Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 13.pdf/560

 A Study in the Fine Art of Murder. son of decomposition and what seemed to have been an explosion, Smith recognized it as that of the supposed Perry, and sum moned two police officers and a physician. The corpse was immediately removed to the City Morgue, which, by a coincidence too peculiar not to have been arranged for, was in the immediate rear of the premises. Now a word as to the position of the body and its surroundings. It lay flat upon its back, feet toward the window, head toward the door, in an attitude strongly indicative of the most peaceful repose. The heels were together, left arm close to the side, right rest ing across the breast. Right side of face and trunk was burnt and charred. At the side lay a filled but unsmoked pipe, to which a match had been applied, and several of the latter, burnt, were scattered over the floor. A broken bottle with the pieces inside, lying near at hand, and a few bottles, filled and unfilled, occupying the mantel, completed the furnishing (if such it may be termed) of the room. In the July preceding, Holmes had been arrested in St. Louis at the instance of the Merrill Drug Company on a charge of fraud. While incarcerated in the City Jail, he met one Marion L. Hedgepeth, who was awaiting sentence for train robbery. Holmes made a confidant of him and to a certain extent revealed his plans relative to the per petration of the insurance swindle. Hedge peth recommended to him one Jeptha D. Howe, a member of the St. Louis bar, as a shrewd lawyer, likely to prove of consid erable assistance in the scheme. For this service Holmes promised to pay Hedgepeth five hundred dollars. After remaining in jail for over a month, the former was released on bail furnished by a Miss Georgiana Yoke, a most estimable woman, who he had married under the name of Henry Mansfield Howard, although hav ing two wives already. He then left for Philadelphia, and had several interviews with Pitezel, or Perry, at one of which, as has

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been seen, he was observed by Smith. On Sunday, September 2, the crime was perpe trated. In all probability Holmes either found Pitezel under the influence of liquor or else made him intoxicated, and then caused his death by administering the fumes of chloroform. Afterwards he poured some of the drug into the mouth of the deceased and caused it to pass into the stomach by working the arms up and down, broke the bottle and arranged the pipe so as to present evidence of an explosion, poured some in flammable mixture upon the right side of the corpse, ignited it so that an appearance of burning might be presented, and that evening left Philadelphia for Indianapolis with his supposed wife, Miss Yoke. It was then time for Jeptha D. Howe to enter on the scene of action. Before the burial of the body, an event which took place eleven days after its discovery, he sent a letter to the insurance company stating that he was the attorney for Mrs. Carrie A. Pite zel, wife of the deceased and beneficiary named in the policy, and requested payment of the ten thousand dollars. The officers of the company considering that the case presented grounds for sus picion, immediately communicated with the manager of their Chicago branch (the con tract of insurance having been entered into in that city) and instructed him to make as thorough an investigation as was possible under the circumstances. Mr. Cass, the cashier, after some inquiry, discovered the fact that one H. H. Holmes, of Wilmette, Illinois, had been well acquainted with the deceased. He was unable, however, to see Holmes, for his wife in that city (No. 2) said that he was traveling, but promised to com municate with him. In the early part of September. Holmes wrote Cass stating that he was well acquainted with Pitezel, and that he believed from the description fur nished him that the body found and iden tified as that of one Perry was of his former friend and employé. Holmes said that he