Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-05
NELMS SISTERS
ALLEGED SLAYER
IS GIVEN LIMIT


in the disappearance of the helms
sisters nine years ago. was found
guilty in federal court Tuesday aft
ernoon on Il charge of using the
mails to defraud and was sentenced
by Judge Samuel H. Sibley to pay
a fine of $1,000 and to serve a
sentence of five years in federal
prison. The jury was out only six
minutes.
The sentence is the second passed
against Innes as a direct result of
the disappearance of Mrs. Eoise
helms Dennis and Miss Beatrice
helms. He was convicted in Full
ton superior court IN 1915 and
sentenced to serve seven years on
the changing. Prior to that ,Innes
had been released in a Texas court
on a charge of numbering the two
women through a legal technicality
in the Texas law involving the
corpus deficit" phase.
The Stoical manner in which Times
received the verdict in the state
court, and behind which he masked
his emotions during the Texas muir
der case broke when the verdict
was announced Tuesday. In answer,
to whether he had anything to say
he replied in a husky voice border
ing on tears.
One Ballot Taken
A moment later, however, he was
as tactiturn as ever. Prior to leav-
ing the courtroom, he smiled broad
" when two women, who refused
to divulge their names to reporters
and who were unknown to court of
ficials. went up to him and express
ed their sympathy.
The jury was out but six minutes,
and is understood to have cast but
one ballot to reach Il verdict& of
guilty on both counts"
In passing sentence Judge SibIey
declared the case to be an ''aggra-
waited one" and scored Innes as a
victimizer of a woman who also was
his client. 1.-The case is, therefore,
the more reprehensible," the judge
stated
Judge Sibley also said he was try
Ing not to consider the evidence that
InneS had made away with the girls,
and stated that he personally did not
believe the government had builded
up d circumstantial case of that ma
ture. He said, however, that he
would consider the two counts of
the Indictment as dealing with the
same case, and therefore would give
the limit under d single indictment,
namely $1,000 fine and five years.
Calls Trials Unfair
Innes, in addressing the court
prior to being sentenced, said he
had been imprisoned since August
Is, 1914, and had never been in
position to clear himself
During my confinement | have
always been forced to stand alone
against mass of concocted evil
dence against which [ have not
had chance to make Il fair show
ing" he said. Papers which would
have cleared me were taken from
me by detectives, and 1 have not
even been able to aid my wife in
her defense"
Counsel for defense asked Judge
Sibley to bear in mind lines term
on the changing, and his confine-
ment prior to that.
Defense counsel also stated they
would file motion for d new trial.
Arguments for the defense were
delivered by Attorneys Robrt Fl.
Church and T. E Lewis. while
Major Joel B. Mallett and exGover-
nor Hugh NJ. Dorsey argued the
case for the government.
In his arguments to the jury, eX-
Governor Dorsey dwelt at length on
the allegation that Innes murdered
the two helms girls, declaring that
regardless of witnesses testimony
CO ho
could be ground up in d meat chop
per. a meat chopper was brandished
before the jury a number of times
by the speaker during the cour@e
of his argument.
Finances Stressed
In opening his argument. Major
Nallett stressed financial tranSac-
tons and called attention of the
jury to the mass of documentary
evidence which has been introduced
by the government.
Speaking of lines visit to Allan
ia, he said:
"Why did he come 70 Atlantis? tic
came to Atlanta TO see that poor
girl-Mrs- Eloise Nelms Dennis
was not holding out on him; that
she was turning over all her money
to him, and also to gel his letters
that he had written her. He knew,
being an attorney. that those letters,
if produced at trial such rs his,
would be damaging, that II ~ would
convict him
Major Mallett declDreG the gov
eminent had introduced evidence to
show that lines had received more
than $4,000 from Mrs Dennis.
against the $4,000 which lines said
she had paid him - loans and for
attorneys fees.
Percentage Of d woman whom
Innes had declared in his testimony
to be the daughter of his wife, and
evidence of lines experimenting
with chemicals featured the rebuttal
testimony Tuesday morning
Percentage Dispute
Mrs. George S. Wood, a govern.
ment rebuttaI witness, said Innes
Innes had s.;Aed an affidavit tc
that effect.
DR.. George Wood. her husband
testified that when lines and his
wife visited their home At Devine
that the tray of the defendant
trunk had been eaten up with acid
which Innes told him had been
and his wife visited her home in
OeNlDe, 1eAd5, III the spring Oh 1914
and that Mrs. lines represented
herself as her mother. Mrs. Wood
said she had since learned from the
people who reared her that she was
not Mrs. Innes' child and that Mrs
spilled when bottle broke. He
also stated he had seen Innes en-
gagged in chemical experiments and
said the defendant bought a mortar
and pestel with which to make ex
periments.
On cross examination, Dr. Wood
admitted he had studied chemistry
but was unable to say what effect
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