The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-05-14
Nine ARE MURDERED
IN ONE HOUSE
Five Corpses Found In Yard Of
Woman's Home.

Laporte, Ind. Especially .-One ot
the most grewsome murder mysteries
ever unearthed in this section of the
country came to light here, when the
bodies of five persons, all of them
murdered, were found In the yard OF
the home of Mrs. Belle Guinness, who
with three of her children, was burn
ed to death on the night of April 2S.
So far only two of the bodies have
been identified. These are Andrew
Heldgren, who came to this city from
Aberdeen, s. D., for the purpose Of
marrying Mrs Guinness, whose ac-
quaintance had been made through
matrimonial bureau. The other Ia
that of Jennie Olson Guinness, a ii
cago girl, who had been adopted by
Mrs Guinness. She disappeared in
September, 1906, and it was said
had gone to Los Angeles to attend
school. The other bodies we're those
of two men and woman. None of
them has been as yet identified.
The body of Heldgren was dismem-
bered, and the arms, legs, trunk and
head we're buried in different parts
of the yard.
hOHlttn 0ONtE OEdNCSs
1t is believed by the authorities
that Guy Lamphere, who has been
under arrest since the burning OF
the Guinness home, on the charge of
numbering Mrs. Guinness and her
family, committed the Heldgren
crime. Lamphere is a carpenter, and
the manner In which the body of
Heldgren was dismembered leads to
the belief that Il was done by some
body familiar with the use of a saw.
In some quarters it is believed that
Mrs. Guinness may have known some
thing of the murders of the five peo-
pie, as 1t is not considered likely that
so many could have been buried in
her yard without her, at sometime,
becoming familiar with the fact.
There have been rumors that Jennie
Olson Guinness had knowledge of the
manner in which the first husband
of Mrs. Guinness came to his death
in Chicago. Little Is known, how
ever, on this subject.
It is known that Heldgren had
loaned $1,000 to Mrs. Guinness and
that he had another $500 in his
possession just prior to his death. 1t
is considered probable that he was
killed by Mrs. Guinness or by Lam
phere, or by both of them, in order
to procure the cash he had and to
avoid the necessity of paying the loan
he had made.
Lamphere, against whom a strong
case of circumstantial evidence ex-
lists in connection with the burning
of the Guinness home and the death
of Mrs. Guinness and her children,
denies all knowledge of the bodies
found. He has said, however, on
other occasions that Mrs. Guinness
was anxious to send him to an insane
asylum because of his knowledge of
her career.
Did Trunks Contain Corpses?
1t was current gossip, however,
that Lamphere was insanely jealous
of Mrs. Guinness and of Heldgren,
and it is we'll known that the woman
stood greatly in fear of him and had
asked for police protection.
The search by which the bodies
were found was instigated by John
Heldgren, the brother of Andrew,
who has always believed that his
brother was murdered, and that he
had never gone to Norway, as claim
ed by Mrs. Guinness and Lamphere.
He noticed some recently upturned
earth in the yard, and suggested to
Sheriff Smutzer that an excavation
be made to see If his brothers body
could not be found. 1t was dug up
after a brief search.
No Identification of the other bod
les found in the yard is expected for
some time. 1t is considered prob
able, however, that they are those
of people murdered with the knowl
edge of Mrs. Guinness for the purpose
of securing money.
While interviewing Joseph Max
son, hired hand on the Guinness
place, John Heldgren learned of the
mysterious digging of holes by him,
all of them being filled at later
date by Mrs. Guinness. The remains
were only four feet under ground
and were inelosed in a gunnysack.