New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-08
IT r. HOLMES PUT TO DEATH
1z,vcFo ~ PHILADELPHIA FOR THE
MURDER OF BENJAMIN F. PIETzEh
,,,, ,,rr HIS FATE WITH COOL UNcoNcERN-
STORY OF HIS REMARKABLE GRIM

STORY OF HIS REMARKABLE GRIM
NAL CAREER.
Philadelphia May 7.-Herman W. NUGGET a.aS
! TT IT Uolmes was hanged this morning III the
county prison for the murder Of Benjamin + rie'
"a, Tho drop fell at 1912 o'clock, and twenty MIL
utes later Holmes pronounced 10 De oeau Wy
| the prison officials, DR.. Sharp ana Ut. pu.o"ei'
| The execution was devoid OF sensational features
| To the last Holmes self-possessed ana cooi'
| even 10 the extent of giving word OF ADVICE u
Assistant Superintendent Richardson as the latter
was arranging the final details. He died as ne had
lived-unconcerned and apparently thoushuess vi .'o
future Even with the recollection still vividy De-
| fore him of the recent confession In when ne au-
| m,tted the killing of than score OF persons
of both sexes and in all parts OF the country o''
| III, lac. words were denial that he had COM
m,ttcd anv crimes except causing the deaths or two
women by malpractice. or the muroei VI '''
members OF the Pietzel family he deheu ail n'o"i
edge particularly OF the father for whose oea'h II.
was suffering the penalty. Then with the prayer u
| the priests still sounding In his ears anu io"
| low-spoken words to those about hiin' 'ne zap
| was sprung and the execution which closed one Oh
| the worst criminal careers on record was over.
| Tho bodv was placed In vault In Holy cross
| Cemetery.
| Herman w Mudgett, better known as H. II.
Holmes was one of the most remarkable CRIMINALS
of modern times. He was born IN CINNAMON ~,
H.. on May 49, 1860. On July T. 1875 ne marr'ea
| clara A Lowering at Alton, ~ H., and on January
% 1887 under the of Harry Howard Holmes
he committed bigamy by marrying Myrta II. be'h-
nan. A few weeks afterward Holmes applied III
! Chicago for a divorce. and the suit was penuins
until June l. 1891, when the Court ulS'nsseu ~
| owing to the non-appearance OF the coHs'ia'"a"''
| Holmes continued his bigamous career by marrying
| Ceorgianna Yoke In Denver. Col, on January IL,
| $50, he assuming the name of Henry Mansheid
/ Howard on this occasion. son was porn 10 INC
| first wife. and this IS the boy whom Holmes -
said to have made the chief beneficiary OF the pro-
ceeds OF the alleged confession OF wholesale MUIR
ders
! Tho crime for which Holmes was hanged was
the murder in Philadelphia September z, 1884, OF
Beniamln f. Pietzel. his fellow-conspirator. Inc
! murder was committed in the house No l3io Cai-
lowhi-st Holmes captured in Boston III the
latter part OF 1894 by owen Hanscom' the deputy
! sriperntendent Of police Of Philadelphia on 'ne
strength OF a telegram from Fort WORTH Tex,
whore Holmes was wanted for DEMONSTRATING ana
on charges Of larceny. At that time omciais vi
the Fidelity Mutual Life Association OF fhhadei-
mia were hot on Holiness trail for oeirauuns
! the company out OF $1,000 In connection Win inc
death OF Petzel. who insured for this amount
and az Holmes believed demonstrating TO De
hlgh crime in Texas he voluntarily confessed tho
insurance fraud TO Hanscom. He ala not lot
moment dream that he was suspected OF the muir
der OF Pietzel. and no came TO Pniiaaeiphia WIN
]
10 be tried here on conspiracy charge In prefer
/ ence TO that OF demonstrating at Fort Worth BE-
fore leaving Boston Holmes made this confession
to Hanscom:
when l concluded It was time TO carry out our
schemes 70 dstr@ud the insurance nS sSinpsd :, in
trunk TO philadelphia l turned the check Tor IN, me
list Of September / Instructed him how to prepare
! the body and In three hours we were on our way
moncy saw Pe,seI in Cincinnati took the
three children TO that city where the iatne n saw or
e effn Howard i took tho two girls chicago be-
/ cause I had business there, We all met again n
amepica. During all this time Mrs. PietHe knew
her husband nIise; but she did not know that nat
wouli nsis, that the crooked business be wound up
In d'T na ID keep hsr he wa
/ and there, Travelling from one city to another
The insurance officials had good grounds for be-
neving that Holmes had murdered Pietzel and the
three children. when the prisoner arrived IN phil
adelphis he was urged to make another "confes-
son" lie did so without hesitation. but II varied
somewhat from the one he made in Boston II mar
rated how tho body was substituted for Pietzel In
| the Calowhill-st. house and its Identification by
Alice Pictzel as that OF her father week after
ward. Holmes also tod how the money was re-
ceiyei from the insurance company. and It's sub
seauen, division between Mrs Pietzel. Jeptha ID.
Howe, a 81. Louis lawyer. and himself IL was In
this confession that Holmes accused Howe OF re-
celving $500 for his share In the transaction Howe
was indicted for conspiracy but recently the case
against him dropped.
soon after Holmes was brought TO Philadelphia,
Detective Geyer visited him In the county prison In
relation 10 the finding Of tho body at No. 1876 Cal
lowhill-st on September t. 1891 After an hours
conversation with Holmes the detective emerged
from tho prison with confession In which
Holmes said that the body was not that Of pieze
company week later Holmes made made, s ..orn
told You about substitute body is not II Is
| tn. body OF Benjamin Pietze. but did not murder
sm h CuS Sa Fsae dead the third
Caliowh,ll-st house found a note IN a bottle tell
cided to commit suicide. lie, requested me to look
after the insurance money and take care OF HIS wfo
il found These children ySp speak OF are all
Ts gave Howard HsS ars to Minnie Williams in Detroit and
sent Alice and Nellie to her from Toronto; They
met Miss Williams at Niagara Faas and sailed for
Holmes made many other Confessions" but they
he pretended to tell the truth. but he sedulously
avoided doing so In his many interviews with Dis
three missing Pletzel children were with Minnie
Williams in London He even Ps h. sa "a ~ M
puzzle inserted d ,s. fSr iss
eSI2sn d back from Europe When the
Noe and Alice PIe,zel were unear,hed in Toronto
Ind Holmes denied any k19TlsEe S q the lads
her sister we're discovered. Holmes said that Min
ME killed Nancy In a jealous frenzy, and he buried
the body in Lake Michigan. The disappearance OF
Emily Cygrand was traced to Holmes, but he said
he knew nothing Of the girls fate. The partially
consumed bones found In the Chicago castle are
known to be those OF some OF Holiness victims.
His latest Confession wherein he said that he had
killed twenty-seven persons. was dlsproved, In part
at least by the appearance OF several OF the So
called victims: but Holiness object In making the
''conf-sslon"-the obtaining OF sum OF money
placed at 81 900 which IL said to have been settled
on his eighteen-y ear old son-was realized.
Holmes was indicted for the murder OF Petzel on
September L. 1896. and was placed on trial on Oc-
tober S A verdict Of guilty was rendered on No