Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1954-06-23
LOris Nurse Is Sentenced
On Dope-Stealing Charges

|
! for Lexington, KY, where she
will Immediately begin an l8
months sentence in the federal
hospital for narcotic >tion.
Mrs. Helms was tried In a fed
eral court in Florence last We'd
nesday and admitted that she had
misappropriated quantity of
drugs from the LoriS Hospital
for her own use. The Judge passed
sentence and released her in GUS
tody of Clarence Hucks. present
administrator of the hospital in
LoriS.
A sister of Mrs. Helms left
Loris with her Sunday morning.
In passing sentence, the judge
pointed out that Mrs. Helms was
being sent to this hospital in an
effort to cure her of the dope adj
diction. and that if she success
fully conquered the habit prior
to the expiration ot the l8-months
sentence, that she would be re-
leased earlier.
The 44-year-old head nurse con-
feSsed to having been a constant
user of habit forming drugs Tor
considerable length of time.
The entire case was investigated
by the FBI after the department
had been notified of a drug short
age by the trustees of the Loris
Community Hospital
The hospital report originally
showed, after d careful inventory.
that 2846 morphine tablets, 2l3O
Co.'S of demeral and lesser quanti-
ties Of other drugs were stolen
during 1853. The shortage was
first noted early during 1854 but
the actual securing of proof, and
the confession and trial occurred
in recent weeks.
Authorities who did the investi-
eating have discarded the theory
that anv of the missing dope was
sold. Medical men have expressed
the belief that an individual who
had become a seasoned dope addict
could have personally consumed
the quantity of narcotics reported
missing.
In dollars and cents this fabul-
Gus amount of dope would have
brought several thousands of dol
lars on the black market. How
n h.
pital, it amounted to less than
$1OO.
All narcotics at the hospital are
Kept in safe and only the hcaC
nurse had access TO it. Mrs. Helms
according to all reports, simply
took what dope she wanted, signed
for 1t on the narcotics book, and
attempted to show that it went c
the various nurses for medication
OF patients. The scheme was dis
covered when several nurses found
out that narcotics were being
charged to them that never cot
to them. Mrs. Helms then admit
ed the theft.
She offered as reason for her
dope addiction the fact tina: she
had skin disease on Ter hands
known as Gczematoid dcrma.iti.
that was constant source of pain
and discomfort She had had dope
prescribed for her by medical
doctors in an effort to relief this |
suffering before she accepted the
superintendent position in Loris |
Duke Hospital doctors had pre-
scribed narcotics for her because
of skin condition and had advised
her never to put her hands in soap
and water. However. Mrs. Helms
repeatedly was hard worker and
Conscientious head nurse who as
sisted in hundreds of operations at
the hospital. This required a 20
, minute hand scrubbing with soap
and water prior to each operation.
This procedure kept her skin di-
SeaSe a source of almost constant
pain apparently and led TO her
| ever increasing use of dope.
Mrs. Helms had been a patient
in the Loris Hospital for several
days prior TO the Florence trial
and her conviction. In recent
months she had taken several
leaves of absence for various rea-
sons and attempted to conquer the
habit of her own free will and
motion.
AS early as March II of this
year. Mrs. Helms had been strip
ped OF her power Of attorney in
connection with handling narcot-
les. This had been done at the
nstigation Of the Loris Bord of
Trustees when il was suspected
hat she was dope addict.
Mrs. Helms had been associated
with the Loris Hospital for about
two years. She was hired by John
Grant, former hospital admins
traitor, and came to Loris highly
recommended.
Those who worked with her ex-
pressed considerable surprise when
1t became known that she was a
dope addict. She was said TO b.
among the most talented and en-
ergetic head nurses in the history
Of the Loris Hospital.