People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 July 1895 — FIND HUMAN BONES. [ARTICLE]

FIND HUMAN BONES.

PARTS OF A SKELETON FOUND AT CHICAGO. Cellar In the Hoom Formerly Occupied by H. H. Holme* Give* Up It* Secret— Holme* Admit* Hl* Intention to Defraud. but Denies Harder. Chicago, July 25.—Almost an entire skeleton was found yesterday by the crew of men working in the cellar of the Holmes building. Sixty-third and Wallace streets. Shovels and picks were dropped when suddenly Detectives Fitzpatrick and Norton ordered every man to stand back while bones which had been unearthed from the wet slime and quicklime in one corner of the wall were taken out. Several ribs protruded from the earth after about two feet of dirt had been dug away at the corner of the east and south walls. Upon digging carefully around with their hands the detectives took out seven ribs, and several sections of the vertebrae were found and a piece of bone which appeared to be a fractured upper jaw, to which two teeth were still attached. Upon digging further several more ribs were found and a portion of a woman’s Jacket, with a large sleeve, upon which was a bunch of hair, too much discolored to ascertain its original hue. At the bottom of all a board twenty inches wide and about three feet long below which there was what'appeared to be a hard floor, probably the original floor of the cellar, indicating that the dirt had been filled in above the body. On examination of the contents of the box there was found no chance for error . in judging the character of the bones. They were those of a human body, pronounced by Dr. Robinson and others parts of the anatomy of a child between the years of 8 and 13. w They consisted of seventeen ribs, three sections of vertebrae of the spinal column, a portion of the clavicle, or collar-bone, and two parts of the ossa inominata or’hip bone. Close by the bones were fragmentg_of wearing apparel. At first glance one of these was thought to be a woman's garment trimmed with heavy fringe, giving rise to the rumor that traces of a woman’s body had been found, but closer examination showed it was part of a child’s cape-Coat, the fringed portion being a part of the rotted cloth. The other portions of the clothing were evidently a part of the coat, and were eaten away by decay and the destructive elements of the lime.

The first report that the remains of both a woman and girl were found was sent to Philadelphia- Holmes was taxed with the discovery and made this ingenious, and. in the light of results, convicting explanation: “ I was in a game to insure a man, his wife, and a child —their daughter. The whole family was to have been murdered, so to speak, and then we were to have collected the money. The scheme was this: Instead of the people being murdered they were to go away and hide. We were to get subjects from a medical college and chop them up so they could not be indentifled. Well, I got two bodies, a woman and a girl, from a college, and we kept them In a cold storage warehouse in Chicago for a time. Then we moved the bodie's <sver to the Castle. The scheme fell through and we were obliged to bury the remains in the cellar. What the Chicago police are finding now are the bones of these two bodies. We didn’t get all the bodies needed because of the row and the failure of the plan.” Chief Badenoch last night decided to hold Joseph C. Owens and Patrick Quinlan, the two janitors'of the building, for further investigation. Search for Howard Pitzel’s Body. Indianapolis, Ind., July 25.—Detective Oeyer of Philadelphia arrived yesterday from Detroit and began his hunt for the body of Howard Pitzel. Geyer says he thinks Holmes murdered Howard in this city. “I feel sure.” said Geyer, “that we will find the body of Howard Pitzel in Indianapolis, if I can locate a certain house here which I believe Holmes rented in October, 1893. We will search a thousand houses in this city if necessary.”

Holmes Guilty of Murder. Toronto, Ont., July 25.—The coroner's jury last night returned a verdict finding H. H. Holmes guilty of having murdered Alice Pitzel. The coroner at once Issued his warrant against Holmes, and County Crown Attorney Dewart said he would lay the case before the attorney general’s department, with the view to having Holmes tried here. No expense would be spared in the case.