The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-04-11
HOLMES, The HORRIBLE.
Confession Of the Destroyer o.
Twenty.Seven Lives.
Il WAS BORN WITH THE DEVIL IN ME-
To Tells OF his Atroc,ous Crimes With
an Abandon That IL RevoltinG--Muu.
lation Of HE Own Son.

Philadelphia, Pa, April l0-The North
American of this city will tomorrow print
what nurports to be sentences from the
confession alleged to have been made by
murderer II. II. Holmes. Among other
things the story saws:
In prefacing the confession which COW
ers nearly three newspaper pages. written
in Holmes own handwriting and detail
ing with n minutcncss that Is at times
simply revolving, the arch mutiiator ana
author OF twentv-seven murders. MS he
admits himself to be- states with some
thing like pathos that he does so simply
that he NAV obtain money enough to ed
ucate his bow. Holmes writes of his
blood curdling atrocities with an abandon
that simply appals one. Not one grain of
remorse seems to enter into the construc-
ton of that document. and never for a
moment. exccpt In two isolated cases
one where lie refers touchingly TO the
memory Of Minnie Williams and another
time when he pathctically speaks of an
outrage perpetrated on his boy--docs the
redeenng element pity figure in the
case. Regret is never for n moment ex-
pressed. and he comes out boldly ana
without conjunction on his very opening
with the statement: II was born with the
very devil in me-" Even now he believes
that the evil spirit is the guiding genius
of his DESTINY.
II was born with the devil In me- says
he in one part of his confession. II could
not help the fact tina, | was a murderer
no more than the poet help the inspra-
tion to sing, nor the ambitious intellectual
were touched with pity. mine filled with
cruelty. and where IN the Others the feel
| ing was to save life. / reveled IN the
| thought of destroying the same. Not only
was / not satisfied in taking 1t. but
| sought devices strange. fantastical and
even grotcsaue. This inclination." he
says came TO ME early in life. I re-
member when a mere lad my ambition
was to study medicine that ] might know
| the. effect of gases. that l might become
fully acquainted with their Use and learn
| to be an export In handling them. From
| what / can see believe fully that am
growing TO resemble the devil, that the
osseous parts OF my head and face are
| gradually assuming that elongated shape
80 prominent in what * called the da-en-
crate head. and that the simli,ude is al
most completed; In fact. 80 impressed am
| | with this belief that l am convinced,
that have no longer anything human in
! me"
| Holmes confession from this on speaks
or early experiences OF his boyhood days
| on the farm UP in Vermont and the life
| he led until he entered the college 10 study
medicine in Michigan. /, was no, anti
| hiA'i ~ SilbuaA'h. iNiiy tINlpD-u WIN
| the knowledge of poisons and the easiest
| way TO sever. the simple thread OF life.
that Holmes began his career as muir
| derer and mutilator When he began. lie
| admits himself, he was ruthless and never
| halted until he took twenty seven lives.
| And would have committed six other
murders he auded. had not certain oc-
currences interfered."
| Possibly one of the worst. most brutal.
| revolving and disgusting crimes this arch
| mutiiator ever committed was one he
| speaks of in a chapter devoted TO his boy,
/ the son of his first wife. The only eN-
| PLANTATION he offers Is that he simply did
| 1t to crafty his love for mutila.ion.
| 1T was shortly after was married, >"
| he declares. land our boy was hut a
youngster. called him in from the yard.
| where he was playing and took him out
| 10 rear barn. took a surgical knife
| along with me. 1t was simply craving
| boy
With abandon and with here and there
| n sifh of regret. Holmes then tells how
! he went through the operation OF mutt
! latint his own son. Finishing with that.
| liolmhs felt satisfied and did not murder
| his by outright.