Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-04-13

| 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 fur
ther He asserts that he is gradually chang
ing in appearance, in figure; that his face Is
becoming distorted, and he sees, whether in
the distortion of mis- bloody imagination which
coniures up hosts Of calling dead,
or not, his face assuming the look, the eyes
the leer, and the rery ears the exact similitude
of the picture of satan himself
II was born with the devil in me-" says he
| in one part OF his confession II could not
help the fact that was murderer no more
/ than the poet can help the inspiration to song,
nor the ambition OF an INTEL ectual man to be
great was born with tho evil one standing
as my sponsor beside the bed where was
ushered into the world, and he has been with
me since.
The inclination to murder came to me as
naturally as the inspiration to do right comes
to the majority of persons Where others
hearts were touched with pity, mine filled
with cruelty, and wherein the others the fe ell
ing was to save life, l reveled in the thought
of destroying the same.
mot only that, was not satisfied in TAX
ing it in the ordinary way. 1 sought de-
wees strange, luuttSIlcul tuu even BrOleSQue.
1t pleased my fancy 1t gave me play to
work my murderous will, and 1 reveled in
| it with the enthusiasm o. any alchemist who
is hot on the trail Of the philosophers stone.
"This inclination" continues Holmes, ''came
| to me early in life / remember, when a mere
| lad, my ambition was to study medicine, that
| might know the relative effects of poisonous
gases; that might fully become acquainted
with their uses, and learn to be an expe TT in
| handling them.
II am convinced" he declares, that since
my Imprisonment have changed woeiuliy and
gruesomely from what 1 formerly was in
| feature and in figure "
If you look at nv picture, when I 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.
Il mean, in fact, that my features are assum-
| ing nothing more or less than pronounced
sataricHl cast; that have been afflicted with
that disease, rare but terable, with which
physicians are acquainted, but over which
they seem to have no control whatever.
THAI disease" said he, "is malformation
or distortion of the osseous part, causing de-
formity so marked that in many cases men
are made to assume lilenesses to the inferior
animal
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 can see l fully believe 1 am
growing to resemble the devil that the osse-
Gus part of my head and face are gradually as
suming that elongated shape so pronounced in
what is called the degenerate head, and that
the similtude Is almost completed.
IN fact so impressed am with this be-
lief" continued Holmes, that am convinced
that nave no longer anything human in me
Holmes confession from this on speaks of
his early experiences OF his boyhood days on
the farm in Vermont and the life he led, until
he entered college to study medicine in Mich
igan.
1t was not until after nc was graduated, fully
equipped with the knowledge OF poisoLs an6
the easiest way to sever the simple tn read o
lie that Holmes began his career as mur-
derer and mutllator
When he began, he admits himself, he was
ruthless and never once halted until he tool
81 lives.
"And l would have committed six other
murders" he added, had not certain occur
rences intervened"
Possibly one OF the worst, most brutal, re
voting and disgusting crimes this arch-muti-
lator ever committed was one he speaks OF in
q chapter devoted to his boy, the son OF his
first wife The only explanation he offers is
that he did it simply to crafty his love o
mutilation
at was shortly after was married." he de
clares, land our boy was then but q youngster
II called him in from the road, where h.
was frollicking about like an innocent with
lot OF other lads and took him out to rea
barn
II don't know what 1t was that possessed M
but took surgical knife along with me. /
was simply the craving Of the murderer within
me that inspired me to make q subject OF m
little one"
With the utmost abandon. and with her,
and there an expressed sigh OF regret, Holme
then tells how he went through the operation
o: mutilating his own son
Finished with that Holmes felt satisfied an
did not murder his boy outright