The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-12

matter for the authorities to determine. l have formed my own opinion on that point, based on similar cases in my 40 years experience as police officer and detective in several sections of the coun- try.
 Believes Both Innocent.
 ..I arrested these parties and subjected them to a severe examination" he con tinued, and am holding them for the Indiana authorities My duty Is prac- tically ended It isn't for me to say how Helman died, but I believe am justified in declaring that the evidence already gathered in the case shows that neither Corcoran nor the woman poisoned him"
 Helman's letter to the New Orleans in- spector was dated .Terre Haute, Jan uary g." but the post mark showed that it was mailed at Chicago at p. m. on the same date that 1t was apparently written in Terre Haute. In this letter Helman charged the woman with various thefts from his jewelry store in Terre Haute. He also declared that she was engaged in the white slave traffic and had induced girls living in Chicago and ln- diana towns to come to New Orleans for immoral purposes. He said her home was in Indianapolis, and that she spelled her name Salisbury" This was about the | fifth time that different spelling had been attached to the woman's name and
 she was asked by the reporter how 1t was spelled. She obligingly replied. You can spell it any way you like Arrival at New Orleans. When Fife Sellesberry, wanted by the police of Terre Haute, Ind, In connec- | ton with the death of W. IT. Helman at that place, arrived In New Orleans | this morning on a Louisville and Nash | vile train, she found patrol wagon | backed up to the curb waiting for her. | She and her travelling companion. Henry | Corcoran, were both placed under arrest { and taken to police headquarters. What are we wanted for?" asked | Corcoran, the first one to speak in the | train shed.
 | For murder" casually replied the de- | tective, who, unknown to the woman and Corcoran, had been making the last | 40 miles of their journey in a seat im- | mediately behind them in the day coach When the detective said murder the | woman immediately burst into tears and continued to weep copiously for over Y an hour. Her screams attracted the att | tention of hundreds of people in the ] crowded streets through which the patrol | wagon passed and 1t was some time after | they arrived at police headquarters that | she could be induced to make a state
 ment.
 "Its a lie, a wicked malicious foolish l lie.'' she shouted when told that she was I charged with poisoning Helman while 1 she was taking dinner with him in a
 Chicago restaurant Sunday night. HeIIman's Accusation. | It was an hour or more before the | Salisbury woman was told that Helman , had left written statement charging
 that she had poisoned him. She was
 first informed that Helman had died un- | der very mysterious circumstances and | inasmuch as she had been with him the ' last night of his life 1t would be ad-
 visable for her to say something in her l defense.
 | The woman then made lengthy state
 ment in which she told of meeting Hell man in Chicago Sunday night and taking
 dinner with him. She said that they
 had eaten some blue point oysters. which | apparently were spoiled and that they 1 had been made for time very sick. ''But we braced up on medicene." she
 continued. and when I told Holman 1 goodbye just before reaching Terre | Haute, I felt little the worse for the i dinner and he appeared to have ex- | perienced no very serious effects. Nat urally am very much surprised to
 learn that he died that night" l The woman was then cross-ques-
 toned by Inspector O'Connor and Chief of Detectives Reynolds, and finally the
 charge of poisoning Helman was
 brought against her It was then she shouted her vehement denial of the ac- | cusation. She denied in just as stren-
 uous manner the many other allega- tions that Helman made in connection
 with the theft of jewelry and money She also denied that she was Helman s stepdaughter
 It was at this juncture that the wom- an was turned over to the reporters. It | did not take her long to surmise who they were, and rising she said: I Look. I don't have to tell you any l thing" and she didn't.
 Both Corcoran and the Sellsberry l woman will fight their extradition to 1 Indiana. the former declared tonight. He stated that members of his family
 residing in Nashville, Tenn. had em- ployed an attorney who would arrive
 here tomorrow to represent him.