The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-11
ARCH FIEND HIMSELF
III. HI. HOLMES IMAGINEs HE HAS
CHANGED INTO THE DEVIL
He Says He Was Born with Satan I'm
Him, and that Now His Form Re-
sembIes the EVIL One.
THE EMURDERER'S CONFESSION
sICKENING NARRATIVE OF MANY
BLoOD-CURDLING ATROCITIES.
He Admits Being Author Of Twenty
Seven Murders, and Exhibits Lit
tie Sorrow for His Victims.
HOW HIS. CAREER BEGAN
MUTILATED HIS BOY MERELY TO
SATISFY HIS CRUEL DESIRES.
Reasons for Writing the story of His
Life-GrewsOme Relics to BE
Sent to Mrs. Pitczel.
HOW HIS, CAREER BEGAN
MUTILATED HIS BOY MERELY II,
SATISFY HIS CRUEL DESIRES.
Reasons for Writing the story of His
Life-Grewsome Relics to BE
Sent to Mrs. PitexeI.

PHILADELPHIA, April 1o.-The North
American of this city will tomorrow print
what purports to be sentences from the con-
fession alleged TO have been made by muir
dered III. H. Holmes. Among other things,
the story says: I'm prefacing the confess
sion, which covers in full nearly three news
paper pages written in Holiness own hand
writing and detailing with a minuteness
that is simply at times revolving, the arch
mutilator and author of twenty-seven muir
ders, as he admits himself to be, states with
something like pathos that he does so SIM
ply that he may obtain enough money to
educate his boy. Holmes writes of his blood
curdling atrocities with an abandon that
simply appalls one. Not one grain OF re-
morse seems to enter into the construction
of that document and never for a moment,
except in two isolated cases-one where he
refers touchingly to the memory of Minnie
Williams and another time, when he pathet
ically speaks Of an outrage perpetrated on
his boy-does the redeeming element, pity.
figure in the case. Regret is never for a
moment expressed and he comes out bold
ly and without compunction in his very
opening with the statement, was born
with the devil in me- Even now he believes
that the evil spirit is the guiding genius of
his destiny. He believes that he is fully
under the spell OF the damned and, despite
the assertions to the contrary. that he is
receiving the attentions of minister of
God and is gradually becoming imbued with
the spirit of forgiveness and religion. he
feels that he is lost hopelessly. He even
goes further. He asserts that he is gradual
ly changing in appearance, In figure, that
his face is becoming distorted and he sees,
whether in the distortion of his bloody i'm
agination. which conjures UP hosts of ven
geance-calling dead. or not, his face assum-
ing the look, the eyes. the leer. and the
very airs, the exact similitude OF the pic
lures of Satin themselves.
THE DEVIL WAS HIS SPONSOR.
"T was born with the devil in me- says
ne in one part Of his confession. could not
help the fact that I was murderer no more
than the poet can help the inspiration to
song nor the ambition Of an intellectual man
to be great. / was born with the evil one
standing as my sponsor beside the bed where
I was ushered into this world, and he has
been with me since. The inclination to muir
der came to me as naturally as the inspira-
ton to do right comes to the majority of
persons. Where others hearts were touched
with pity mine fllei with cruelty, and where
in the Others the feeling was to save life I
reveled in the thought Of destroying the
same. Not only that. L was not satisfied in
taking it In the ordinary way. / sought de-
vices strange fantastical and even grotesaue.
1t pleased my fancy. 1t gave me play to
work my murderous will, and reveled dn 1t
with the enthusiasm of any alchemist who
is hot on the trail of the philosophers stone.
"'This inclination,' continues Holmes,
came to me early In life. I remember when
a mere lad my ambition was to study medi-
cine. that might know the relative effects of
poisonous gases; that 1 might fully become
acquainted with their uses, and learn to be
an expert in handling them. / am convinced
that since my Imprisonment have changed
woefully and grewsomey from what /
formerly was in feature and in figure. If you
look at my picture when 1 was first taken
into custody in Boston, nearly two years ago,
and look at my face now, you may begin to
observe something of what mean. mean.
in fact, that my features arc assuming moth
ing more or less than pronounced satanical
cast; that have become afflicted with that
disease, rare but terrible, with which physi-
clans are acquainted, but over which they
seem to have control whatever. That
disease, says he, is a malformation or dis
tortion Of the osseous parts, causing de-
formity SO marked that in many cases men
are made to assume likenesses to the inferior
animals.
HIS FORM CHANGING.
The horror of the thing did not pail
on me, for it was quite in keeping with
my nature, and like a true medical student
/ began to study the new conditions that
had arisen. From what 1 can see believe
fully that / am growing to resemble the
devil; that the osseous parts of my head
and face are gradually assuming that
elongated shape pronounced in what is
called the degenerate head and that the
similitude Is almost completed. In fact, so
impressed am 1 with this belief continued
Holmes. that I am convinced that 1 have
no longer anything human in me-
Holiness confession from this on speaks
OF his early experiences of his boyhood on
the farm up in Vermont and the life he led,
until he entered the college to study medi-
cine in Michigan. 1t was not until after he
was graduated. fully equipped with the
knowledge of persons and the easiest way
to sever the simple thread of life that
Holmes began his career as a murderer
and mutilator. When he began, he admits
himself. he was ruthless and never once
halted until he took twenty-seven lives.
And I would have committed six other
MURDERS he added, had not certain occur
rences intervened.'
Possibly one OF the worst, most brutal.
revolving and disgusting crimes this arch
mutilator ever committed was one he
speaks OF In a chapter devoted to his boy,
the son of his first wife. The only explana-
ton he offers is that he did 1t simply to
crafty his love for mutilation. 1t was
shortly after I was married. he declares,
and our boy was then but youngster.
/ called him in from the road. where he
was frolicking about like innocent with
a lot Of other lads, and took him out to
rear barn. l don't know what possessed
me. but l took a surgical knife with me.
1t was simply the craving Of the murde erer
within me that inspired me to make Sub