Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-18
~u LII l. 1O1Ns
MURDERERS lYNCHED
Heain and Dye Hanged by the Road
side Near Gainesville.
POLITICAL GOSSIP OF THE COUNTRY.
Resignation Of Chancellor Won
Caprivi.
MORE RIOTING IN BERLIN
POLITICAL GOSSIP OF THE COUNTRY.
MORE RIOTING IN Der LIN
LYNCHED HEFLIN AND DYE.

Tree and shot.
\ Special Dspstch to The Evening Star.
/ wARKsS. Va, March 15.-Lee Helm and
4 Joseph Dye, who were confined in jail at this
place under sentence of death for the murder
Of Mrs. Hines and her children. we're taken
from jail last night by the authorities and sent
under guard toward Alexandria. Va This ac-
ton was taken under fear that they would be
!, forcibly taken and hung by mob.
| About IL O'Clock at night n mob appeared
| and finding that the prisoners were gone fol-
| lowed them. and when within one mile OF
Gainesville. in the county Of Prince William,
| the prisoners were overtaken and hung to
separate trees b. the road side.
| Before he was hung Dye confessed the
| murder.
| Helm had already confessed. There was =
| snow storm all the while and the roads were
heavy with snow, which made the movements
of the hack with guard and prisoners slow
! while the mob travelled quickly on horseback
and we're thus enabled to overtake them.
| ALEXANDRIA. Va, March ia special
| from Wsrrsnton to the Gazette says: Lee
HeHin and Joseph Dye, who last fall murdered
the kiues family, were this morning at
o'clock lynehed near Gainesville, Prince Will
lam county. The men were to have been
| hanged today but q stay OF pro-
\ ceedines had been secured. The Warrenton
| authorities fearing violence last night took the
meE from Jail, placed them in = vehicle and
started them for this city. party Of sixty
| men was hastily formed. who overlook the We
hicle near Gainesville. overpowered the guard.
hanged the murderers to a tree and riddisd
| their bodies with bullets.
THE STORY OF THE CRIME.
Lee Heiin and Joseph Dye were residents Of
Fauquier county Va, and they were lodged in
| the Alexandria Jail on the 9th day of Noyem-
III 20, H. l.,
of the Hines family. They were ar
rested By Detective J. p. Dustin of
this city. They we're landed in the Alexandria
Jail only after rough travel through the country
10 escape the members OF the vigilance COM
mittee which was formed in Fauquier county
for the purpose OF lynchng them
Detective Dustin, who spent some time in
Helms all for the purpose of obtaining a con-
fession from him. was q stranger in that part of
the country. and had the prisoners been taken
from Jail at that time he would no doubt have
met the same fate as the prisoners Hefin and
Dye
The crime was the most atrocious one ever
committed in the vicinity of Warrenton. if not
IN the entire state. and Lee Helm in his last
confession took the responsibility Of it upon
himself.
WIDOW AND THREE CHILDREN.
The victims we're Mrs Hines. a widow, and
her three children-s boy three years old and
known Of the crime was the morning after 1t
was committed. when the house was discovered
to be on fire and the citizens in the neighbor-
hood rushed to the dwelling to save the in
mates. Mrs Hines and two OF the children
we're burned 70 ashes. but the body of the re-
manning child was recovered before 1t had been
reached By the flames.
Lee Helm. who lived at the house OF Joseph
Dye, was the first one to spread the alarm, and
after doing it he failed to return to the house
to lend any assistance This was thoughtto be
queer conduct on his part but when questioned
about his actions he coolly answered: Il AM
afraid of fire."
The finding Of the one body before IL had
been charred and the discovery that blow on
the head or neck had caused death was sufi-
Gent evidence that crime had been committed
and the smell Of coal oil in the burning tim
bers strengthened the theory that the whole
family had been murdered and the house set on
fire.
After Helms arrest he implicated Joseph
Dye and his family and for that reason Dye
was also placed under arrest. Sunday Detec-
tive Dustin was placed in the cell with Helm
and the latter looked upon him as q prisoner
Helms vague story Of the crime implicated
Dye and afterward the move was made to
and fearing the jailer would be overpowered
and his prisoners taken they left the Jail
Thursday afternoon and drove fifty miles in a
wagon. spending the night in the woods. Early
yesterday they boarded train at Nokesvillc
and went to Alexandria
HEFLiN's LAST confession.
On the way to Alexandria Helm made full
confession Of the crime. generating Dye. The
confession was made in the presence Of a num-
Der of witnesses.
According to his confession Hefiin visited the
house about o'clock on the evening before the
burning of the house and inmates and knocked
on the door. Mrs. Hines answered the call and
he asked her for some money, but she told him
that she had none.
Hsfiin went in the house and on the hearth in
front Of the fireplace he noticed a stick Of
wood with q rough knot upon it. He picked
up the heavy instrument and with one blow on
the head he fened her to the floor. The
the three-year-old child in bed, and turning
over the innocent one, he dealt the bow a
blow on the back 81 the neck. killing him.
Then he took the other two children and killed
them. After killing the fourth one he secured
what money he could ind, between S25 and S75,
and buried il in the county near o fence
The next morning he returned to the house.
saturated the place with coal oil and set fire to
IL.
Helm told the detective that he wanted the
money because he was going - elope with the
| wife and daughter of 4 countryman who lives
] not far from the scene OF the terrible crime.
He does not seem at all alarmed about what he
has done and the consequences that are likely
W 1OAiO"- LIE IEouD1c Is tQas ne cannot
/ get enough to cat.
WHAT HELM SAID OF THE CRIME
| Soon after Helm was lodged in Jail at Alex
andria he was seen by correspondent of The
STAR He il young white man. twenty-eight
! years old and was born in the upper part Of
| Stafford county. near Providence Church rot
! more than thirty miles from the scene Of the
| murder. and bis parents still reside there.
| From his statements 1t appeared that he had
| been out Of place, and when he reached the
| neighborhood OF Calverton. Fauquier county.
be went to work a farm laborer for Mr. Dive.
| whose farm adjoined that OF Mrs Hines.
| who had q sou abroad at work and three
| small children at home. There WIS a report in
| the neighborhood that Mrs Hines had money
| in the house, and Hefin. after making himself
! acquainted with the surroundings Of her Sc
| Guided cottage and ascertaining that no one
l except the widow and her Young children was
hkely TO be in the house or its neighborhood.
/ he went to her house on the evening OF Soyem-
Der Is and told the widow that he wanted some
1 money.
1--WE got no money" shc said
"Iu zee what's In here" he responded, and.
suihas the action TO the word, he sought to
! open = trunk.
She leaped upon him and with all her
strength pulled him away FROM the trunk. and
hs rolled to the floor. while the children
began to scream. II was the work
/ of an instant to seize billet Of wood
aud break the skull OF Mrs Hines,