Evening journal., 1895-07-06
HIS FAMILY WIPED OUT
Hellman Suffocated Them and
Himself Also.
SIX FOUND DEAD IN THE HOUSE.

In an Insane Mood He Calmly Planned the
Crime and Executed 1t successfully.
Turned on the Gas In Sleeping Room,
and All Died.
CHICAGO, July 6-FredericS Hellman,
q well to do mason and contractor, muir
dered his wife and four children and then
killed himself. 1t was at first supposed
that Hellman and his wife and children
met death by accident, but it developed at
the coroner's inquest that the Wholesale
murder was calmly planned, and that the
man intended 60 kill himself and end tho
existence Of the members OF his family
The dead man and his victims are:
Frederick Hellman, aged 81; Mrs. Ida
Hellman, aged 3e; Fred Holman, Jr.,
aged II; Ida Holman, aged 10; William
Holman, aged z, and Hedwig Holman, a
3-year old daughter.
Tho tragedy took place IN a little brick
cottage at the corner Of Cornelia and Wood
streets. The motive for the crime may
never be known, but 1t is supposed to be
the act Of "A madman.
Holman ten years ago had a sunstroke,
from which he never recovered completely.
! Suspicion was first aroused by the fact
that the house IN which the Hellmans
lived was tightly closed long after tho
usual hour for the family 10 be astir The
mother and married sister of Hellman,
who lived next door, attempted TO break
/ into the house. but were unable TO do So
They finally managed TO force an entrance
| through a window that had been left un-
/ fastened, and made their way TO one Of
i the bedrooms, where the dead bodies OF
all the family were found
The house was SO fun Of gas that tho
| two women were nearly overcome, and it
was only after il had been opened up that
1 II was found possible 20 turn off the gas,
which was streaming from an open Jet.
1 Tho relatives and all the neighbors at once
concluded that the deaths had been tho
result of an accident, and the police when
they came adhered to the same opinion.
Tho open gas jet was just above the bed
in which the mother and one of the chill
dren lay, and it was supposed that one Of
them had during the night accidentally
hit the stopcock and knocked it open.
Had Calmly Planned the Deed.
Az the inquest however, an entirely
different complexion was given to the af-
fair by Charles, a brother of Holman,
who produced letter written by the muir
derer and suicide late on the previous
evening, in which he clearly stated mis-
purpose OF killing himself, although he
gave no intimation of the fact that he was
mcditating the 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 admission to tho house and said hC
had left it open for 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 tn,
man. The gas pipes were only placed in
the house two weeks ago. 1t is now the
belief that they were put there for the pur
pose of carrying out the deed 50 success
fully accomplished.
The position Of the bodies at the tim,
they were found indicated that tho tw,
boys and older girl fought desperately t,
leave the room after the father had turned
on the gas. The mother and baby were ly
ing ON the inside of the bed, as If in peace
fnl slumber, but the two boys and the old
er girl were In different attitudes, and th'
expressions Of their faces were those o
persons who had struggled hard. Th
fathers hand was firmly placed across thl
mouth Of the older boy, and there is al
abrasion of the throat of the other lad, a
though he had been strangled.
Charles Holman said that he could SCI
no reason for his brothers action save in
sanity. He.was devoted 30 his family, an'
his business was in a flourishing condi
tion, he not owing dollar. A verdict o
murder and suicide was rendered by tn
| Jury