Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-05-21
FOUR MURDERED
CHRISTMAS EVE
AUTOPSY SHOWS GUINNESS FARM
GRAVE WAS PROBABLY FILLED
ON NIGHT BEFORE HOLIDAY -
ONE SKELETON WoMAN's

WIZ were SluiCluS IuS ASHES III inc
debris OF the Guinness fire, found the
upper and lower plates from Mrs.
Guinness mouth, both containing false
teeth which DR.. Morton Immediately
identified
This proves beyond shadow of
doubt" said the sheriff, chat Mrs.
Guinness was burned to death in the
fire.
Four Killed in One Night.
Developments in the Guinness case
last night indicate that Mrs. Belle
Guinness celebrated Christmas, 1906,
by killing four people-perhaps on
the same night and burying them in
the same grave. This startling theory
was advanced last night following an
autopsy made of two unidentified
skeletons by Drs. George G. Osborn
and F. T. Wilcox, who showed posi-
lively that one Of the skeletons hither-
to thought to be that Of man is that
of woman. 1t came from the grave
in which four bodies, including that
of Jennie Olson were found.
All of the four dismembered bodies
were in an equally advanced state
of decomposition, and, coupling the
story of Emil Greening, former
hired man, now living in Oklahoma
City, Okla, and the known facts
about the time of the disappearance
of John O.. Moe, it appears likely that
Jennie Olson, Moe and some musical
professor and his wife were all muir
dered at Christmas time, 1906
The last seen of Moe was Christ
mas, 1906, which he spent at the Gun
ness farm, where it Is practically GER
tain that he was murdered. Jennie
Olson's disappearance with profess
sor and his wife who were going to
take her to California according to
! Mrs. Guinness, has been placed at the
same time, the exact date being un-
certain.
| Woman Had Masculine Voice.
Greening, in statements made in
Oklahoma City, has stated that a man
and woman, whose voice sounded
like mans and who he suspected
was man dressed in woman's cloth
ing, were at the Guinness home the
last night he saw Jennie Olson alive.
Greening was told to sleep in the
barn that night and the next day he
was told that Jennie had gone with
the strangers.
"All we can tell about the two un-
identified bodies is that one is of a
man who probably had brown or
black hair and that the other is a
woman" said DR.. Osborn. "The teeth
do not offer any basis for possible
| Identification. In fact, we are not GER
tain which Of the skulls belongs to
the woman's body because there
are some things about the skulls that
might lean to the supposition that
both are mems But the shape of the
pelvic bones and other indications
have shown us beyond any doubt
whatsoever that one of the bodies is
that of a woman
| Ordered Burial as Paupers.
There is such scant hope of iden-
tifying the bodies that Coroner Mack
has ordered that they be buried in
the potter's field The same course
will be taken with the other unidenti-
fed bodies 1t is remarked that the
pauper burials probably will be meted
out in cases where there are relatives
well able to pay for Christian burials
were they able to identify the bodies.
The holy Of Jennie Olson will be bur-
led by the girls father, Anton Olson,
Of Highlands, Mich.
j. G. Renden, half brother of John
A. Moe. yesterday identified one Of
the watches found in the ruins of the
Guinness house as having belonged to
his brother. The watch was Wal
than and the case number was Ats.
Redden said he thought the jeweler
who furnished him with the descrip-
tion of the works made mistake in
the number and make, and that he
has no doubt that the watch belonged
to Moe.
at was Johns watch he told Pros
ecutor Smith.
Reward Likely for Woman.
Within day or two those who be.
lieve Mrs. Guinness alive may have
their belief stimulated by the appear.
ance of poster like this:
$4,000 DOLLARS REWARD.
Four thousand dollars reward
will be paid to any person pro-
ducing Mrs. Belle Guinness In La
| porte, alive.
Former Iowan In California Dead.