The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-05-08

name Of B. i. Perry. In the meantime
Holmes had brought q woman whom ne
called his wife, to boarding house u
1905 North Eleventh street Throughout
August Holmes called on Pitezel IRE.
quently. Pitczel was seen up TO 10
O'Clock on Saturday night, September l.
That night he drank a great deal pc.
fore he went to bed. Nothing was again
seen OF him until the following Monday,
when Eugene Smith, q carpenter, who
had been employed to do some work In
the house, found Ills body lying on Its
back on the floor OF the Becond-stoTy
back room. The face was blackened
and bhStered, as II from burns, and
near by lay broken bottle which had
contained bsnIlne, By the side OF tho
body WAS a pipe, partly illled with to-
bRcco, Appearances indicated that an
explosion had occurred while the man
was lighting his pipe. The police be-
IleVGd the affair was an accident. and
no one for a moment entertained the
theory Of murder,
This Developments.
About three weeks after this occur
renee, Jeptha D. Howe, st. Louis at
tOrney. after correspondence with Cor
oner Ashbridge, Of this city, came here
BENJAMIN F. Pitezel, and that he
Howe-was here TO collect $4,000 insur-
ance from the Fidelity Company, for
which amount policy had been made
out in favor Of Mrs. PlteEel in Chicago
year before. Meanwhile Holmes, who
had introduced Pitezel to the insurance
agents, was Induced by them to come TO
Philadelphia and ideatIey the body.
This ne did positively, and 30 did Alice
PNezeI, the sixteen year .old daughter
OF the dead man. With this unequlv0-
cal testimony, the insurance company
paid the money. Here the firSt stage OF
this extraordinary affair came to n
close.
The second opened some time after
wards, when Marion c. HedBpeth, the
notorious train lSbber, In jail at st.
Louis, declared that Holmes, ,H'hle In an
adjoining cell. had told him Of a con-
spIrncy with PiteEel and Howe to swim
die a Philadelphia insurance company
by the substitution Of a body.
Other evidence was secured by
Chicago detective, who, after chase
through several states, finally arrested
Holmes in Boston.
Many More Murders.
ThCs Is the story Of the murder of
Benjamin F. Pitezel, but with 1t is In
tsrwoven the schemes and acts which
brought about the killing OF at least
eight other victims. These were Alice
and Nellie PlteHel, the little daughters
OF Benjamin. who were aSphyxiated In
a trunk in Toronto, Canada; Howard
PiteGel, the young son, killed in Indian
apollE, Holmes cutting up and burning
the remains in a stove; Julia L. Conner,
- a
bOok-kecper for Holmes; Pearl Conner,
her daughter: EmIlIne G. CIErande. Of
Anderson, Ind, stenogTapher for
Holmes; Minnie R, Williams, OF Fort
Worth, Texas. his private secretary,
and Mana williams, her sister,
The murder OF these persons has been
fixed upon him almost certainly, but
there are at least dozen other cases
which have been laid at his door.
The execution Of Holmes closes one Of
the most extraordinary narratives In
the criminal annals of modern times.
The nerve, the calculation lpd the au-
daclty OF the man were unparalleled.
.aElIrdne.l .l1RR -hta- ma tIIEal- -hent. Some-
times he killed from sheer greed Of
gain; oitener, as he himself confessed,
to crafty an Inhuman thirst for blood.
But the man was an 0trOciOus liar.
der he charged himself have since de-
MED his story with his own lips. The
statement was prompted by pervert-
ed ambition to be regarded as the
greatest" monster who ever walked
in the form Of man, and an inc0nGru-
Gus desire to gain for the education OF
his little son In Chinatown, New
Hampshire, the 5000 offered for the
"confessIonr by q newspaper.
This desire goes far to prove his pos
session Of many conflicting traits 1t
proves that he knew something OF hu-
man love. Us the trial clearly demon
Rtrnted that he held affection for the
woman he called his wtfe--MiBS Yoke,
1t is q well-known fact that women
were attracted to him. and one not
hard to understand when the superb
cIal man ig considered, for he was born
OF reputable parents, reared under the
influence OF Christian home. and sur
rounded In his early years by every re-
iincmcnt. He was born at Gilman
ton in 1853, no that he was thirty -cight
years old when the end OF his spectac-
ulRr career came.
His parents were among the most
respected persons In their part OF the
state. His father had been postmaster
for more chan twenty-four years.
Holmes had two married sisters, living
In Boston, and one brother. They were
younger than he, and had grown up to
be good citizens. respected and honored
by their neighborS.
The Career Of Crime.
Holmes was married first when he
was twenty and shortly after began his
insurance swlndllnE career, while
studying medicine. Three years after
he left his wife and was next heard OF
In Chicago.
Then began his kaleldoVcoplc career.
lie began by marrying Miss Myrtle
u BeIknap, daughter OF n resident Of
Willamette, n suburb Of Chicago. He
had not been divorced from his first
wife. lie tried TO get possession OF her
fathers property by means Of forged
deeds, He failed In that, and then his
wife left him, keeping with her the girl
baby that had been born TO them.
His third wife, GeOrglHnA Yoke. he
married In Denver under the name OF
Howard She lives In Franklin, Indi-
ana. and Is woman OF refinement and
The murder of tho PitezOl children
was probably Holmes next crime after
that OF the father.
This crime iB familiar to oil newBpa-
per renders; how Holmes took the two
little girls to Canada and murdered
them and killed the little boy IN Indian
HuOlls, Ind. The murders were OF the
most attroclous character.
The Castle.
The scene Of Holmes other known
murderous operations was the notorious
"Cnatlp." In Chicago, the building
erected by him on the border OF the
Worlds Fair grounds. The place was
ftted up with padded rooms, secret
chambers vaults and quickliinc WITS,
and this part Of the story smncks OF the