The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-07-06

CHICAGO, July 5.-Frsderick He'll.
mann, a well.to.do mason contractor,
murdered his wife and four children
last night and then killed himself. It
was at first supposed that He'll man and
his wife aud children met death by ac-
cdsnt, bnt it developed at the coro-
mere inquest this afternoon that the
wholesale murder was carefully
planned, aud that the man intended 10
kill himself and end tho existence Of
the members OF his family.
The dead man aud hls victim are:
Frederick HeiImanH, aged thirty
seven.
Mrs. Ida Hellmann, aged thirty.tWo.
Fred Hellmann, ir., aged eleven.
Ida Hellmann, aged ten.
William Hellmann, aged seven.
Hedwig Holman, the thEee.year'old
daughter ,,
The tragedy took place in little
brick cottage at the corner OF CoFRella
and Wood streets. The motive for the
crime may never be known, but it 10
supposed the act was that Of a madman,
ns Hallmann ten years ago had sum
stroke, from which he never recovered
completely.
Suspicion was frat aroused this
morning by the fact that tho house in
which the Helimanns lived was tightly
cloSed long after the usual hour for the
family to be Rstir. The mother and
married sister OF HOLMAN who lived
next door. attempted TO break into the
house, but were unable to do so. They
hually managed to force an entrance
through window that had been left
uniastsned and made their way to one
Of the bedrooms, where the dead bodies
Of all the family were found.
Tho honse was so full OF gas that the
two women were nearly overcome and
1t was only after it had bsen opened up
that il was found possible to turn OF
the gas which was streaming from an
open Jet The relatives and all the
neigh6ors at once concluded that the
deaths had been the result oil an acei-
dent, and the police when they came,
adhered to the same opinion.
The open gas Jet was Just above the
bod in which the mother and one OF
the children lay, and 1t was supposed
that one OF them had, during the night.
accidentally hit the stopcock and
knocked It open. At the inquest this
afternoon, however, an entirely different
complexion was given the affair BY
Charles, q brother OF HellmRnn. He
had not been summoned az q wit.
ness, and when he was asked
10 take the stand It was not eK'
pected that his testimony would be
anything out Of the ordinary. He, how
ever, produced letter written by the
murderer aud suicide late on the pre-
vious evening, In which he clearly
stated his purpose Of killing himself,
although he gave no intipation Of the
fact that he was meditatlng the deaths
Of the members OF his family, lie
spoke OF the window through which
the women had crRwled as the only way
in which his brother could gain Rdmis.
sion TO tho house, and said that he had
left 1t open for that purpose. Tie
brother had not received tho letter uu'
til afternoon aud came directly to the
inquest.
Other circumstances also went to
show the deliberate intentions Of tho
man. The gas pipes were only placed
in tho house two weeks ago. It is now
tho belief that they w0rG put there Tor
tho purpose Of carrying out the decd 90
successfully accomplished.
The position Of the bodies at the time
they were found indicated that the two
boys and older girl fought de.peratelyto to
leave the room after tho father had
turned on tho gas. Tho mother and
baby were lying on tho inside Of the
bed as II In peaceful slumbes, but the
two boys and the older girl were in die
icrent attitudes and tho expressions
OF their faces were those Of persons
who had struggled hard. Tho fathers
hunda wOro firmly placed across the
mouth Of tho older boy and thero is Nn
abrasion on tho throat Of tho other lad,
Ns though ho had boon strAngled.
Charles Hellman said that hs could
SOC no reason for his brothers action
save insanity. HoI6as devoted TO his
family and his business was In a flour
ishinv condition, ho not owing dollar.
. at.I atNtNtIa ~