Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-11-26
JUDGE RICHTER ADVISES JURY
THAT 1T CAN CONVICT HIM OF
ARSON If IT'S FOUND HE FIRED
GUINNESS HOME.
CASE GOES TO THE
JURY LATE TO-DAY
LAST WITNESS FOR DEFENSE,
DR.. HAINEs, PROVED uNWlL-
LING TO TESTIFY POISON
CAUSED GUINNESS DEATHS.

Laporte, Ind, Nov 25.-The
state scored big victory today in
the Lamphere trial when Judge
Richter announced that he would
instruct the jury that il the evil
dence showed that Lamphere set
fire to the Guinness house, even If
the fire did not cause the death
of any persons therein, the jury
must find him guilty of arson.
Also that if the jury finds any per
son in the house lost his life as
the result of the fire and that
Lamphere set that fire, then it
must find Lamphere guilty Of
murder or manslaughter.
1.aporte, Ind, Nov. 25 Testimony
IN the trial of Ray Lamphere, charged
. with the murder OF Mrs. Belle Gun
ness and her three children, was
closed yesterday afternoons, following
expert testimony which was consider
ed damaging to the defense. Today
was taken up with arguments and in
structions to the jury. 1t is expected
the case will be in the jury's hands by
evening, with the possibility ct v9r-
dict before midnight
DR.. Walter S. Haines Of Chicago yes
terday testified as a medical experl.
For an hour and ten minutes he occl-
pied the witness stand, telling what ne
found by analysis in the stomachs ri
the three bodies tai ken from the Gun
ness house ruins. He also described
the contents Of the stomach of AndreY
Helgelein.
In so far as the attorneys for the de-
fense expected DR.. Haines to testify
that arsenic and strychnine in fatal
quantities were found by analysis,
their expectations were fulfilled. But
the expert stated frankly he did not
know whether the poison was intro
duced into the bodies before or after
death.
Unable to Tell Cause of Death.
Dr. Haines added he could not de-
termine the cause of death by his ana
lysis. or even tell whether the poi
son had been inside or outside the
stomach owing to the fact that
three stomachs were in one jar, and
were in advanced stages of decompo-
sition.
In the case of Helgelein, DR.. Haines
said he found both strychnine and
arsenic. In his testimony he said:
"On May 27 received three seal
ed jars form Laporte. One jar con-
tanned three stomachs together. An
other jar contained contents of the
stomachs. A third jar contained the
stomach Of man named Helgelein.
i analyzed for poison. Helgelein's
stomach contained arsenic in abun-
. dance, and considerable quantity OF
2lstrychnine. | examined third Of
ehe stomach finding little less
Ethan one-third of grain Of strychnine.
If the stomach was of uniform compo-
sition | would conclude the total
amount Of strychnine 10 have been
about one and hall grains About
4one-third of d grain is the smallest
amount that records show has caused
the death - an adult
The stomachs in the other Jar
We're run together TO the only possible
thing to do was to analyze the whole
mass. l found an abundance of arsenic
and concluded that the whole mass
contained between one and half and
two grains enough to cause the
death of three persons
Dr. Hainse was followed by Alexan-
der Neddo, living two miles from ths
Guinness place, who testified that he
saw the fire at o'clock on the morn
Ing of April 2S
Prosecution Uses Its Bomb.
In rebntTal the prosecution exploded
lis bomb against the prison theory.
sAustin Cutler, undertaken, testified
chat befora the autopsies were psr.
Formed on The bodies of the Guinness
family he embalmed them with from
ten to fifteen pounds of arsenicaI com
pound in powdered form and about
wo gallons Of light embalming fluid.
Composed cEifiy of formaldehyde.
AS he failsd to account for the pres
ence of strYchuine, the defense seized
upon this point to convince the Jury
that q reasonable doubt of Lamphere's
euilt exists.
The undertaken further testified thar
tbout 200 persons had access to the
oodies before the autopsies. making it
appear thai opportunity existed for in.
reducing noison in the bodies while
hey were lying in the morgue.