The Penn's Grove record., 1908-05-08

La Porte, Ind.-One of the most
shocking murder mysteries ever un-
earthed came to light when the bod
les of five persons, all of them MR.
dered, were found in the yard of the
home of Mrs. Bella Guinness, who,
with three of her children, was
burned to death on the night of April
28.
So far only two of the bodies have
been identified. These are Andrew
Heldgren, who came to this city from
Aberdeen, s. D., to marry Mrs. Gun
ness, whose acquaintance he had
made through a matrimonial bureau.
The other is that OF Jennie Olson
Guinness, a Chicago 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
were those of a man and two children,
apparently twelve years old. So
many bones are missing that the sex
OF the children cannot be determined.
The body of Heldgren was dismem-
bered, and the arms, legs, trunk and
head were buried in different parts of
the yard.
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 MUIR
dering Mrs. Guinness and her family,
committed the Heldgren crime.
Lamphere is a carpenter, and the
manner in which the body of Held
gren was dismembered leads to the
belief that it was done by some one
familiar with the use of a saw.
That Mrs. Guinness, a handsome,
fascinating woman, poisoned her first
husband. Albert Sorensen, in Chicago
there is no doubt now. Then she en-
ticed lei to her by advertising that
she would marry "a gentleman of
means" Once having enthralled
them by her charms she robbed and
murdered them. Three of the bod
les found in her proprietary grave.
yard are those of men; n has been
positively identified as that of An
drew Heldgren, of Aberdeen, S. Oak,
who was worth between $4,000 and
$4,000.
Two bodies are those of women
OF them one, Jennie Olson Guinness,
the adopted daughter, certainly knew
too much for the safety of this blue
bearded lady.
Thousands of persons tramped
through the rain to the Guinness
place. Scores of men reinforced the
laborers whom Sheriff Smulzer hired
to dig up the yard. There is a dread
full probability that more bodies will
be found, for it is certain that Mrs.
Guinness was as deliberate as a Bor-
gia and infinitely more cruel.
Tho collar of hor home uphara CHI
lived for four years, which Is now in
ashes, will be excavated. She had
the cellar paved with cement two
years ago, and she jealousy guarded
the cellar when this improvement was
being made. States Attorney Smith
expressed the belief that the cement
covers a tomb.
That her murderous. career was
cut suddenly short seems to be proved
by letters to her from Carl Peterson,
of Waupaca, Wis, which were found.
They were corresponding with a
view to matrimony." Peterson, plain
ly a frank, honest man. wrote candid
ly that he was much pleased with her
letters, but feared he had not as much
money as she wished her husband to
possess. Had he been richer.
A week ago a fire, then-and now
believed to be incendiary, destroyed
Mrs. Guinness house. Ten hours
later she and her three children, Myr-
tie, eleven years; Lucy, nine years.
and Philip, five years, were found
dead in the ruins. A Dante could not
describe, a Dore could not picture the
horrors this woman must have en-
dured to save her children and her.
self. She was devoted to her chill
dren; that she was widely praised as
"a good mother" tended to divert
some of the suspicious that have aris-