Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-01-21
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ON Re- u. Sears Home

| with all his needs, including bed,
heat, food, furniture, and even Injuries
provided from the rooms Of the house,
stranger. who gave the name of Nick
Helms, was found at noon today en-
sconced In the comfortable library on
the second floor of the temporarily va
cant r. z. Sears home. corner state
and Second streets Mr.. and Mrs. Sears
are In San Antonio, Tex. for the win
ter.
Helms was arrested by Officer
Charles Breckel who, With NJ. ~.
Choate and Mrs. A. T.. Balch. searched
the house after ,choate discovered a
window partly raised. The officer who
made the arrest. and Deputy Sheriff
Goodale, who questioned Helms in the
Jail. are of the opinion that the man
is probably mentally deficient, rather
than common housebreaSer.
Furnishings and the furniture OF the
rooms which had been packed away
and covered had not been disturbed
much, except in the library, where
Helms said he had been since Monday
morning He had provided for his COM
fort in every way Imaginable. and
! when the searchers arrived Helms had
probably been up but u short time, as
i he was boiling coffee in the Sears COT
!! fee pot on small Sears gas stove
burning gas running thru the Sears
+, meter.
! In the room were found crackers,
sardines. hominy, fruit cake, with d
I; corner gone, but showing that it had
evidently been carefully wrapped IN
j oiled paper by Mrs. Sears and put
away to await the return of the fam
lily, a bottle Of wine, and q Eox of To-
f, cent cigars.
I! The gas stove. small portable one.
had been carried into the room by
I, Helms and attached to the gas fixture.
From the library closet, Helms had
taken ample bedding, piled it on a
couch. making q comfortable bed. Al
I; together he had made the room very
! comfy ,
Mrs Balch, at whose home the key
was left, accompanied the officer and
Choate into the house. only to be much
frightened later. When search of this
first floor and basement revealed moth
i ing, Mrs. Balch suggested that she
would run upstairs and. suiting her
action to her words. went up. She had
hardly reached the library door, when
| it was opened part w;ty and, the head
| of man was thrust OUT .,-s.s
| Mrs. Balch was not too much fright
ened to call weakly. "Why here's a
man." but moment later she became
so weak from the startling experience
/ she had to sit down.
Helms was searched, and the quality
i.of articles, to say nothing of clothing
that he had on him, was surprising.
[! The inventory included three pairs or
trousers, of fairly good quality. 1854 IN
money, big bunch OF skeleton keys.
| good gold watch, huge meerschaum
pipe, (bowl broken), razor. three DOCK
ct books, and other articles. Except
| for the food Helms had eaten. thesfur-
nishings he had taken for use. a.slater
search showed that probably nothing
had been stolen.
! Helms talked frankly to the onicers.
He said he went into the house Mon
4 day night, soon after he got here from
Boone. He said he unlocked one OF
the doors with a skeleton key. This
statement is doubted. however. as 1t
was Choate who saw one Of the south
windows open few inches Monday
afternoon. He closed it. but when he