The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-04-17

days prior TO my arrest In Boston wrote her
letter. IN which directed her to carry bottl,
OF dynamite That had previously left in tn,
basement, so arranged that in taking it to lii,
thlrd story of the hOusc it would fall from hel
hands ana not only,destroy her life, but that o
her two remaining children, whom | knew
would be.with her at the time'
ne also tells III his confession of an unsuccess
fni attempt tomurder three,grls at time at Chi
cago by cholroform but they were nrousoI anu
| escaped.
| Inc career of this man has been Il strange one
as learned from his own lips, it began in Gil
,,nahtown, II. There he was born OF respecta
Die parents, and was Il Woodworking farmer
lad until he reached his majority.
During his youth he was known as n harlIn.
sScarum scapegracc of boy, but it was not nc.
licvcd that nc was vicious. At the age of 20 he
was married TO Clara A Lowering, IS years old
at Alton, on July4, 1873, by John w Curricr.
Justice of the Peace.
Ills father is n Clergyman, who has held the
passionate of an Episcopal church in cinnamon
for the past "a years. Ills mother is Il charming
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. lie has two sisters in les.
ton, ana 2 brothcrin the grocery business in
Jamaica Plain.
Al OF them are emincntly respectable people,
ana the father and mother especially are very
superior IN education and refinement.
HAD Holmes been square with his confederate
he might still be free man and with the power
to continue his unparalleled course of crime but
while IN 1t Louis jail, In 1884, he formed the ac-
quaintance of Marion Christopher Hedsdath, Il
train robber who was doing 90 years time.
Hedspath was q bright man and lie and
Holmes became fast friends. The train robber
toia .ne ghonl that he could get ont of Jail If he
raise that amount, and that if Hedspath would
j. In him In scheme for robbing an insurance
company of $4,000 he would furnish the $500,
Hedspath then introduced him to Lawyer Howe
to help carry out the insurance swindle, except
the murder part, with Pietzel. but after doing it
and cheating the widow out of the money
officers on the scent which after six months
pursuit resulted in his arrest at Boston but
simply for swindling. All the murder develop
ments came later.
]: is claimed that five of his alleged victims
are either alive orit has been proved that he
did not XIII them, as he claimed.
More Rebel Victories
a battle has been fought this week near lie.
chula between the Alphonsc NJ ii. battalion un.
der command OF Col Dcbos and the insurgents
under NIaceo. The Spaniards claim that there
were 1900 rebels against 200 government troops
nut ADMIT that they were badly beaten after sew
eral hours of fighting and forced to retreat sew
cra' mics, ANA they had to use cannon to open a
way Tor retreat. Gomez, Maceo, Lacret and
other leaders have united Just east of the Iia
vana line near Nueya Paz. The troops nave re
pose OF crushing Maceo and Gomez separately,
but all failed. Another fbustcring expedition
In AID of the rebels landed saturday from Flor
ida with 5000 rifles, 100000 cartridges several
IIotchkiss and Calling guns and many rcvolvers
and machetes in the steam tug. Geo w Smith
The landing is said 10 have taken place on the
tDIhI Oh IltllF gel E0, y column or
Maceo's army was on hand, it is said, TO re.
ceiye and protect the supplies. On the eve of
the elections, the Madrid authorities, impatient
at trivial items, cabled Cor encouraging news.
The emergency was met by sending out the re-
port of Gomez's death and designating the place
OF his burial in Mantanzas. when he was march
ing with an escort of 1000 men in another prov
ince
In fact the "impugnablc military square" il
which the Spanish generals said Maceo was en-
closed few weeks ago and in which he WAS
sure to be captured or destl Dyed has been easily
broken, Maceo has fallen upon one side of the
square the strongest side of 1t, and chased it to
the edge of the sea, where it was glad to get the
protection of the Spanish navy. He has per
formed deed which the spanish strategist,
Gen Arolas hasldeclared to be impossible. Now
the rebels arc again near Havana, and the
stores are closing thcrel in expectation of II
crisis, Meanwhile the rainy season that Will
paralyze spanish efforts is at hand.
Another battle has beenlfought in the Eastern
part OF the island in which l4o0 Spanish troops
were defeated by 500 rebels. The "oiliCial re-
ports" claim a Spanish victory, but they abau.
doncd the field and left - dead and H7 wound.
ed.
Danbury CT, was the scene o. shooting al
fray early Sunday morning that may result in a,
double murder. One man Is dead and another
is dying in the hospital. William Fhtcroft, who
did the shooting, is under arrest. His victims
were Frank ketchum and Willis Tomlinson of
that city. They were out on a lark with two
companions all of leading families in the place,
and tried 10 break into n house where Flitcroft
was living with two women and he shot them
after warning them away. A couple of months
ago party broke into this same house and Fit.
croft was badly pummeed He had his assail-
ant arrested, and it is said that the police ad-
vised him to use his gun If another incident OF
the kind occurred.
made probably successful attempt last week
Thursday night to assassinate William Il .
Sands, president of the Sands n Maxwell lum.
Der company. After leaving sands for dead,
Minshall went 10 his home and shot his wife
and three children dead and then committed
suicide by shooting himself through the head.
Salem, Mass, had tragedy last week Thursday.
Towards evening smoke was smelt at Il. Boston
st, occupied by Miss Josephine Manning. aud
people forced an entrance and found the bed
on fire and the room full of smoke. Across the
foot Of the bed man was lying, fully dressed
and just gasping for breath. He was taken ont,
hut died before medical help arrived. In the
bed Miss Manning lay dead, her head covered
with blood. The woman had two pistol wounds
in her head. The man, who was James +
Flynn, also had a bullet wound in his head
Flynn was widOwcr, about - years old, and
mai been keeping company with the Manning
woman, who was a ircssmakcr about IS wears
old. 1t is supposed he killed the woman and
then committed suicide for the deed,
Mrs Josephine a Andrews of Chelsea, Mass, is
under arrest in Boston charged with shooting
her hushani, Tuesday night. Andrews has been
managing wOman's sprinting match ut the
being the owner ut q ,pfinting ma
chine, ana has been very intimate with one
kitic Collins, who was ostensibly lis partner in
the enterprise. Mrs Andrews was jealous.
A singular exodus is that Of the Dunkard~ 10
the new lands opened for settlement in the l9Cd
river valley of NOrth Dakota. Fifteen hundred
OF these people passed through Chicago last
week III special trains of passenger and freight
cars They will form at least 20 colonies in the
IL Nv county and 2j0O more Dunkards At least are
soon to follow them. They come from Bunkard
in the Nirglnias, Tennessee, Penn
sylyania, ohio and Indiana, the ast.namcd state
supplying the larger number. The Dunkards
are 4. simple people generally Of German origin,
who are much attached to their church and Oh
serve the ordinance OF feet washing and adhere
10 the Quaker principles ofpcace, non-resistancc
and simplicity of dress.