River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-05-14
HOLMES is HANGED.
Pays the Penalty for the Murder
Of PitzeI.
An Account of the Arch-Fiend's Last
Hours on Earth His Scarold
speech Protesting His
Innocence.

Philadelphia, May s-H. H. Holmes was
hanged Thursday morning. The drop fell
at 1912. Ii was not until Is minutes later
that he was pronounced dead. His mech
nerve of the man never deserted him to the
very end. Even on the scaffold he was prob
ably the coolest person In the solemn as
semblage
Holmes spent the greater part of his
last night on earth writing letters. At
midnight he went to bed and slept soundly
until six o'clock Thursday morning. IL
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 boz o'clock TIE 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 a murmur came from behind
the partition erected Immediately back OF
IL IL was the dolorous chant of the two
priests. accompanying the doomed man
TO the scaffold. They were uttering 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,
quiet. He spoke slowly and with measured
attention to every word trifie 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 ] would make no
statement at this time except that by
not speaking i would appear to acquiesce
In life In my execution. ] only want to
say that the extent OF my wrong-doings
.n taking human life consisted In the
deaths % two women. they having died
at my hands as the result of criminal oper-
atoms. I wish also to state, however, so
that there viii be no misunderstanding
hereafter, am not guilty of taking the
lives of any of the Pitzel family. the three
children or father. Benjamin f. Pitzel. OF
whose death l am now convicted ano for
which am to-day to be hanged.
THAT is ALL"
AS he ceased speaking. he stepped back
and kneeling between Fathers DAILY and
Macpeak. Joined with them I'm silent prayer
for brief minute or two. Again standing
he shook the hand OF oil those about him.
and then signified his readiness for the end.
Herman w. Mudgett, better known II.
ii. Holmes. was one of the most conspicu-
Gus criminals of modern times. and II the
''nurderer's confessions which he has
written can only partially be believed. he
was without peer as a bloodthirsty de-
tnouL Ills TtCcHt iftStnlOuS COHtSSSiOi.
wherein he claimed to have killed q
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 a sum said to be $500. and
which amount Is said to have been settled
upon the criminals 1S-year-old son. While
the Confessions have served to increase
the sensatfonelism of the case, the only
capital crime for which Holmes had to an
tr. oftx
Der 2. 1894. of Benjamin Pitzel his fellow
conspirator. The murder was committed
I'm the dwelling, 20. 1916 Callowhill street.
Holmes was captured I'm Boston. Mass
In the latter part of 1884, by owen Hanscom.
the deruty superintendent of police. upon
the strength of a telegram from Fort
Worth. Tex. where he was wanted for
horse-stealing and for other charges of
larceny. At that time officials of the FIJI
deity Mutual Life association. of Phila-
delphia. were hot on Holmes trail for de-
fraudng the concern out of $4,000 in con-
nection with Pitzel's death the latter be-
ing Insured for this amount, and a the
accused believed demonstrating to be q
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.
He expressed a willingness to be tried here
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 so. Nobody believed what
Holmes said about Pitzel. and he would
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 adver-
tisement I'm the shape of a cipher puzzle
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 I'm what
Holmes told him, but the ''ad'' was pub
lished as a sort of last and hopeless eff
fort. When the bodies of Nellie and Alice
Pitzel were unearthed In Toronto. Holmes
denied having killed them. When How
ards charred bones were located In
superannuated stove In Irvington, Ind.
Holmes calmly denied any knowledge of
the lads death. When the murders OF
Minnie Williams and her sister were dis
covered. Holmes said that Minnie killed
Mamie In jealous frenzy, and he buried
the body in Lake Michigan. He vigorously
denied having put Minnie to death so as
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 I'm the Chicago Gas
tie" are known to be 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 a repe-
tition of his picturesque falsehoods. lie
actually gave the district attorney a ver,-
table Jolly" about the Pitzel family and
Minnie Williams being still alive. The
scene thai ensued was extremely dramatic