The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1917-09-12
NO FURTHER LICHTO ON
HELLAMS TRAGEDY
General Verdict of Murder
and Suicide.
COUPLE FOUND
DEAD THURSDAY
Mr. and Mrs. j. Milan HelIamS, OF the
Tumbling Shoals Section, Found
Dead in Their Home with Bullet
Wounds in Their Heads.

Tumbling Shoals Section, Found
Dead in Their Home with Bullet
Wounds In Their Heads.
No additional light has been thrown
on the death OF Mr.. and Mrs. J. Milan
Hellams, who were found dead in their
home in the Tumbling Shoals section
of the county Thursday morning, each
with a bullet wound in the head. The
coroner's jury, which sat at the inquest
over the bodies Thursday afternoon,
found that the couple came to their
death at the hands OF unknown par
ties. The generally accepted belief is
that it was q case of murder and sui
eide, Mr.. Hellams firing both shots
which killed his wife and himself.
The bodies of MI and Mrs. Hcllams
were found in their home Thursday
morning by ncighbors whose suspicion
Of some unusual occurrence had been
aroused by tho absence Of any life
around the place and the reports Of
pistol shots the afternoon before.
They went to the house Thursday
morning TO satisfy themselves. When
they entered the homo they found both
Mir. and Mrs. Hellams lying on the
floor, evidently dead for some time.
Mrs. llcllams was lying near a bureau,
which had one drawer open, with her
foot resting on q chair which she had
evidently occupied when the first fatal
shot was fired. The open drawer, in
.,l, ~,
small hand-satchel, held pool of
blood as if her head had first fallen
over it before it found it's resting place
on the floor The bullet, which had
penetrated her head from the left to
| right temple, lay on the floor beside
her body where it had fallen after hit
ting the wall on the other side. The
body Of Mr.. Hellams was lying face
downward a short distance from his
wife, with bullet hole in his fore
head. The bullet had entered his head
and lodged there. 80 calibre pistol
found underneath his body, and later
identified by neighbor as the pro-
perty of Mr. Hellams, had two empty
chambers. Both Of the deceased were
dressed in every day wearing apparel
and Mr.. Hellams was in his shirt
sleeves. The shades OF the windows
were pulled closely down and the
doors were closed.
While no motive for the deed has
been definitely discovered, it is thought
that Mr.. Hellams, who was man of
quick and fiery temper shot his wife in
a fit Of rage over some trivial cause.
The fact that Mrs. Hellams was evil
IDENTIFY bending over the open bureau
drawer which contained some Of her
clothes and personal effects led to the
| theory that he shot her when she de-
termined to go off somewhere in the
face of his objection. Recent incident.
coming under the observation Of peo-
pie in that neighborhood indicated that
there had been some estrangement be-
tween the two due largely to his jeal-
ousy. Although there were no powder
burns on either, little credence Is CIV
en- to theories as to the killing being
done by other parties. Considerable
money was found on the person Of Mr..
Hellams and small amount in the
satchel of Mrs. Hellams, 80 motive
OF robbery is not borne out.
1t is thought that the killing took
place about four o'clock Wednesday
afternoon. Mr. and Mrs. w. II. Terry,
who live about 200 yards distant re-
membered hearing two shots about
five or ten minutes apart along about
that time and neither OF the deceased
was seen afterwards. Very probably
Mr. Hellams first shot his wife and
then deliberately prepared to shoot
himself, for the house was completely
darkened when the bodies were found.
| Mr. Hellams was about 68 years old
and had been twice married, his first
wife, Miss Avery before marriage hav-
ing died several years ago. or this
marriage, one daughter, Mrs. Joe
Thomson, and two sons, Tom Of
Texas and Hamp Of Fountain Inn sur
vive. Last year Mr.. Hellams was mar
ried a second time to Miss Deheims of
Florence county, introduction and en-
gagement having been consummated
by correspondence. It was stated by
some one here that she owned consid-
cradle property in Florence. She was