The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-07


Spates found that three bullets had
struck her. the first going through the
feshy part Of the neck. The second
bullet had entered the breast a little to
the left of the center and passing
through just beneath the skin had come
out in the right shoulder. The third
bullet had entered the left leg just be-
low the groin and passed clear through.
This was the most serious wound or
the three. After dressing the wounds
and making Mrs. Hellner as comforta-
BILE as possible, DR.. Spates returned to
the Hellner home and examined He'll
ner. He found that the bullet had en-
tered the roof of the mouth and plow-
ed It's way into the brain, and he en-
pressed the opinion that death must
| have been instantaneous.
In the meantime Capt. Pottgieser, OF
| the Margaret street station, had been
notified, and, with Patrolman Arnold,
had hurried to the Hellner home. He
found the dead man laying face down
ward half in and half out of the door
way with his head In a pool of blood,
and in his right hand was g. six cham
Der. thirty-two calibre revolver of the
bull dog pattern. All the chambers
were empty and all had apparently
been fired recently, so that it is prob
able that Hellner fired five times ct
his wife and that two Of the bullets
flew wide of the mark. Capt. Pottgleseg
questioned Hilda Hellner closely and
obtained from her the story that is
told above. She said that 1t was pos
sible that her father had fired five
times at her mother. She had been so
excited that she could not remember
the exact number of shots that she had
heard. The neighbors were also ques-
toned, but nothing could be learned
from them.
Two small boys, Alexander Welsh, of
| 951 Margaret street, and David john
son, the son of Anton Johnson, had
been playing in the rear OF the house
when the shots were fired. They were
unable to tell how many reports there
were and knew nothing Of the oc-
currence other than that they had run
around to the door and had seen He'll
ner lying in the doorway and Hilda
running down the street.
INQUEST UNNECESSARY.
Coroner Nelson was summoned and
after viewing the remains and hearing
the story Of the daughter, Hilda, he
decided that an inquest was unneces-
sary and ordered the remains taken to
the morgue. Both Coroner Nelson and
| Dr.. Spates examined Mrs. Hellner's
wounds and expressed the opinion that
unless blood poisoning sets In she will
recover. Her most serious wound ts
the one in the left thigh and this Is
| not dangerous.
There are two other daughters In the
Hellner family, Emma and Ida, who
are. employed as clerks down town.
They were summoned home as quickly
as word could be gotten to them and
assisted in caring for their mother.
They manifested little or no concern
about their father, and apparently
cared but little for him. On the way
from the home of DR.. Spates to the
scene Of the tragedy Hilda said to DR..
Spates that she did not care about her
father, but she wanted him to hurry
and look after her mother, for she
feared that she was badly hurt.
This apparent disregard for the
father was explained by the police and
the neighbors. Capt. Pottgeiser said
that Hellner had been arrested fire.
quently for drunkenness and disorderly
conduct, and on two or three occasions
he had been taken in custody on war
rants sworn out by his wife charging
him with abusing her. He said that
number Of times the officers on the
beat had been called to the house in
the middle Of the night to quiet He'll
ner when he had been drinking,
Anton Johnson, who resides next door
| to the Hellners and to whose homo
| Mrs. Helner went after she had been
shot, said that Hellner had been most
abusive to his family when under the
influence of liquor, and that on one
OCCASION two years ago Hellner had
come home drunk and had threatened
| his wife. He Gohnson) had been call
ed in and had taken a revolver away
| from Hellner.
THE FATHER ABUSIVE.
The daughters were not inclined to
! talk about the shooting and would say
nothing more than that their father
had been very abusive when drunk
and had often threatened their lives.
| They had always feared him.
From the police 1t was learned that
| Hellner had been in the habit Of sleep
ing In little room adjoining his tailor
shop much of the time, and that he
often complained Of the treatment he
received at home. On one occasion one
Of the men on the East Seventh street
beat had discovered him with a piece
Of lead pipe made UP in the shape Of
a sandbag. He was questioned as to
what he intended to do with the
weapon and had said that he was go
Ing to get even with somebody. The
pipe was taken away from him and he
was told that. if he should happen to
kill somebody, he would be hung for
1t, and he had replied that he would
never hang for anything that he might
| do, because he would blow his brains
| out.
Hellner was said by all to be a. man
of more than ordinary intelligence,
who before drink got the better of him
was thrifty and well-to-do. He was
forty-seven years old, and he and Mrs.
| Ea1IOer had l1een married twnntU-tbraa