds of the alleged confession
of wholesale murders.
Holmes was indicted for the murder of
PietzeI on September 12 last, and he was
placed on trial on October 2S. A verdict
of guilty was rendered on November g.
and November 30 he was sentenced to be
hanged.
Miss Yoke, with whom Holmes was Ev-
eng at the time of PietzeIs death, was an
important witness for the commonwealth
at the trial, and it was largely upon her
evidence that the accused was convicted
She told of Holmes absence from their
boarding house on September 2, 1894, the
day of the murder) and of his excited
condition when he returned. On that
night the couple left Philadelphia and
went direct to Indianapolis. The wander
ings of Holmes throughout the country
then began. and they ended with his ar
rest at Boston.