10. It took an informant to track down Holmes
When Holmes was arrested in St. Louis for selling mortgaged property he spent his time in a cell with a career criminal named Marion Hedgepeth. Holmes introduced himself as H. M. Howard, and in the course of conversation revealed his scheme to fake his own death, if he could find a legal representative willing to help him pull off such a fraud. Whether Hedgepeth suggested it or Holmes made the offer on his own initiative, Hedgepeth was promised a $500 commission for referring an attorney who would be willing to advance the scheme. Hedgepeth was at the time serving a twenty-five year term for train robbery, and it was he, who had long experience with the Missouri criminal system, who recommended Jeptha Howe.
Later Hedgepeth informed prison authorities of the scheme which had been proposed by “Howard” and when word was passed along to authorities in search of Holmes, who was well known as a con artist and swindler, the investigation into the death of Pitezel became one of murder rather than simply insurance fraud. Hedgepeth was eventually pardoned for informing on Holmes, and met his death when he was shot during a robbery of a Chicago bar on New Year’s Eve, 1909. He took with him his motive for informing on Holmes, he had not been promised anything when he approached the authorities with the story. Likely it was because he had been promised something from Holmes and never received it, the $500 which Holmes, if he remained true to character, simply decided not to pay as promised.