New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-12-07

learned however that Holmes wanted in
Texas on a charge OF horse stealing. the com
pany arranged by telegraph to have him arrested
and held in Boston on that charge. pending
further investigation, that they could get evil
dence together the conspiracy charge.
This DONE but Holmes became aware i'm
snediatey upon his arrest what the real charge
against him was. and. thinking to cover up the
murder he consented TO return TO Philadelphia
and to plead guilty to the conspiracy charge
hoping that the matter would there rest without
further investigation. and so the greater crime
would not be discovered. He said that the real
PietzeI was still alive and was with his wife and
children. and that the Identification of the body
In Philadelphia as that of Pietzel had been
fraud.
The agent, upon finding Mrs. Pietzel. discov-
cred that she had never seen her husband since ne
left her shortly prior to his death. telling her
that he would be away some time and that she
should not worry about his absence 1t was also
discovered. after long and searching inquiry
that the three Pietzel children. two girls and
boy had not been with their mother since the
Identification in Philadelphia. The girl helped To
identify the body of her father. and subsequently
had been with her brother and sister so the three
children knew of the death OF their 1athei'
but Mrs Pietzel did not know of the death OF
her husband. Holmes succeeded In keeping the
children apart from their mother uRtil he muir
dered them and left their bodies Durled
in the cellars of houses which he had occupied and
it was long after the last three tragedies that
he was arrested. The attorney also who had
been in the fraud was Indicted for conspiracy, as
it was shown that he had business transactions
with Holmes prior to the time he was intro
duced to him as a stranger in Philadelphia.
The man who first gave the representative of the
company a clew of the crime had been originally
interested in the conspiracy. and the reason ne
gave for informing his co-consprators was that
they had promised him $500 for his part in the
crime which promise they had failed to keep.
The Supreme Court of the United States has re-
Gently decided a mysterious disappearance case.
which came from Texas. against the company,
unfolding the verdict of jury which decided that
the insured person had been actually killed. al
though there was no positive evidence of the fact
The man on whose life the policy was issued was
shown to be financially embarrassed and the COM
panies contended that he was in no position TO
pay premiums such large policies as he mad
secured The circumstances surrounding his
death were peculiar. He departed from his nome
to drive distance to inspect some iana'
claims to which he had previously entered He
was to be gone several days but. not returning a
week or ten days later his wife instituted search
The searchers traced him to a camp on river
bank where they found everything he had taken
with him and evidence of his having camped out
over night having made all arrangements 10
do So His horses had been tied near by one
of them had broken loose and was discovered
grazing not far away. The other had apparently
been unable to escape and had starved TO death.
There were tracks in the mud leading TO the river
bank where they terminated These tracks were
identified as made by boots worn by the insured
man. There the evidence terminated Search
was made for the body. but this was unsuccessful
The company tried to show that the man had been
seen later In Mexico but the evidence of this was
not satisfactory, and the case was finally decided
against 1t.
There was a sensational trial of Harry T. Hay
ward. in Minneapolis. in 1896, for the murder Of