A MURDERER'S STRANGE FANCY.

Evening Star, Issue 9911, 24 January 1896, Page 4

A MURDERER'S STRANGE FANCY.

The Chicago murderer, Holmes, who has been found guilty of one murder and is practically proved to have killed people wholesale at a house specially fitted up to make murder easy, is now in prison awaiting sentence. He is the subject of much curiosity amongst the public. Mr M'Garge, one of Philadelphia's distinguished citizens, recently called to see him.

" This prison life is dull and wearing,'' he said with a sigh to the sympathetic Mr M'Garge. "If I only had company ;if I only had company." His eyes did not fill with tears, but his voice became very sad. "If I only had a bird," he said, "or a violin."

Perhaps he thought of Peace, the great London murderer and burglar, as he spoke of a fiddle. He told Mr M'Garge that he played the violin very well, and then he said he wished he had even a mouse or a spider to keep him company and be really fond of him. "I fooled you boys once," he said, turning to his guards ; " I fooled you once. I had a live chicken, and I had it to keep mo company for a wholo mouth. ! The warders looked incredulous, and Holmes went on: " Yes, I fooled you. You see/' turning towards Mr M'Garge, "I was allowed to have food brought into the prison if I could piy for it, aud I had some eggs that were not cooked. I saved one, and I hatched it wrapped up iu a coat beside the radiator, and it was born all right. You cannot imagine the joy aud the satisfaction of bringing a life safely into the world to keep me company in that cell. The little chicken loved me, and I took care of it. I hid it away when the guards were looking, and I had it a whole month. Thep"—his voice grew sad, and Mr M'Garge almost wept—" then it died, as all the things wc love die in this world."

Mr M'Garge went away. He felt so badly about the dead chicken that he had to comfort himself with something jocose, so he said that Holmes doubtless had the chicken's life insured.

It is really interesting, as a study in human nature, to see the man who butchered and boiled children and men hatching out a chicken and grieving about its death with undoubted sincerity.—Exchange.