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Boone Helm
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Boone Helm
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Levi Boone Helm (January 28, 1828 – January 14, 1864) was an American mountain man, gunfighter, and serial killer known as the Kentucky Cannibal. Helm gained his nickname for his opportunistic and unrepentant proclivity for consuming human flesh, usually in survival situations, though instances of killing people for their meat unprovoked were also documented.

Key Information

Early life

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Boone Helm was born in Lincoln County, Kentucky, to Joseph B. Helm and Nancy Wilcox,[1][2] who moved to Jackson Township, Monroe County, Missouri, when he was still a boy.[3] Helm delighted in demonstrating feats of strength and agility, such as throwing his Bowie knife into the ground and retrieving it from a horse at full gallop.[4] In one demonstration of his contempt for authority, Helm, on horseback, rebuffed a sheriff's attempt to arrest him by walking his horse up the stairs of a courthouse and into the courtroom, while the circuit court was in session, and by verbally haranguing the judge.

In 1851, Helm married 17-year-old Lucinda Frances Browning in Monroe County Missouri and fathered a daughter, Lucy. He became known for his heavy drinking, riding his horse into the house, and beating his wife.[5] The domestic violence grew to such an extent that Lucinda petitioned for divorce. Helm's father paid for the costs. Having bankrupted his father and ruined his family's reputation, Helm decided to move to California in search of gold.

Serial murder and cannibalism

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For the journey to California, Helm asked his cousin, Littlebury Shoot, to accompany him. Shoot initially agreed, but when he attempted to back out of the trip, an angered Helm murdered him by stabbing him in the chest and headed west alone.[6][7] He was pursued and captured by Littlebury's brother and friends and convicted of murder,[4] but his antics in captivity quickly landed him in a mental asylum. Upon entering the asylum, Helm became taciturn and convinced his guard to take him on walks through the woods. After these walks became routine, Helm was able to escape.[4]

Once again traveling west to California, Helm murdered several men in various altercations. Forced to flee to avoid arrest and vigilante justice, he teamed up with six men to whom he confided that he had eaten all, or part, of his murder victims: "Many's the poor devil I've killed, at one time or another – and the time has been that I've been obliged to feed on some of 'em."[4]

An attack by Native Americans on the way to Fort Hall forced Helm and his party into the wilderness. Short on provisions, the men killed their horses, ate the meat, and made snowshoes out of the hides. The journey was arduous, reducing the party down to Helm and a man named Burton. When Burton could go no further, Helm left him only to return in time to hear Burton taking his own life with a pistol.[3] Helm ate one of Burton's legs and wrapped the other to take with him on his journey. Helm was finally discovered by a man named John W. Powell at an Indian camp. Powell agreed to let Helm accompany him to Salt Lake City, Utah, but despite having over fourteen hundred dollars in coins on his person, Helm reportedly neither paid nor thanked Powell for his generosity.[4]

Upon reaching San Francisco, Helm killed a rancher who had befriended him and taken him in. He then traveled to Oregon and resumed robbing people for a living, frequently murdering them. In 1862, after heavily drinking, Helm gunned down an unarmed man named Dutch Fred in a saloon and fled. While on the run, Helm ate another fugitive who had been accompanying him. Captured by the authorities, Helm implored his brother "Old Tex", one of Helm's twelve siblings,[5] for assistance. With a considerable amount of money, "Old Tex" paid off all of the witnesses. Unable to convict Helm, the authorities released him and he accompanied his brother to Texas.[4] Helm soon reappeared at many of the settlements mentioned before, killing more men in the process. He was finally apprehended in Montana.

Capture and execution

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After teaming up with the notorious Henry Plummer and his gang, Helm and four other gang members were captured, arrested, and tried in secret.[8] At trial, Helm kissed the Bible and then proceeded to perjure himself, accusing "Three-Fingered" Jack Gallagher, Helm's close friend and fellow gang member, of crimes Helm himself had committed.[3] The Montana Vigilantes hanged Helm, Gallagher, and other members of the gang in Virginia City, Montana on January 14, 1864[8] in front of a crowd of six thousand.[3][unreliable source?] Upon seeing his friend Gallagher hanged, Helm reportedly remarked "Kick away old fellow. My turn next. I'll be in Hell with you in a minute."[3]

When the executioner approached Helm, he allegedly exclaimed "Every man for his principles! Hurrah for Jeff Davis! Let 'er rip!" and then jumped off the hangman's box before it could be kicked away.[5] Boone Helm is buried in Boot Hill cemetery, Virginia City.

See also

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References

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Boone Helm

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Levi Boone Helm (January 28, 1828 – January 14, 1864), also known as the Kentucky Cannibal, was an American frontiersman, outlaw, and infamous for a series of murders and acts of committed across the and during the mid-19th century. Born in , to a farming family, Helm relocated to as a child, where he grew up on the frontier amid the era of the . In his early adulthood, he married Lucinda Frances Browning in 1851 in , and they had at least one daughter, though the marriage ended in divorce after Helm's abusive behavior prompted his father to pay a substantial settlement. Seeking fortune during the , Helm headed west in the early 1850s, working variously as a miner, gambler, and ranch hand while developing a reputation for violence and thievery. Helm's criminal record began with the stabbing death of his cousin Littlebury Shoot in , after which he fled westward. During travels through , , and , he committed multiple murders, including killing a rancher near Sacramento and an unarmed man in a , , saloon in 1862, as well as the slaying of a man known as Dutch Fred. Stranded in harsh wilderness conditions, Helm resorted to on several occasions, such as consuming the body of a deceased companion named Burton in the and admitting to eating flesh from other victims he had killed. His travels extended to , where he killed for hire in , and northward to the Cariboo gold fields in , where he continued his depredations against fellow prospectors. In late 1863, Helm joined the notorious gang led by in , participating in robberies and further killings around Virginia City. Arrested by vigilantes in December 1863 amid a crackdown on Plummer's Innocents, Helm confessed to numerous crimes before being hanged on January 14, 1864, in a mass execution attended by about 6,000 spectators; he reportedly showed no remorse, defiantly shouting Confederate slogans from the gallows. His gruesome legacy as one of the Old West's most depraved figures has been chronicled in historical accounts, cementing his place in lore.

Early Life and Background

Childhood in Kentucky

Levi Boone Helm was born on January 28, 1828, in , to Joseph B. Helm and his wife Eunice (née Wilcox), members of a hardworking farming in the rural . Helm grew up in a large alongside several siblings, including Elizabeth Eunice Helm, Fleming W. Helm, William C. Helm, David Wilcox Helm, Thomas J. Helm, and others, amid the economic hardships typical of small-scale in early 19th-century . The family's modest circumstances reflected the broader challenges faced by frontier farmers, where land was often marginal and resources scarce, shaping a worldview rooted in and self-reliance. Formal education was limited in such an environment, with Helm likely receiving only basic schooling before contributing to the farm as a young laborer; by his early youth, the had relocated to , marking the end of his childhood.

Initial Adulthood and Move Westward

In the late 1840s, Levi Boone Helm entered adulthood amid the turbulent frontier life of the American Midwest. Born in in 1828 to respectable parents, his relocated to a new settlement in during his boyhood, where he grew into a physically imposing man known for his turbulent temper and quarrelsome nature. On January 5, 1851, Helm married Lucinda Frances Browning in , and the couple had at least one daughter; however, his vicious habits and ill-treatment of his wife led to their , after which he abandoned the . Helm's time in Missouri solidified his reputation as a heavy drinker and brawler, engaging in frequent physical confrontations that highlighted his exceptional strength and aggressive demeanor. He became locally notorious for his expertise with a , often demonstrating his skill by throwing the blade into the ground and retrieving it while galloping on horseback, a feat that underscored his reckless bravado and disdain for authority. Minor , including bar fights and thefts, marked this period, though no confirmed killings occurred before his departure; these incidents reflected the lawless border environment near and Westport along the . By 1850, amid widespread economic hardship in the region—exacerbated by poor farming prospects and the allure of quick wealth—Helm joined the , motivated by the era's "great gold craze" and a desire to escape his mounting troubles in . This migration westward was part of a larger wave of fortune-seekers drawn to the Sierra Nevada, where Helm hoped to capitalize on the promise of gold amid personal and financial instability.

Criminal Activities in the American West

First Murder and Escape from Justice

In 1850, Levi Boone Helm committed his first known murder in , stabbing his cousin and neighbor Littlebury Shoot to death with a during a dispute over an intended journey to . Shoot had initially agreed to accompany Helm westward but later refused, prompting Helm to demand a decision and attack when denied. The altercation stemmed from Helm's growing restlessness and desire to seek fortune amid the , marking the violent turn in his already quarrelsome life as a heavy drinker and brawler on the . Following the killing, Helm fled but was soon captured by authorities in the area. He stood trial in Monroe County for and was convicted, facing a sentence that would typically result in . However, doubts about his —raised by his erratic behavior and possible intoxication during the crime—led the to commit him to a state instead of immediate execution. Helm remained confined only briefly in during the summer of 1850. Exploiting the trust of his keepers, who allowed him supervised walks outside the facility, he seized an opportunity to escape by darting into a nearby willow thicket and vanishing into the rugged terrain. Disguising his appearance and traveling by foot and stolen horse through difficult backcountry paths, he evaded recapture and headed westward toward , beginning a life as a across . This evasion solidified his reputation as a dangerous , free to continue his criminal path unchecked by justice.

Murders and Cannibalism During Migration

Around 1850, during the , Levi Boone Helm joined a departing from , seeking fortune in the gold fields but already carrying a reputation for and quarrelsomeness following earlier troubles in the East. As the group traversed the harsh overland route, conditions deteriorated in the arid desert near the in present-day , where and plagued the travelers. Helm, driven by desperation and , turned on his companions, killing and robbing them for their supplies to ensure his own survival. Among the specific victims of Helm's attacks were Mr. Post, whom he shot to seize their provisions, as well as Harrison , whom he clubbed to death in the desolate terrain. Another victim was Greek George, a Greek immigrant traveling with the party, whom Helm killed and whose body he partially consumed. In a grim act of survival , Helm ate portions of his victims' flesh, including the heart and liver of Greek George, later boasting that what began as necessity had become a source of perverse pleasure. These killings claimed at least three lives during this phase of the journey near , with Helm methodically eliminating those who might challenge him or share in scarce resources. During a later leg of his migration around 1853, en route to in , Helm and companions faced starvation in the rugged mountains during a harsh winter. He abandoned weaker travelers and returned to find his companion Burton had died, possibly by ; Helm then consumed one of Burton's legs and carried the other, resorting to once more. By the early , Helm arrived in , having evaded immediate pursuit amid the chaos of the migration, where was virtually nonexistent and reports of violence often went unheeded. The remote nature of the Humboldt Sink incidents, combined with the transient nature of travelers, ensured no legal consequences at the time, allowing Helm to blend into the mining camps and continue his westward exploits.

Later Crimes and Downfall

Killings in Mining Territories

After arriving in amid fervor of the early , Boone Helm quickly established a reputation for violence in the chaotic mining camps and boomtowns, where disputes often escalated into deadly confrontations. He engaged in multiple killings during personal altercations, typically involving duels or ambushes over minor grievances, though exact victim counts remain uncertain due to the lawless environment and his transient lifestyle. One documented incident involved a premeditated plot in the Rogue River Valley near the -Oregon border, where Helm stayed with a for over a month, gaining the man's trust before planning to murder him and steal his cattle; the scheme was foiled when a woman in Yreka overheard his intentions and warned the , prompting Helm's flight northward. Helm's pattern of violence persisted as he moved into around 1858, arriving at The Dalles on the , where he associated with criminal elements and plotted horse thefts in collaboration with . In the region's rough settlements, he committed several during robberies and brawls, often using alcohol-fueled arguments as pretexts to justify his attacks. These killings targeted isolated travelers and fellow prospectors, allowing him to seize , supplies, and horses while evading immediate capture in the sparsely policed territories. Though sporadic claims of surfaced in accounts of his Oregon travels—echoing earlier survival acts during migrations—such incidents were less prevalent here than in more desperate wilderness crossings. By the early 1860s, Helm ventured into the northern mining districts, including the Salmon River diggings in present-day , where booming camps like attracted fortune-seekers amid the ongoing . In 1862, at a Florence saloon, he provoked a quarrel with Dutch Fred, a local keeper known for his , before drawing his and shooting the unarmed man twice in the heart, killing him instantly; Helm fled the scene immediately, continuing his predatory ways by ambushing unnamed prospectors and travelers for their stakes and provisions. His crimes exploited the transient, vice-ridden atmosphere of the camps, where alcohol often ignited fatal disputes.

Capture, Confession, and Trial

Helm arrived in , in 1863, amid frenzy that drew thousands to the region. There, he engaged in a violent dispute with local hotelier Nick Dewey over an unpaid debt, culminating in Helm shooting Dewey in the back and killing him. Following the murder, Helm fled briefly to , but he was quickly located and arrested in , in December 1863 by a posse of vigilantes acting on behalf of local authorities. He was extradited back to to face charges for the Dewey killing. Under interrogation by the vigilantes, Helm confessed to 11 murders committed across several states during his years as an . He detailed the killings of victims including Blackburn, Post, Brown, Greek George, Dutch Fred, Big John, and Dewey, describing how he had resorted to in some instances to survive harsh conditions in the , all without showing any for his actions. His admissions painted a picture of a remorseless killer who had preyed on travelers, partners, and rivals from to and now in the Montana gold fields. The trial took place in January 1864 in Virginia City before a vigilante court, reflecting the rough justice of the where formal legal systems were still developing. The proceedings were swift, lasting only a short time, with Helm's confession and witness serving as the primary evidence for his conviction on the of Dewey. Despite initial denials and an oath on the claiming innocence, the weight of his own words and the of those who knew his sealed his fate. He was sentenced to , to be carried out immediately as part of the vigilantes' campaign against the road agents plaguing the territory.

Execution and Legacy

Hanging in Montana

Boone Helm was executed by hanging on January 14, 1864, in Virginia City, Montana Territory, as part of a vigilante action targeting members of Henry Plummer's road agent gang during a period of frontier lawlessness. The execution took place in a half-finished log building, where Helm and four others—Jack Gallagher, Frank Parrish, Haze Lyons, and George Lane—were hanged from a ridge-pole using ropes and drop boxes, witnessed by an estimated 6,000 men assembled in the town. In the lead-up to his death, Helm displayed a defiant and unrepentant demeanor, showing no fear and engaging in jesting with his fellow condemned men. He requested and consumed whiskey, drank heavily, and made light of the situation by telling Jack Gallagher to "stop making such a fuss" and remarking that "there's no use being afraid to die." As the trap was prepared, Helm shouted his final words—"Every man for his principles! Hurrah for Jeff Davis! Let 'er rip!"—before jumping off the box himself, snapping his neck in the fall. The public hanging was viewed by contemporaries as a necessary act of justice in the lawless mining territory, helping to suppress the activities of road agents and restore order amid the Plummer gang's reign of terror. Following the execution, the bodies were cut down after hanging for a period and buried locally in Boot Hill Cemetery in Virginia City, with no recorded disputes over the graves. This event marked the culmination of vigilante efforts in the region, contributing to a gradual decline in such extrajudicial actions as formal legal systems began to take hold.

Historical and Cultural Impact

Boone Helm exemplifies the extreme violence and lawlessness that characterized during era of the 1849–1860s, a period marked by rapid migration, resource scarcity, and weak formal governance in frontier territories. His crimes, spanning from to , highlight the perils faced by miners and travelers, including , , and survival amid harsh wilderness conditions. Helm's activities intersected with the broader Vigilante movement of the , where extralegal groups executed suspected criminals like him to restore order in mining camps overrun by outlaws. His 1864 hanging by vigilantes in Virginia City underscored the era's reliance on summary justice, reflecting a societal shift toward self-policing in the absence of established . His confessions, detailed in contemporary accounts, reveal a chilling detachment from his actions, often attributing murders to survival needs or alcohol-fueled rages rather than moral conflict, compounded by chronic alcoholism that exacerbated his violent tendencies. In , Helm has been depicted as a archetypal of , featured prominently in P. Langford's 1890 historical account Vigilante Days and Ways, which portrays him as a depraved figure emblematic of chaos and the necessity of intervention. literature, such as Ryan Green's 2020 book The Kentucky Cannibal, explores his life through primary sources, emphasizing his cannibalistic acts as both survival mechanism and symbol of moral decay. Podcasts like Dan Cummins's Timesuck episode from 2021 and The Serial Killer Podcast series in 2025 have popularized his story, often drawing parallels to modern serial killers such as due to the gruesome nature of his crimes. He receives occasional references in as a of unchecked brutality, influencing narratives of . Discrepancies in Helm's victim count persist, with historical estimates ranging from 11 confirmed murders—primarily in , , and —to inflated claims of over 20, stemming from unverified confessions and the era's incomplete records. These variations underscore challenges in documenting crimes and contribute to Helm's enduring role in shaping cultural understandings of Old West , where sensationalized accounts amplified tales of retribution against figures like him.
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