The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-12
Butte Department.
CRAZY OR NOT CRAZY
Some Say Helms Was ALI Right,
Others Say BE Was "Nutty."
MANY PECULIARITIES
The Now Famous Will Case Is TAX
ing Up a Good Deal of Time
His Wife and Sister
Have Testified.

Rave IeStiftoo.
The trial OF the Helms win case was
continued in Judge McHatton's court
yesterday and the contestants intro
duced enough testimony to prove the
unsoundness Of Herman Helms mind
to send him to the asylum IL he were
alive but the other side then introduc-
ed as much evidence to prove that he
was perfectly sane and one OF the most
rational and level-headed men on earth.
The contestants, however, contended
only that he was "off" during the last
year and a half of his life and that the
particular thing that he was crazy
about was his wife's chastity. On this
subject he talked constantly, and ac-
cording to the testimony he would stop
every person he met on the street and
tell him about IT and talk for hours at
a time about his suspicious. AS one of
the witnesses said: mo sane man
would talk that way about his wife
even IL there was something to his
suspicious.
Richard Fisher was the first witness
yesterday morning when the trial was
resumed. He said he had known
Helms for several years and had lived
in one of his houses When the wit
ness first moved into the house Helms
came to him and said he wished he
had a wife like the witness had. He
then told Fisher that he could not
trust his wife and that they occupied
separate rooms. and mad done 20 for
a long time. He then. asked me to
come over to his house when 1 paid
my next rent and get acquainted with
his wife. He asked me to watch her
for him and I did so but could never
see anything wrong. He said he heard
men go whistling through the vacant
lots near the house, and then he'd say
there are the s-b's now Sometimes
he would come to my house at IL
o'clock at night and wake me up and
ask me to watch his wife. At one
time he employed City Detective Muir
ply to watch her. Some times while
we walked along the street we might
meet man and Helms would say,
there goes one Of them s. of s. and
then he would follow the man until he
saw where he went and then he would
come back and say he Is all right; II
is so-and-so. In all the time
watched Mrs. Helms I never saw any
thing wrong in her moral conduct and
never saw any man visit the house."
From your associations with Mr..
Helms and your knowledge of him.
what Is your opinion of his sanity?"
asked Mr.. Harvey.
AT certain times he seemed to be
all right. but often he was rather
'nutty.' He was especially off on the
subject of his wife, and he thought
the doctors. the servant girls and
everybody else was in league with
her"
In answer to questions on cross-ex-
animation by Mr.. Forbis the witness
said that Helms once paid him SO to
stand behind a telegraph pole and
watch Mrs. Helms.
He told me TO watch his wife and
he would take II out on the rent. He
said she delivered milk to some neigh
bors and on the way met some lum-
Der men and foundry men but 1 never
saw any man talk to her or approach
her. and she never spoke to any man.
/ have been out with Helms 10 or IL
times to watch Mrs. Helms but we
could never find any thing wrong"
John Woolbeater, one of the wit
nesses to the will. who on Tuesday tes-
titled for the proponents, was called to
the stand and questioned as to Helms
insanity. but the court ruled against
II on the ground that already five witt
nesses had testified on that point.
which was the limit number under the
rules OF the court. Woolbeater was
then asked about the visits OF Mrs.
Meta Richter. who is charged with
having influenced Helms in making
his will. and said she was there near
" all the time and carried his meals
TO him from her house several blocks
away. against which Mrs. Helms pro-
tested.
Mrs. Helms was next called to the
witness stand and the court modified
its previous ruling and permitted her
TO testify as to the sanity OF her hus-
band and the charges made against
her by him. She said they had been
married for nearly 16 years and had
lived in Butte for II years. For the
last two or three years he manifested
a jealous disposition. The first time
he had exhibited his suspicious was
about a year and a half ago. He be-
gan making remarks about Mr. Hus-
ton passing the house and said he did
not know why the old wanted
to walk past the house for. Next he
picked on a Mr.. Albeize and he kept
on growing worse until ne suspected
every man he met on the street and
finally he told her she would have to
leave the house and earn her own
living as he was tired OF keeping her.
Then he smashed the furniture and
threw his bed out OF the house. Mrs
Helms was being treated by DR.
Holmes for a tumor but her husband
didn't believe she had a tumor and
told her that he had consulted all the
other doctors IN town and they had
told him she didn't have a tumor. In
June last he went to Salt Lake on an
excursion and returned IN the latter