Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-09-18
AWFULSLAUGHTER
A Troubled Cooper's Bloody
and Deadly Work.
FIVE VICTIMS OF HIS fERooITY.

He Begins by Seriously Shooting a Mer-
chant and Closes tho Tragedy with
the Murder of Two of His Own Daugh-
tiers, the Critical wounding Of n Third
and Blowing His Own Brains Out
Feminine Waywardness the Alleged
Cause of the Massacre.
PORTSMOUTH, N. H., Sept. 1s.-A terri
BILE tragedy occurred here last night, and
there was great excitement. A mob of
several hundred people surrounded the
house where the bodies of three dead per-
sons partially attested the extent of the
crime. Fred II j. Helm, aged 4S years, a
cooper in the employ of the Eldredge
Brewing company, had family of three
daughters, the eldest Carrie, aged Is
years, keeping house for him, his wife,
who it is said was unfaithful, having left
him several months ago. Since she left 1t
Is reported that the girl Carrie hes become
maynard. Helms troubles preye5 upon
his mind until he resolved to end them
and remove from temptation the three fe-
male members of his household
His Purpose Well Carried Out.
Two of them and the murderer himself
lie dead in his home while at the hospital
the third daughter lies dying with bull
let In her neck, and at his home Charles
w. Taylor, a well-known hardware mer-
chant, lies with two bullet holes in his
back. Before the discovery of Helms dead
body. officers and citizens were securing
the city In search of him. and had he
fallen into the hands of the mob he would
have been lynched.
The Murderer's First Victim.
The story of the murders is as follows:
Charles w. Taylor. while entering his
| residence about 7:30 last night was
rushed upon by the murderer, who fired
two shots, both of which took effect in
the small of his back. A large crowd
gathered around the house. Taylor is
still alive, but very low. He says that he
does not know what prompted Helm to
shoot him. At ,2 o'clock last night the
doctors were still doubtful about saving
him.
Finishing His Frightful Work.
Shortly before o'clock people in the
vicinity of Helms house heard five pistol
| shots fired in rapid succession, and Maud
the 18-year old daughter of Helm, ran out
of the house and down the street. She
proceeded but a short distance when she
| fell on the pavement, saying: Father has
shot me-" The girl WAS taken to the hos
| pital where she now lies in q critical con-
dition. Three shots were fired at her all
| taking effect. The lower part OF Helms
house was the scene of the murderer's
most horrible work, and it showed evidence
of a desperate struggle. The kitchen was
| covered with blood, and everything was
in great disorder
Dreadful Scene at the House.
just outside the back door of the house
lay two bodies Carrie, the eldest girl,
| lay with her face covered with blood, the
| bullet ente ring the left side of the face,
passing upward toward the brain, death
having resulted instantly. Across her
PROSTATE form lay Bertha, the youngest
daughter. When found she was uncon.
scious and she expired In fifteen minutes,
| the bullet that caused her death having
entered her head just behind the left ear
Sheriff Coffin arrived at Helms house at
Sis and detailed men to search for the
murderer
| Discovery of Helms Body.
Mean while Marshal Joy and Il force of
officers arrived, and it WAS decided TO
closely examine the chambers As they
entered the front chamber they found
the dead body of Helm stretched on the
floor. A bullet had passed through his
head from the revolver which lay by his
| side. The crowd which had gathered
about the house was highly excited, and
had the murderer been taken alive he GER
| tainly would have been killed by them.