Sunday, 3 July 1910
On the evening of Sunday 3 July 1910, a serious dispute between neighbours took place in Lintelo/Dale*, and blood was shed. The B. and Helmink families were neighbours but lived in constant tension with one another. That evening an argument broke out and escalated to such an extent that the whole neighbourhood became involved.
The 21-year-old B.H.W. Helmink was standing at the door of his home in Lintelo*. He saw his sister approaching, and at the same time three labourers, all around 21 years old, arrived: J.A.B., H.W.H. and J.t.B. A quarrel arose over the girl, and objects were picked up to reinforce the argument.
J.A.B. stabbed his neighbour Helmink in the arm with a knife, although B. later denied doing so. H.A.B., who sided with B., struck the neighbour’s son on the head with a turf hoe. Fortunately, the blow only glanced off the side of his head, causing a bleeding wound; otherwise the consequences might have been much more serious. J.t.B. was said to have struck someone with a stick, though he later claimed that he had merely used a piece of a stick that had first been broken over him. The injured man’s brother came to help but was beaten by H.W.H., who also denied this.
Medical assistance was called for the injured Helmink brothers. One had a serious stab wound to the arm, while the other had a bleeding head wound. The dispute between the brothers and their attackers was said to have arisen from a long-running feud.
Prison Sentences
The court in Zutphen sentenced J.A.B. and H.W.H. to two months and one month in prison respectively. On appeal before the Court of Appeal in Arnhem, the defendants denied having used a knife and a turf hoe during the assault. They admitted striking their opponents but claimed they had acted in self-defence because they themselves were being attacked.
The father of J.A.B. stated that they had tried to hit him with a gatepost, giving him the impression “that they were knocking me three metres into the ground”. The advocate general asked for the original verdict to be upheld. Judgment was due fourteen days later, but we have been unable to find any further information about the outcome.
Note
* One newspaper report gives Dale and another Lintelo as the location of the incident. For the time being, we believe it took place near Heuvelweg, close to the boundary between the two hamlets. Further research is required.