The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-06
TURNED Gas ON.
Chicago Man Killed Vile, Four Chill
dren and Himself.
CRIME WAS CAREFULLY PLANNED.
perpetrator May Have Been
Mentally Deranged.

y CHICAGO. July 6-Frederick Holman
, wcll-to-do mason and contractor, muir
dered his wife and four children Thursday
night and then killed himself 1t was al
first supposed that Hellman and his wife
and children mot death by accident, but
IL developed at the coroner's inquest yes
tcrday afternoon that the Wholesale mur
der was calmly planned, and that the man
intended TO kill himself and end tho ex.
istenco Of the members Of his family.
The dead man and his victims are:
Frederick Hellman, aged 81; Mrs. Ida
Hellman, aged 80; Frederick Holman,
Jr, aged ~; Ida Holman, aged 10; Will
lam Hellman, aged q; Hedwig Hellman,
. 3-year-old daughter.
The tragedy took place in little brick
Cottage at the corner of Cornolia and
Wood streets. The motive for the crime
may never be known, but it Is supposed
the act was that OF madman. Hellman,
10 years ago. had sunstroke, from which
he never recovered completely.
Suspicion was first aroused yesterday
morning by the fact that the house In which
the Hellmans lived was closed long after
che usual hour for the family to be astir.
The mother and married sister of He'll
man, who lived next door, attempted TO
break into the house, but were unable to
do 80. They finally managed to force an
entrance through a window that had been
left unfastened and made their way TO one
OF the bedrooms, where the dead bodies OF
all the family Were found.
The house was so full of gas that the
women wero nearly overcome, and IL was
only after IL had been opened VI that il
A. A.
gas, which was streaming from an open
Jet. The relatives and all the neighbors
at once concluded that the deaths had been
tho result of an accident, and tho police,
wien they came, adhered to the same
opinion.
Awfni Deed Deliberately Planned.
At the inquest, however, an entirely
different complexion was given to tho
affair by brother of Hellman, who pro-
duced letter written by tho murderer
and suicide late on the previous evening,
In which he clearly stated his purpose OF
killing himself, although he gave no In.
timation of the fact that he was medita-
ting tho deaths of the members of his
family. He spoke OF the window, through
which the women had crawled, as the only
way In which his brother could gain ad-
mission to the house, and said he had left
1t open Tor that purpose The brother did
not receive the letter until the afternoon,
and came direct to the inquest.
Other circumstances also went to show
the deliberate Intentions Of the man. Tho
gas pipes were only plaoed in the house
two weeks ago. It is now the belief that
they were put there for the purpose of
carrying out the deed, so successfully &C
oomplished.
The position of tho bodies at tho time
they were found indicated that tho two
boys and older girl fought desperately to
leave the room after the father had
turned on the gas. The mother and baby
were lying on tho inside Of the bed as II In |
peaceful slumber, but the two boys and |
older girl We're in different attitudes, and |
che expressions on their faces were those OF |
persons who had struggled hard. The |
fathers hand was firmly placed across the |
mouth of the older boy, and there is an
abrasion on the throat of the other lad, as |
though he had been strangled
Charles Holman said that he could SEQ
no reason for his brothers action save In.
sanity. He was devoted to his family, and
his business was In n flourishing condi-
ton, he not owing dollar.
A verdict Of murder and suicide was
rendered by the Jury.