Photo courtesy of The Informercantile
The frozen tempest foretold the story about to unfold.
In the farming community, along the northern plains of North Dakota, the normal time for butchering hogs is in the fall. For reasons unknown, Frederick and Helga had waited until January, in the dead of winter.
Butchering hogs is excruciating work and involved making sausage, smoking meat and rendering lard. Rendering lard was particularly tough as fat is cut into chunks and piled into a boiler and simmered over a hot stove. Grease permeates the air, covering walls, floors, ceilings and people with a thick, slimy film. Helga tended to this pot 24/7.
The blizzard raged on as the pace of this work reached a frenzied, feverish pitch. Helga, exhausted and delirious, could not take it anymore and suffered a mental breakdown. Frederick sent his eldest son, Erich (age 12), to the nearest neighbor for help…several miles away. When Erich returned with the doctor, Frederick and Helga hadn't slept in over 3 days.
Frederick signed the commitment papers. Helga was to be transferred to the insane asylum, about 100 miles south of their farm. Erich was sent to do chores in the barn to keep him from witnessing these events. But he couldn't help himself. He peered through the fence post and what he witnessed would scar him for life: he saw his mother, fighting with all her might, as she was being forcibly pushed into the police car.
Helga never made it to the insane asylum. The storm prevented that. The sheriff decided that she would spend the night in the county jail instead. It was there, on January 22, 1937, that she died sometime in the middle of the night at the age of 30. The official story is that Helga suffered a heart attack.
The above story is based on true events. Names have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved.
13 comments:
Wow! That's an amazing story. It would make a really dark but excellent movie.
oh my! Interesting. Riveting.
good night. a riveting tale and i can belive it...
Creepy, but believable. I blame the husband for pushing her over the edge, and the doc for not understanding what she really needed. Perhaps all that stress really did cause a heart attack. Regardless, well written little tale.
truth is always mor bizzare than fiction...
WoW! Amazing story.
Wow...great story and poor Helga!
creepy... and sad. Makes you wonder what REALLY happened...
I agree with Julie. This would make a good movie. I've heard that it was very common for people to go insane during the long midwestern winters. I can see why.
Julie really is right. I can see the screenplay version of this. Get right on that!
Yeah I must agree also, this seems like it could easily change over to a movie, very creepy though. Where did you find that story??
http://tizi86.blogspot.com/
And we think we got problems.
Yikes! Thank God things aren't like this anymore....did you know that back in the old days, all it took was ONE person to say you were insane to get you committed to an asylum? It was common practice for husbands to have their wives committed in order to marry a new wife...children getting their parents committed so they could assume their property....EVEN neighbors who wanted to purchase your land you refused to sell them, could take you to the bar, load you up with a couple drinks....then have you committed for acting strangely!
If that were the case, I'd sooooo of been committed Yeeeeears ago! lol
~hl~
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