The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-05-07
HOLINESS D0OMSDAy
The ArChrMurderer Dies on
the Scaffold in Phil
adelphia.
WITH A FALsEHoOD ON HIS LIPS
Denial Of All Responsibility for
the Death Of the
Pitezel.
C0OL AND BRAVE TO THE LAST
No Sensational Episodes in the
Execution-Post- -Mortem
Mysteries.
OOL AND BRAVE TO THE LAST

| PHILADELPHIA, May 7, 1S96-Holmes
was hanged at 1912 o'clock this forenoon.
There were but comparatively few per-
sons gathered on the outside of the County
| Prison during the early part of the morn-
| ing, and the morbid throng which the
| prison officials expected would be drawn
| there because of the execution of Holmes
was lacking. The fact that Holmes would
| be hanged within the prison walls made
! the sightseers mission fruitless but the
| celebrity of the case, it was believed,
would attract large crowd. Access to
| the prison, prior to the entrance of those
permitted to witness the execution, was
not allowed and nothing could be learned
| about Holmes condition or how he passed
| the night.
The persons holding tickets of admission
| to the Jail began to assemble as early as
$50 o'clock, and at o'clock they passed
within the iron gates.
| Lawyer Samuel p. Rotan, who defended
Holmes, was asked late last night if there
was a possibility of Holmes committing
suicide. Mr.. Rotan said decidedly:-"No
a bit. am positive he would not kill him
| self if he had the means to do it. He has
| declared so to me at least dozen times,
| and 1 believe he means what he says
One of the reasons given Mr.. Rotan by
| Holmes for not wanting to die by his own
hand is the position in which such an act
would necessarily place the prison au-
! thorities.
''It would get them into trouble" Mr..
Rotan says Holmes declared, "and prob
ably cause them to be charged with a
neglect which might result in the loss eff
| their positions"
| Mr.. Rotan declined to say whether or
| not Holmes intended to make any restitu-
ton to Mrs. Pitezel or provision for any
| of the three women to whom he was mar
| ried. Pressed upon this point, the lawyer
| evaded any reply for time ana finally
| said that he was not in position to make
public what the condemned man had di-
rected him to do in this connection.
If anyone gets anything from Holmes
estate it will probably be Miss Ida J.
| Belknap, who was the second woman the
meta, ILL.,, suburb of Chicago, and has
with her the six-year-old daughter, of
whom Holmes is the father. This little
girl last week wrote the condemned man
brief letter couched in such childishly
pathetic terms that the man who is ac-
cused of having killed a dozen people or
more burst into tears when he read it,
Although in erecting the gallows only
bolts and screws are used and little or no
noise is made, Holmes acute ears made
him aware Of what was being done soon
after the work started yesterday and the
knowledge9 made him nervous and uneasy,
although he tried to conceal it, Only to
the Rev. Father Daley, his spiritual ad-
wiser, and Mr.. Rotan did he speak of the
| scaffold, and to them he said but word
All the arrangements for the burial of
Holmes have been intrusted by the mur-
derer to Mr.. Rotan. The place of inter-
ment has, it is understood, already been
selected, but those who are most likely to
know where the grave is to be will not
dlyulge the location. Up to a late hour
been decided upon.
Whoever may finally have charge of the
burial, II it should take place at once,
will have to file some time today after
the execution a return of death, with
the Board of Health. This must give the
name Of the deceased, his color, sex, age,
OF death, occupation, place of birth and
date of burial
Mrs. Pitezel has decided to remain in
Philadelphia until she is certain either
that she can secure some of the money
OF which Holmes defrauded her or that
al al hope OF obtaining restitution is lost
derer may have made a will and the
Wronged woman hopes in that event to
obtain Q, at least @ part Of that to which she
lawyer, has little hope that Holmes will
make voluntary restitution to his client
He says that in his opinion it will be nee
essary Tor him to attach the murderer's
money if he wants any of it.
Arthur Mcdonald, the United States
government criminologist, arrived here
last night from Washington to attend the
execution.
Mr.. Mcdonald has paid several visits
TO the condemned man since his incarce-
ration, and has made a careful study of
the criminal. The criminolegist believes
that crime is due more to conditions than
heredity. He is Of the opinion that Holmes
was, In many OF his crimes, victim of
circumstances.
While the exact time of the execution
WSs, as usual unannounced, it was gem
orally supposed that the hour would be
ABOUT ten O'Clock. Two hours before
that time, however those who were To
attend began arriving, but admission to
the prison was denied every one excepf
to those officials in direct touch with
the institution until nine o'clock. The
gates Were then opened and the four
the inner court. Sheriff Clements had
preceded the crowd and was awaiting fhe
arrival of those comprising his jury that
they might be sworn. The Jury com
pr sed six physicians and a like nl1Ynlaer
from. other walks in life, all prominent
IN their a,!,ef respective ~ stations They were
Pennebacker, John j. Ridgway CnIinc;i-
man r. B. Bringhurst Samuel Is. Wool
pr w; Joseph Hearn. DR.. w J. Roe
4. B. Detwiller, DR. M. b Dwight, Dr..
J. G. Guernsey, James Hand and Dr.
John L. Phillips. In response to the
calling of their names they arranged
about the desk behind which stood Sherifs
Clements and then solemnly swore afo
witness the execution of Herman W
Mudgett, alias H. H. Holiness and certifv
the time and manner of such execution
according to law 7.
Mr.. Wood, one of the Sheriff,s inrv
was also member of the jury that CON. \.
victed Holmes.
Many prominent men were in attend-
ance, several from other cities Notal,l,
among them We're DR. Mcdonald OF of
Washington, the famous crininologisf.
Sheriff >: r. Mason of Baltimore. Pro. Srss.
fessors w. Easterly Ashton and Earnest
Laplace Of the Medico-C Chirurgical Col
lege; Or. John $. Miller of ST. Joeeng's
Hospital Detective Frank Geyer, wi who
conducted the case; President Fous and
Solicitor CaTpbeIl& of the Fidelity Nil
tual Life Insurance Qosnpany; Dr.. J.
Howard Taylor, fepresentipg the medical
stan Captain ct petectiVes Miller and
Lawyer Rotan who conducted the de-
fence Of Holmes during the trial
tMr. Rotan was early at the prison. but
LODI