Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-05-14
MAN HELD FOR PART IN GUN
NESS GRIMES DENIES THAT HE
ADMITTED ACTS TO REV.
sCHELL, NEW WESLEYAN HEAD
BANKS WILL AID
THE PROSECUTION
AT CONFERENCE OF OFFICIALS
OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTION
8 PLANS ARE MADE TO MAKE
PUBLIC ALL TRANSACTIONS.

4 PLANS ARE MADE TO MAKE
PUBLIC ALL TRANSACTIONS.
Laporte, Ind, May 13.-Ray Lamp
here, the hired man on the Guinness
farm who is held for the alleged fir
/ ing Of the Guinness home in which the
murderess and her children are sup
posed to have met death, vigorously
denied today that he had made any
confession or promised any to Rev.
b. "A .Schell or to any one else The
Rev. Mr.. Schell, who has lately been
called to the presidency of Iowa Wes-
leyan university at Mt. Pleasant, Ia.
was quoted in an interview from Bal
timore as saying that Lamphere had
confessed his part in the crime.
Banks to Aid Prosecution.
At conference Of the officials Of
three Laporte banks today it was de-
termined that the most effective way
in aiding the authorities in untangling
the murder mysteries was to furnish
list Of all the transactions in which
3 Mrs. Guinness paid out, deposited or
received money. With a complete,
list of this kind Prosecutor Smith ea-
poets he will be able to secure valua-
BILE information.
Says Woman Was Murdered.
Before everything in this remark
Z able case is made clear, answers must
be found to the following questions:
Did Mrs. Guinness commit suicide?
Was she murdered?
I II murdered, who killed her?
Who set fire to the house?
States Attorney Smith said today:
MRS. Guinness was murdered. Ray
Lamphere is her murderer. He set
her house on fire. He did it because
the woman had spurned his love and
because she had harrted him in every
way possible. She had him arrested
twice. She had attempted to have
him committed to an insane asylum" !"
"Have you sufficient evidence to
convict Lamphere Of this arson and
murder?" the prosecutor was asked.
81 have" replied Mr.. Smith, en-
phatically.
Can you trace him to the Guinness
house on the morning Of the fire?"
I'VE can trace him near enough. His
own story of his trip from Lizzie
Smiths house to Wheatbrook's farm
on that fatal morning is full of con-
tradictions and falsehoods. He had
told a dozen different stories of his
movements In addition we have half
dozen witnesses who will testify
that he threatened to kill Mrs. Gun
ness. We have witnesses to prove
that she knew of his threats against
her. We have remarkably strong
circumstantial case"
"Aded in Staying HeIgeIeIn."
.Have you evidence to connect
Lamphere with the murder Of Andrew
Helgelein, whose dead body was dug
from Mrs. Guinness private GENE
tery?"
Il have. My evidence is almost con-
elusive"
"On what case against the prisoner
will you go to trial?"
II will try him first for arson and
murder in connection with the burn
ing of the Guinness home and the kill
ing of the woman and her three chill
dren.''
Two men living in Michigan City
have told startling story to the
states attorney that they saw Lam.
puSI0 d1lu WI ,. SIuluSSS dL IuS grew
some task of burying the body OF
Helgelein in the 'yard of horrors" at
the Guinness home on the night OF
January IA.
The men were taken to the Gun
ness farm yesterday and identified
the spot at which they saw the man
and woman working. The spot mark
ed the grave from which Helgelein' s
body was unearthed.
Buried at Night.
1--WE were walking to farmhouse
in the country out of Laporte,'' said
one of the men to States ATTORNEY
Smith. "It was bright. moonlight
night and the ground was white un
der three inches of snow 1t was pos
sible to see across the glistening land
scape great distance.
.tAs we passed the Guinness farm
house we saw Lamphere and Mrs
Guinness. Both were working busilJ
In the fenced inclosure at the side O.
the yard. We became interested il
what they were doing and stopped ii
!, the road We started to shout tt
4 them, but for some reason or othel
@ lid not do it. Mrs. Guinness made two
Shosips into the house and back tx
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