NO.

307 AUTUMN OCTOBER 1929

C A L I FORNIA
WE E K LY
Yesterday, George Milton murdered Lennie Small, a worker at Ben Smith’s ranch. Lennie
Small did have a history of mental illness and had tried to defend himself with a gun. Helen
Smith’s body was found with her neck broken and her skin pale at the barn before Lennie Small’s
death. The murder happened down at Soledad when the sun had started to hide behind the
mountains.
When the workers found  Helen Smith (daughter in law of Ben Smith, the ranch
owner)  dead they realized that Lennie Small had been gone from the barn where he had always
been taking care of his puppy. When they arrived at the barn, they found a dead puppy with the
body of Helen Smith. The workers went looking for Lennie Small immediately, when they found
her body and Curley Smith (her husband) got drowned in his tears. Although they stopped on the
way, when they found out that one of the workers lost their gun. When they started looking for it,
George Milton had already been gone looking for Lennie Small.
Lennie Small got killed near the Salinas River down at Soledad. He got murdered by his
best friend, George Milton. George  Milton killed Lennie Small, because he had tried to defend
himself by taking one of the guns that when missing from one of the workers.
Lennie Small was known as a very animal loving person, and no one really hated him.
George Milton says, "Lennie did have some problems of keepin' control of him self, an' I had
problems too keepin' him out of trouble. I think Lennie's mental illness made him so childish an'
he couldn't remember what he was supposed to do. All he thought about was animals." 
Helen Smith was known as a very beautiful woman who adored her hair. She had just got
married with Mr. Curley Smith and had just started living a happy life. Although no one knows
why Helen Smith was with Lennie yesterday only the ones that don’t speak anymore know.
Will anyone be able to solve this death that no one can solve?

Obituary
Yesterday, Ms. Helen Smith got murdered and her body was found with her neck broken. Her
body was found at Mr. Ben Smith’s barn where her husband works too which is also her home. Her
hair had been messed up and her skin was very pale. Her husband is in misery and can not stand the
sadness.

 Letter to the editor
Dear Editor,

I'm Curley Smith a worker at Ben Smith's ranch an' also, husband of Helen Smith. I've never been so
sad, frustrated and angry in me life before. Why, why did it have to be me wife. Why did that huge ugly
beast have to kill me wife? What did she do? To be honest I'm happy that he's dead, he deserves it.
George always says, "He ain't do it no purpose, He ain't do it no purpose." You think someone would do
that on purpose? Kill me wife? I don't think so. 

Now I hav' nothin', everythin' I loved is gone from me now. Helen was so beautiful, the first time I saw
her was outside the River Side Dance Palace. She was so beautiful, most beautiful in me life. I don't kno'
how it happened. A minute later I saw her I was already proposin' to her. I knew she would say no, but
she said yes. She actually said yes. I was so happy she came and started livin' at me house from right the
next day. Me dad was happy to when she came cause' he was always sayin' get a wife get a wife.

Althoug' we got married, she did get sorta mean. She won't talk to me an' she makes fun of me hair. I like
me hair, but I loved hers more. I don't think I'll love anyone else anymore, that ugly beast ruined me life.
I'm just going to work at the ranch an' live with me dad. I hate that beast. I want me wife back.

I have one thin' that I always wanted to kno' about. Why was that ugly beast with me wife that day?
Cause' if that beast took her there then, he did it on purpose, that thing killed me wife on purpose. But..
what if it was the other way? Me wife went there to see that thing? Well, I’ll never kno' about that.

- Curley Smith

Opinion
Today’s opinioned article is about Mr. Lennie Small’s death. We also interviewed Mr. George
Milton, his best friend.

In the front page of this article it questions, Double murder. Helen Smith’s death, on
purpose or an accident? We asked Mr. George Milton about this and he thinks it was an accident.
He said, “I’m sure Lennie ain’t do it no purpose because he always ain’t do it no purpose. When he
killed the mouse he had he ain’t do it no purpose. He just likes pattin’ them an’ strokin’ em’. He
always wanted to tend rabbits but he can’t tend no rabbits anymore.”

Mr. George Milton had known Mr. Lennie Small’s aunt and when she died, He said that he
will take care of Lennie. According to Mr. Milton, Lennie’s mental illness got a little worse when he
came to the ranch. Since he is big and tall everyone thought he was tough. He was strong but never
used his strength much.

He loved animals a lot and he also got a puppy from one of the workers at the ranch but the
puppy was found dead at the ranch yesterday, before Lennie’s death. Mr. Milton also mentioned
something traguc, “ I didn’t want to kill Lennie but I had to. He had gone nuts by the time I found
him. He was shaking like mad with the gun but he always listened to me. So told to give me the
gun, but he didn’t. He didn’t listen to me for the first time but then I said in a louder and lower
voice to give me the gun and he did. Lennie was always scared of low or loud voices. When I got the
gun back and tried to put it away, Lennie tried to grab it from me again, but then I did it. I tried to
get his hands off and then I accidently shot his head and Lennie just dropped to the ground.”