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According to Helen's family, Helen lived in fear of her husband. Helen's niece, Patricia Grace said: "Aunt Helen was in fear for her life because Babe Ruth wanted a divorce because he was carrying on with women. Of course, we were a
Catholic family and she would not divorce. He was trying to get rid
187:
when he was informed of his wife's death. Along with Helen's sisters, Nora and
Catherine Woodford, he went to Boston to confirm that the body was that of his wife. He told reporters immediately afterward; he said: "Boys, I'm in a terrible fix. The shock has been a very great one to me. Please let my
243:
A second autopsy was performed by
Suffolk County Medical Examiner George B. McGrath, who confirmed the reports of the initial autopsy. The case was also examined by Waltham District Court Judge Michael J. Connolly who concluded: "On all of the evidence I find that Helen W. Ruth met death through
188:
wife alone. Let her stay dead. That's all I've got to say." Afterwards, he said: "I haven't lived with my wife for three years. In that period I have seen her only a few times. I have done everything to comply with her wishes. Her death is a great shock to me. That's all I have to say."
229:
In the immediate aftermath, Helen Ruth's family refused to accept that the fire had been accidental, with her brother Thomas asking, "What is there to prove the house wasn't fired? What is there to prove that she wasn't murdered?" This led to the
District Attorney General
166:. She was discovered on the floor of her bedroom by Captain John Kelly of the Watertown Fire Department and was taken to her neighbor's home, where she died of her injuries twelve hours later. Kinder arrived a few hours before she died and was with her.
179:
reported Ruth's death as that of the wife of a "prominent
Watertown dentist" and her funeral was arranged under the name "Helen Kinder". However, an anonymous caller told the police of her real identity, and her death became a nationwide story.
251:
This claim is contradicted by both the official reports and the fact that Ruth made regular payments to Helen and was visibly distraught by her death. Nevertheless, three months after Helen's death, Ruth married his longtime mistress
80:
Ruth soon began to court
Woodford and eventually proposed to her during a coffee shop visit a few months after their first meeting. Woodford accepted his proposal. Once the season concluded, Helen married Ruth on October 14, 1914, at
191:
After the fire and Helen's death, Edward Kinder was interviewed by the
Watertown Police for four hours, admitting that he and Helen had never been married. He also told them that Ruth knew where Helen was staying.
240:: "The case is closed as far as this office is concerned, and, I hope, for the sake of the unfortunate woman who cannot speak for herself, that it is closed as far as anyone is concerned."
82:
502:
344:
1045:
69:, was sixteen when she met her future husband. According to Ruth, then nineteen, he met his future wife on the day he arrived in Boston on July 11, 1914, for his
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294:, Dorothy Ruth claimed she was the biological daughter of Babe Ruth with Juanita Jennings, his mistress, and neither Helen nor Ruth's second wife Claire knew.
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527:
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244:
suffocation and burns between 6:30 and 11 p.m. I find no unlawful act or criminal negligence on the part of anyone contribute to her death."
884:
735:
162:
On
January 10, a fire broke out in the living room of the Watertown house. Ruth was alone at her home, and her partner was away at the
704:
49:. Ruth died in a house fire in 1929, the circumstances of which sparked controversy at the time and, to an extent, remains so today.
1050:
1035:
210:, which was valued at $ 50,000. She also left $ 5 each to her husband, mother, and her siblings (four brothers and three sisters).
125:
Babe and Helen finally separated in 1925. Other than occasionally appearing in public as a couple, the last time being during the
925:
316:
901:
773:
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attended the funeral and reportedly was silent except when "he burst into sobs". She was buried at the
Calvary Cemetery in
152:
118:, he would rudely brush her off and they would often fight. The final straw was when Ruth fell in love with his secretary
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77:. At the time, Helen was a waitress at Landers Coffee Shop, and Ruth said she served him when he had breakfast there.
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As Ruth's fame grew, Helen began hearing more about his extramarital affairs and felt neglected. She began to have
57:
806:
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159:. There, they lived under the guise of a married couple, and she went under the name "Mrs. Helen Kinder".
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At some point after her separation, Ruth met Edward Kinder, a dentist, when she came to work for him as a
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114:, for which she was hospitalized numerous times. Whenever she asked him to let her accompany him to
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503:"90 Years Ago a Watertown Fire Claimed a Woman's Life, Sparked a Controversy Involving Babe Ruth"
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345:"This Ellicott City church held Babe Ruth's wedding — and his marriage certificate is on display"
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of her. He had these hoodlums or what have you. Those are the stories my mother told me."
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107:(1921–1989). Helen reportedly lost four pregnancies before they adopted their daughter.
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122:, whom he met in 1923. However, because they were Catholic, the pair never divorced.
41:(October 20, 1897 – January 11, 1929) was the first wife of American baseball player
30:
236:
100:. By that time, their marriage had begun to fall apart due to Ruth's infidelities.
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as "defective wiring and overloading of wires" in the living room. Initially, the
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155:. The pair began a relationship and she soon moved in with him at his home in
17:
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876:
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665:
321:
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29:
129:, they lived separate lives for the remainder of their marriage.
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638:"Babe Ruth and former Ziegfeld Follies star married early today"
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713:
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Gravesite of Helen
Woodford Ruth–and her brother William–in
195:
Helen Ruth's funeral services were held on January 17.
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894:
820:
794:
751:
317:"Remembering Ruth's big league debut 100 years ago"
206:In her will, she left her estate to her daughter
92:In 1916, they bought an eighty-acre farm out in
435:"Quiz Mrs. Ruth's Fire Death and Talk of Opium"
412:"Mystery Veiled Romance, Wedded Life of Ruths"
729:
96:, twenty miles west of Boston and now called
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169:The cause of the fire was reported by the
103:In 1921, the couple adopted a daughter,
45:and the adoptive mother of his daughter
528:"Fire Causes Death of Mrs. 'Babe' Ruth"
501:Breitrose, Charlie (January 11, 2019).
473:
461:
429:
427:
370:
307:
283:
264:Woodford Ruth was portrayed by actress
315:Castrovince, Anthony (July 10, 2014).
1046:Deaths from fire in the United States
610:"Mrs. Ruth's Estate Goes to Daughter"
420:. Associated Press. January 15, 1929.
7:
1056:People from Watertown, Massachusetts
885:The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs
618:. Associated Press. January 29, 1929
562:. Associated Press. January 14, 1929
383:Thomas, Robert Jr. (June 12, 1988).
25:
582:"Funeral Services for Helen Ruth"
141:Helen with her daughter Dorothy,
990:
989:
343:Klingaman, Mike (June 6, 2019).
926:Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum
556:"Babe Ruth's Wife Dies in Fire"
692:Babe: The Legend Comes to Life
234:to release a statement in the
1:
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1041:Catholics from Massachusetts
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902:Monument at Yankee Stadium
695:(2nd ed.). New York:
643:United Press International
587:The Kingston Whig-Standard
83:St. Paul's Catholic Church
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780:
1051:People from South Boston
1036:Burials in Massachusetts
807:Babe Ruth Home Run Award
689:Creamer, Robert (1992).
157:Watertown, Massachusetts
764:Babe Ruth's called shot
224:Mattapan, Massachusetts
201:Mattapan, Massachusetts
87:Ellicott City, Maryland
27:First wife of Babe Ruth
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560:The Gary Evening Times
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183:Ruth's husband was in
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94:Sudbury, Massachusetts
65:Woodford, a native of
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35:
862:Line-Up for Yesterday
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385:"Mystery Of the Babe"
290:In her autobiography
254:Claire Merrit Hodgson
221:
140:
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53:Marriage to Babe Ruth
33:
769:Curse of the Bambino
697:Simon & Schuster
1026:American socialites
959:Dorothy Ruth Pirone
953:Claire Merritt Ruth
947:Helen Woodford Ruth
847:The Babe Ruth Story
759:Career achievements
61:Helen and Babe Ruth
39:Helen Woodford Ruth
34:Helen Woodford Ruth
965:Julia Ruth Stevens
855:Babe Ruth Bows Out
789:
590:. January 17, 2019
536:. January 14, 1929
533:The New York Times
464:, pp. 281–284
443:. January 14, 1929
390:The New York Times
232:Robert T. Bushnell
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112:nervous breakdowns
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36:
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774:Death and funeral
268:in the 1992 film
127:1926 World Series
16:(Redirected from
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977:Johnny Sylvester
812:Babe Ruth League
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646:. April 17, 1929
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75:Boston Red Sox
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18:Helen Woodford
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949:(first wife)
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908:Babe's Dream
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831:Headin' Home
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683:Book sources
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648:. Retrieved
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620:. Retrieved
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71:Major League
67:South Boston
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38:
37:
1031:Ruth family
1021:1929 deaths
1016:1897 deaths
880:(1992 film)
872:(1991 film)
850:(1948 film)
842:(1927 film)
834:(1920 film)
214:Controversy
176:Boston Post
153:housekeeper
146: 1925
1010:Categories
967:(daughter)
961:(daughter)
823:depictions
666:"The Babe"
540:August 23,
302:References
895:Memorials
869:Babe Ruth
795:Namesakes
787:Babe Ruth
745:Babe Ruth
197:Babe Ruth
43:Babe Ruth
995:Category
911:(statue)
877:The Babe
821:Cultural
650:June 16,
622:June 16,
594:June 16,
566:June 16,
512:June 16,
447:June 16,
396:June 16,
356:June 16,
328:June 16,
271:The Babe
973:(agent)
674:. 1992.
322:MLB.com
208:Dorothy
105:Dorothy
47:Dorothy
940:People
703:
919:Homes
278:Notes
133:Death
752:Main
701:ISBN
671:IMDb
652:2024
624:2024
596:2024
568:2024
542:2024
514:2024
449:2024
398:2024
358:2024
330:2024
85:in
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481:^
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20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
