The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1908-05-09


From chiesso-Mrs. Guinness Sister
Says She Was Crazy For Money.
la Porte, Ind. May IA possible
solution of the Guinness farm mystery.
which was deepened when four addi-
ioual bodies were found IN the barn
ard. has developed. Evidence tending
10 show that the nine dismembered
-orpses had been shipped TO La Porte.
probably from Chicago. came 10 light
Testimony of drsymen. who had cart
"a trunks and boxes 10 the Guinness
home. lent color 10 this superstition
IA Porte police also received informa.
lion tlat two trunks. consigned to
Mrs Belle Guinness. Ia Porte. Ind
are held in an express Office in Chi
-aso. Assistance Of the Chicago police
a unravelling the puzzle was sought
ct once
TWO at the nine mutilated bodies
were identified with reasonable Ger
,ainty. Antoine Olson. OF Chicago.
viewed the body supposed to be that
q Jennie Olson. sixteen years old.
foster daugSer of Mrs. Guinness. aud
pronounced st to be that OF his daugh-
ter. a sister OF the girl. Mrs. Leo
Oiandcr. OF Chicago. confirmed the
fathers Identification.
Ask h Hclgclein. whose inquiries
regarding his missing brother Andrew
led 10 the first discoveries on the
icath haunted farm. became sure that
The largest and best-preserved of the
corpses is that Of his brother Against
this Identification. however is the re-
suit Of the autopsy performed on this
body by Or J. h. Meyer. He found
conditions which to his mind proved
that the man persisted long after An
drew Helgelein disappeared last Jan
uary. DR.. Meyer said that the corpse
showed evidences of having been in
the ground less than two weeks.
Roy Lamphere. who is held on a
charge OF first degree murder as a re
suit Of the FIRE thar destroyed the
Guinness home and caused the deaths
II Mrs. Belle Guinness and her three
children. gave no new evidence. de-
spite repeated questionings. Ralph ".
Smith. prosecuting officer. asserted
hat a confession is not necessary so
TAR as Lamphere Is concerned we
have evidence In the shape OF letters
connecting Lamphere with alleged
murders at the farm. he said. The ex-
act nature OF these letters was care
fully guarded by Mr. Smith
The belief is growing in Ia Porte
that Mrs. Guinness was not burned 20
1eath IN the FIRE at her house. but that
the body supposed TO be hers is really
that OF another woman The basis for
this belief is that the head OF the body
supposed 20 be Mrs. Guinness is miss
ing. The autopsy held Immediately
after the FIRE revealed that. while the
head vas apparently burned OF. the
rest OF the body was scarcely scorch-
cd Many persons think that Mrs.
Guinness is now on her way To Nor
way.
Stirred by the horror experienced by
citizens as each additional bundle OF
icCayiug bones and hcsh was discov.
cred the commissioners OF Ia Porte
county resolved 70 use every resource
40 their command toward finding an
answer 10 the puzzles that confront
the police. The board decided to offer
a reward OF $1,000 for The solution Of
tie enigma.
with curious sightseers. When sheriff
Shutter and his assistants reached
the place they resumed the task OF
delving for bodies. Carriages. wag-
ons. bicycles and automobiles were
lined along the ornamental wire fence
which separates the wooded knoll on
which the residence stood from the
macadam highway leading from la
Porte Many persons also trudged 20
the place on foot. and by the time the
FIRST OF the discoveries had been made
the spectators numbered hundreds.
OF the nine cadavers. seven are
those of males. All were adults. the
two smaller bodies found Monday and
first thought to be those Of children
proving otherwise when the bones
were examined by the coroner.
The best clew which has yet been
found came to light Immediately fol
lowing the discovery of the last three
bodies John A. Welker. a liveryman.
and Leo Wade, his employe. told OF
having carted heavy trunks to the
Guinness farm In the summer and au-
tumn of 1906. Clyde Sturgis. employ
I'd by Foster q Degarmo another uv-
cry concern. remembered that he took
two smaller trunks TO the place about
a year ago. In addition. several heavy
boxes. marked variously potatoes"
4 and wall paper" were carted to the
house at different times.
II these trunks contained dismem-
bered corpses, disposal of the bodies
at the farm would have been compare
lively simple. Joseph Maxson. man
of all work at the Guinness place since
last February; Roy Lamphere the
prisoner IN the case. and Fred Brick
man, neighbor have told OF digging
trenches in the barnyard at Mrs Gun
ness directions.