The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1913-12-01
Daily Short Story
THE SECRET OF HOLMES CASTLE.
Rv Herman I ,nJon

There was BENJAMIN T. Pitezel upon
whom lie infiicted death 50 brutal that
aus or IL IN his confession. the fitezel
children. whom re imprisoned In "a trunk
snG later murdered 10y connecting gss
Win the trunk. Mrs. julia l.. Common
and her httle daughter Pearl whom he
slew Nautouly. Miss Emily e. ClErand.
WON ne starved TO death in vault In
1e poisoned. Miss Agnes Belts. also pois-
onf4s the inventor. Warner. who was
o o.. 20 death I'm burning gas and steam
nom he sunocated In one 81 his vaults.
and long list % others AL slain With
a wantonness and q cunning thar caused
men 10 wonder " neither DO was tive Nfr-
tim Of impulses stronger than himself
or deliherstcly fostered the abnormal
murder as nne art And az reviewed
this record - hloodlust I think the dec
tor read IN my face the answer 10 hts
40. ! don't think tho Holmes mystery
was solved with the hanging OF Holmes, .
no said Holmes castle you may no
solved. q escret that reaches deep into
the UNEMPLOYED strata - the human
mind. What IL was We an only coniure.
nut tho more I think - the case the
rriuer grows my suspicion that this lit
tie plate contains a clue 30 it, nature"
lie foudlcd the little plate mcditative-
u. II read story "a wear or two ago
] think q Was one of Jack London s-.rn
which an sNort was made TO aualNEe the
nature OF = man crushed nN ffrrufN-
stances. NoluntarN outcast Of society. "a
man whose body hhcr had been ground ~
TIE MIN and The mire fill we'll. tiu tie
fragile crust ~ civilization broke under
Tim and ne became an enemy 81 human
ity. a halter - providence. relet
against fate. lie had loved a girl once.
loved as a man loves about once tn two
centuries. with cye~y heart beat every
soul flight every drop - red. rebelliouS
blood. Tie bad poured his life. drop hv
drop. pulse beat hN pulse beat into that
love. And when tho girl proved false
they sometimes do. YOU knov.-he tun-
hled from the artificial pedestal where
ped OF the shallow veneer 81 love for
fellow man and uh dance ~ Law that
centuries have given 20 mankind. and
stood exposed as the uhvsmHl savage.
M.fn aIl Nls savage passion Tor ven
gstuCe. Aud t.' vengeance ne wresket
ou the innocent. as a result ~ the nat
red % mankind inspired On him hy ono
zii1~ pernuN was more savage than
Tire "'. .ln~uphie- ~ 20 thousand Nsros
There are mon like thst-men whom
little Urff Of the Va nds OF fate push
beyond tho rim OF human lore. II IS tho
conventional thing go dispose Of them ls
fanatics. maniacS OF fiends Perhaps
th,nl. they come and go with cumctlilc
caprice and leave derf-uCtion Iu their
wike. And then grammar school philo-
soghcrs shed righteous tears and deplor"
o." ever increasing NiciousncsS % fhu-
man nature
90 think almost know that Holmes
was e man of that kind. ] don't know
anything about the romance that uuveil-
cot tn" ~agaNc go him. don't know much
about the girl 500 his case though have
reason TO believe her name was Margaret
Ir'Wlev. And know that Holmes was
q man car abb" ~ such "a passion. Tor
every one who was close Go him observed
Tie Intensity OF his nature and the re-
leutles~u'-- of his viii power
Even the oocSsure detectives who
worked ou his case admitted. though
they claimed Co know everything oleo
mat th.r. was -owcthiur about Holmes
That hafflsl them Matthew Worth PIN
kertou. with 'hc typical detectives i'm
cNnttou to attribute even the hasest
crime 90 deliberate and prcmsditated de
sign. said Of him
Measured hy standard rules or elm.
ln"l"eF. his case i- difficult fD aualy-e
His parents were perfectly normal and
nlEhly respected people. and the same is
diatc family. lu youth ne aupsars O,
have been 81 "a most aUIaIIc DISPOSITION
His face was good. his eyes frank ami
honest and possessed OF % habit 81 Loot
inr frankly into those OF others ffi~
manner was most sugaEiug. and his
character inspired confidence. SO on.
seemed 90 imagine that he was anytime
worse than tricky and dishonest until
the swfuls disclosures that followed tl4
arrest TITS case cannot 10 ASSIGNED 90
~" category Of dereuerstos Tho ir.
allN strong boo him. and this thanks 90
MS almost total iaUk ~ Coincidence sor-
rlod wish his oIpi'itv md lust. r1aitiv
grew uror him until 10 became Oh. GONE
trolling impulse Of hIs ne. ard dru,.
voting crimes
Ter. Sou have 90" typical. faIterInr
police theory ~ criminal such a.
H"If'o- \a'ursil, F'ukertor FOUND f,
explanation for HulJves criminal co.
ce"fli'l'.ae. because 'r. great detect
'Hf Dr'ieriH nf hIa H-o-ess.or Tfrfar-
'.' r i.r''' "f ."ne' .'rcnIe-S rurIIffr