The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-16
Little More Can Be Learned of
Guinness Farm Murders
Until the Matter Gets Into
the Courts.
THE CURIOUS DEPART
Press Matter Sent Out Has
Failed Off Half,
Photographers Harvest at La
porte Is About Over.

| Laporte, Ind, May 16.-The burial
last night of Andrew M. Hegelein
| marks the beginning of the last stage
| of the Guinness farm mysteries so far
as human knowledge is concerned.
Two more corpses. supposed to have
been those of Jennie Olsen and Ole O..
Budsburg, have been partially
| identified but to. the identity of the
remaining cadavers no clew exists
| that gives promise of fulfillment. The
relics taken from the death farm
such as watches and rings. may ulti-
| mately lead to the determination that
some certain missing individual was
caught in the Guinness trap but this
Will give almost no aid in identifying
any particular body. The potters
field is most likely to be the ultimate
resting place of these seven bodies.
Yesterday witnessed the two con-
elusive findings regarding the bodies
unearthed in the barn yard or taken
from the smouldering ruins of the
farm houses. One. by the dentist,
who bridged Mrs. Guinness lower jaw
with artificial teeth. established that
the piece Of the jaw bone found in
the ruin was from her skull. - The
other subscribed to by three experts,
the barn yard of the farm was that
of Andrew Helgelein.
The f1nality of these conclusions
leaves few major matters which are
capable of solution to be brought to
life. The methods by which the VIC
tins of the farm were put to death
probably will never be known: to date
there is a total lack of evidence on
this point. The identity of the seven
corpses remaining unknown is an
ztl IL, - ~ oI-
Ray Lamoher shared in the secrets
of Mrs. Guinness is a third. Only the
last of these may be determined and
until the man is brought to trial and
either acquitted or convicted. nothing
approaching certainty will be known
it has positive evidence against
Lamphere and the defense as posi-
lively states that the prisoner can not
be proven guilty. The circumstanc
SO far as sLamphere's part in the
tragedies is concerned and judicial
process only can make clear their
relative value.
Up to the Courts.
The case has. in short, reached a
stage where only the courts. through
grand jury and open trial proceedings
questions which are to be brought be-
fore them. The grand jury, it is an
nounced, will begin to investigate the
evidence gathered by Sheriff Shutter
and Prosecutor Smith on Monday. Its
findings however, will shed little light
on the subject and the details of its
deliberations are not likely to become
known.
OF late the developments have been
negative in their nature. The identi-
f1cations of yesterday were exceptions
to a rule which bids fair to become
more general each day. The authori-
ties have been dealing very largely
with clues which prove to have been
false or misleading and the prob
abilities of fresh discoveries are re-
mote. The Investigations OF Sheriff
Shutter at the farm are being under
taken in manner that almost assures
positiveness of results. but the very
thoroughness of the work means that
it must be slow and tedious.
Laporte, in fact. is settling back to
its wonted calm. Fewer curbstone de-
bates regarding Mrs. Guinness and her
affairs are held and the excitement in
cident to the sensational discoveries Of
last week is decreasing.
The widespread interest which the
whole affair has created is evidenced
by the amount of press matter that has
been handled. Over score of special
writer's have been here and investiga-
ton shows that they have sent out
close to one million words of reading
matter in the last eleven days.
Close estimates of the amount of
copy which has been handled show
that one telegraph company has trans
mitted more than 100000 words in that
time while the other has taken care of
about $4,000. About 100000 words
have been sent through the mails and
material for close to 100000 words has
been transmitted by long distance tele-
phone. Indication is that many
writer's and correspondents have visit
ed Laporte to collect material for spe-
cial articles. but there is no method of
estimating the amount of their contri-
buttons accurately. The amount of
newspaper space taken up by photo
graphs and cartoons relating to the
Guinness farm is tremendous.
The local photographers have reaped
harvest and almost every train dur
ing the first few days of the sensat ton
brought men or women armed with
cameras and tripods.
The high tide Of the press matter
was reached May 9, when nearly IS. 600
words were sent out over the tele-
graph wires. Since then the amount
has steadily dwindled last night show
ing total of less than 10000 for the
"a hours ending at midnight