The Anaconda standard., 1899-07-31
SHE WAS BURIED ALIVE.
Shocking Tale of Cruelty Told by a
Women In ade1phia.

A tale that for horror, cruelty and
barbarity SURPRISING anything that has
been brought to light in modern times
was revealed yesterday by an in
vestigation into the case of Mrs. Nc
Guinness, the woman buried alive" )"
at Jersey City.
Last March Mr.. McGuinness and
his wife took room at 1914 Spruce
street, Philadelphia. He represented
that he was very poor. and judging by
the dress of both himself and wife, the
man spoke the truth. They left the
place and returned the next month.
This time McGuinness did not repre-
sent himself as poverty stricken, but
took seeming pride in talking of his
houses in different cities.
His home in Jersey City he described
fully, and although scarcely able 10
read and write himself he spoke with
pride of his immense library and valu-
able collection of paintings. He was
also quite interested in sporting mat
ters and watched reports of the races
with keen interest. Yet with all this
wealth which he professed to have, and
which later events proved to be lies,
McGuinness and his wife were shabbily
dressed and spent very little money.
Despite the watchfulness of her hus-
band Mrs. McGuinness held a few con-
vesatlons with some of the women In
the IlOuSt. Al llISl Sit lldO
little to say. Gradually she was drawn
out, and in the occasional talks they
had with her the other boarders learned
considerable of her history.
She married McGuinness July 10, 1879
at st. Joseph's Roman Catholic church
in Newark. just after finishing hel
education at ST. Vincent's convent. Her
maiden name was Anderson. She Was
21 years old and had been noted at the
convent for her beauty. McGuinness
said he was worth 81, 900. and prom.
ised her that she should live in luxury
all her life. Immediately after they
were married the couple sailed for Eu-
rope, where they remained for more
than a year. McGuinness told her hi
was afraid to return to America be
cause the brothers of his former wife
were trying to get her money away
from him.
This was the first she knew of hls
previous marriage and she was sur,
prised to learn that she herself was
his third wife and that the other twt
had died under mysterious circum
stances. His second wife was a Mrs
Calvin of New York cultured, refined
died after they had been married &
few years. McGuinness got all hel
money and property, but 1t did no
amount to a third of his entire wealth
Where he got the other two-thirds Il
still a mystery and one he PERSISTENT!
refuses to divulge.
The couple had been married abou
year before McGuinness began t.
manifest those idiosyncrasies which
have filled the life of his wife will
misery and made her prematurely old
At first he began limiting her in dress
Then he regulated her eating and finally
he compelled her to keep in her room
He had a new house built on Jersey
Heights, Jersey City. 1t was a mag
nificent mansion and luxuriously furn
ished.
A peculiar thing about was a high
stone wall all around it. Here hi
brought his wife and here she says be-
gan her living burial.
She was not allowed to sit at a win
dow. She was not given the freedom
of the yard, and when she was she was
insulted by the servants. In the houst
there were a number of servants anG
plenty of the comforts of life, but they
were not for her enjoyment, nor die
her husband enjoy them alone. He had
many friends of both sexes. Children
were born to her. The first one, Mrs
McGulnness says, died because she haC
no one to help her care for it, and be
cause of insufficient food. The SECOND
was taken from her when he was tive
years old. Her repeated inquiries con
cerning him remained unanswered and
she never heard of him until n few
years later, when she saw him in nj.
coffin