The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-05-14
HOLMES IS HANGED.
Pays the Penalty for the Murder
of'Pitzel.
An Account Of tho Arch-Fiend's Last
Hours ON Earth His Scanold
Specialized Protesting His
InnOCenO0.

Philadelphia, May s.-H. H. Holmes was
hanged Thursday morning. The drop fell
at 1912. 1t was not until Is minutes later
that he was pronounced dead. His neck
was not broken by tne fall. The marvellous
nerve Of the man never deserted him to the
ably the coolest person In the solemn as
semblage
Holmes spent the greater part Of his
last night on earth writing letters. AZ
midnight he went to bed and slept soundly
until six o'clock Thursday morning. 1t
took two calls to awaken him. Promptly
arising. he received a visit from his spirit
ual advisers, Fathers DAILY and Macpeak.
OF the Church Of the Annunciation. They
administered the last sacrament and did
not leave him until nearly nine o'clock.
At 1902 o'clock the sheriff called together
the official jury. and after each man had
answered to his name and subscribed to the
certificate the solemn march to the gallows
was begun.
As the gathering stood in silence before
the scaffold murmur came from behind
the partition erected Immediately back of
priests. accompanying the doomed man
to the scaffold. They were utterings the
psalm "Miserere." They mounted the
platform. A moment of prayer followed.
and then Holmes stepped to the front OF
the scaffold and. resting his hands on the
rail before him. made his statement Of in
nocence. 1t was received in absolute
silence.
Pallid naturally after his Incarceration,
there was no other evidence of fear or dis
quiet. He spoke slowly and with measured
attention to every word; trifle low at
first, but louder as he proceeded. until
every word was distinctly audible.
"Gentlemen," he said, II have very few
words to say, in fact I would make no
statement at this time except that by
not speaking I would appear to acquiesce
in life in my execution. I only want to
say that the extent of my wrong-doings
in taking human life consisted in the
deaths Of two women, they having died
at my hands as the result Of criminal oper-
atoms. I wish also to state, however, so
hereafter. I am not guilty of taking the
lives Of any of the Pitzel family, the three
children or father, Benjamin F. Pitzel, of
whose death I am now convicted and for
which am to-day to be hanged.
THAT is ALL"
and kneeling between Fathers Daily and
Macpeak, Joined with them In silent prayer
for brief minute or two. Again standing
he shook the hand of all those about HIM,
and then signif1ed his readiness for the end.
Herman w. Mudgett. better known rs H.
GUS criminals Of modern times. and If the
''murderer's CONFESSIONS which he has
written can only partially be believed. he
was without peer as a bloodthirsty de-
mon. His recent ingenious confession"
wherein he claimed to have killed n
persons, was disproved, partly, at least,
by the appearance Of several OF the So
called victims: but Holmes object in max
ing the confession was realiZed-the OBJ
tanning Of q sum said to be $780, and
which amount Is said to have been settled
upon the criminals 1S-year-old son. While
~pp 10, % &ya1W
the sensationaltsm of the case. the only
capital crime for which Holmes had to an
swer was the killing in this city. on Septem-
Der 2, 1894. Of Benjamin Pitzel, his fellow
conspirator. The murder was committed
In the dwelling. No. 1916 Callowhill street.
in the latter part Of 1891, by Owen Hanscom.
the deputy superintendent Of police. upon
the strength Of q telegram from Fort
Worth. Tex. where he was wanted for
horse-stealing and for other charges OF
larceny. At that time officials of the FL
deity Mutual Life association. Of Phila-
delphia. were hot on Holmes trail for de-
frauding the concern out of $4,000 In con-
nection with Pitzel's death. the latter be-
ing insured for this amount, and as the
accused believed DEMONSTRATING to be
high crime in Texas. he voluntarily con-
fessed to Deputy Superintendent Hanscom
to the insurance fraud. He did not. for a
moment. dream that he was then suspect
ed OF the murder of Pitzel, and he came to
Philadelphia without requisition papers.
lie expressed willingness to be tried here
on the conspiracy charge in preference to
that Of horse stealing at Fort Worth.
Between this time and his trial for con-
spiracy;to defraud the insurance company
to which he pleaded guilty, Holmes made
many confessions" Each time he pre-
tended to tell the truth. but he sedulously
avoided doing 80. Nobody believed what
Y~1v nv
not say anything about the children ex-
cept that they were all right.
In his many interviews with District At
torney Graham. Holmes persisted that the
three missing Pitzel children were with
Minnie Williams in London: He even
persuaded Mr.. Graham to have an aaYer-
tisement in the shape Of q cipher puxzle
inserted in a New York paper, for the
purpose of bringing Minnie Williams and
the little Pitzels back from Europe. The
district attorney placed little faith In what
Holmes told him. but the lad" was pub
lished as q sort of last and hopeless ef-
fort When the bodies Of Nellie and Alice
Pitxel were unearthed in Toronto. Holmes
denied having killed them. When How
ards charred bones were located in a
Holmes calmly denied any knowledge of
the lads death. When the murders of
Minnie Williams and her sister were dis
ccvered, Holmes said that Minnie killed
Mamie in Q Jealous frenzy. and he buried
the body in Lake Michigan. He vigorously
denied having put Minnie to death so az
TO secure her property. The disappearance
OF Emily Cigrand 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 :cas-
tle'' are known to bo those Of some of
Holmes victims. About the last time that
Holmes was taken to. the district attor-
ney's Office to ''confess." Mr.. Graham lost
patience with him.. Holmes gave. q repe-
tition of his picturesque falsehoods. He
actually gave the district attorney a veri-
table Jolly about the ,Pitxel family and
Minnie Williams being still alive. The
scene that enSued was extremely dramatic.
- Drowned In . Pond.
= Chicago, May 11.-Four persons were
thrown into the water by the capsizing
of boat on an ice pond in South Chica-
20, two of them, Mary Berry and
Michael Welsh, were drowned. The
others were rescued. The overturning
OF the boat was due, it is said, to the
hi]arity of Welsh, who persisted in rock
ing the craft in fun. He finally gave it
Il 4 l. L .L..