The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-01
Is to Show That Guinness WO-
man Is Not Dead.
ON WILD GOOSE CHASE
The Sheriff Journeys All the
Way to Texas
To Get a Confession That Proves
to Be Worthless.


Chicago, June IA dispatch to the
Record-Herald from Laporte, Ind,
says:
Herman w. Worden, counsel for
Ray Lamphere, held on a charge of
numbering Mrs. Guinness and her
three children by setting fire to their
home, in a statement indicated that
the defense would make determined
effort to prove that Mrs. Guinness is
alive.
I'VE have every reason to believe
that she is alive said Mr.. Worden.
II expect letters tomorrow which
will indicate the readiness of the man
who received letter from Mrs. Gun
ness as late as May to come to La
porte to prove the fact"
Truelson's Confession.
Laporte, Ind, June with the
return today of Sheriff Shutter, from
Vernon, Texas, where he went to in
veStigate the alleged confession of
New York man named Truelson, who
wrote to Prosecutor Smith that he had
been an accomplice of Mrs. Guinness
in several of her murders, the de-
tails of the sequel to that confession
became known. The sheriff did not
bring Truelson back with him for the
reason that it is claimed the con-
fession does not hold good, having
been made by the prisoner in order to
escape forgery charge in Texas.
The confession, if true, would solve
many of the mysteries of the Guinness
murder. farm, and would hang both
Truelson and Ray Lamphere, the La
porte suspect now under Indictment.
The Vernon, Texas, prisoner is %
years old and gives the name of
Julius G. Truelson. jr. He claims to
be the son of a wealthy manufacturer.
Truelson has been in Jail there
since March 90, charged with sw1nd-
ling by representing himself to be
Jonathan G. Thaw of Pittsburg, a
cousin of Harry K. Thaw. and passing
many forged checks.
According to the alleged confession
of Truelson, jr.. he took his wife,
Mae Frances O'Reilly of Rochester,
N. Y, to the Guinness farm to have
her put out of the way and helped
Lamphere bury her, and assisted in
disposing Of six other bodies at the
Guinness farm.
Mae O'Reilly is missing. Truelson
jr., has since retracted the alleged
confession. The police of Rochester
tried ten days ago to find her and re-
ported that she had disappeared about
the time Truelson, according to the
confession took her to- Laporte to
have--he killed SO that he could
marry again. Jewelry bearing the
name of Mae F.. O'Reilly was found
in the Guinness ruins.
Further, Truelson ''confesses" that
he intended to take his second wife,
Sarah Arabella Vreeland, daughter of
C. P. Vreeland of East Ninety-t third
street, Canarsie, L. l., with whom he
eloped in March last, to the Gunness's
farm.
All that prevented him. the confess
ion" says, was a letter from Mrs. Gun
IT
making inquiries regarding the disap-
pearance of some of her victims and
that he should come alone.
In his confession" Truelson said,
he can read Danish well enough to
understand, but cannot speak the
read Mrs. Guinness matrimonial ad-
vertisement in a Danish paper publish
ed in Milwaukee and by correspond
ence arranged to meet her in the Sher-
man House, Chicago
From there he accompanied her to
Laporte, staying over night, and was
told that, although he had no money
and was too young to marry her, she
could put him in the way of making
considerable money by helping to dis
pose of bodies of persons who died un-
der her care. Truelson declared in
the confession" that Mrs. Guinness
told him she was practicing as a mid
wife illegally and that many of her
patients died, and it was part of her
contract to dispose of the bodies. She
said she had one man, but it required
two to do the work.
Say 1t Can't Be True.
New York, June Julius G. Truel-
son. the young man whose alleged con-
fession in connection with the Guinness
farm mystery and his subsequent re-
traction was made public today, is be-
lieved by his family to be mentally I'M
sound. His brother Harry said Julius
had been irresponsible since he was
struck by a trolley car in Broad way
here five years ago. julius sustained
serious injury to the skull at that time,
the brother said, and Harry believes
the story told by Julius of his connec-
ton with the Guinness farm affair
could not possibly be true, as Julius
was serving sentence in Elmira re-
formatory at the time covered by the
alleged confession. Young Truelsons
family are in fairly good circumstances.
They say they have exhausted every
effort in an unsuccessful attempt to re-
form Julius and that they will have
/ TO- IL ill 1T,