The Topeka state journal., 1908-05-14
Grews0me Relics of Guinness
Slaughter Pen Unearthed.
Ten Timepieces Found But
Bodies of Only Nine Men.
A FLOOD OF LETTERS.
WritersOffer to Produce Woman
for a Consideration.
Evidence That Lamphere Black
mailed the Woman.
Charles Nelson Saw Her Hand
Him $500.
A FLOOD OF LETTERS.

Laporte. Ind, May 14.-The Gun
ness death farm today gave up more
corroborative evidence. Two more
watches were found in the debris OF
the ruined house. The bodies of nine
male victims have been unearthed yet
the record of watches belonging to
men is now ten.
Sheriff Shutter announced after the
finding of today that he will resume
digging operations with the hope of
uncovering additional skeletons. AT
ter the watches were found today
Prosecutor Smith and the sheriff
held a hurried consultation but neither
would reveal the details of their talk.
over 100 letters of the crank va
riety were received by the sheriff, the
coroner and other officials today.
Some of them offered to produce Mrs.
Guinness for consideration. The
state announced this morning that
confirmation of their belief that
Lamphere had endeavored to black
mail Mrs. Guinness has been secured
from a former resident of this city,
who is now at Chesterton, Ind. They
assert that a man named Charles Nell
son will testify that he saw Mrs. Gun
ness give $500 to Lamphere. Prose
cutor Smith argues that this sum is
far in excess of any amount which
might have been due to Lamphere for
the class of service which he per-
formed on the farm.
The defense also announced new
witness, Fred w. Freeze of Fort
Wayne, who was in charge of the re-
moval of the bodies from the ruins of
The attorneys for Lamphere say that
the only possible Identification of some
of these corpses was made by means
of the teeth in the blackened skulls.
They will draw parallel between the
fires at Fort Wayne and the Guinness
farm and will argue that if the skulls
remain intact on the bodies of the
Fort Wayne victims that it would not
have been possible for Mrs. Guinness
head to have been totally consumed in
the confiagration, which totally de-
stroyed her home.
Are the Globules Gold?
The possible determination that
by the mining operations or
the Guinness farm yesterday were
bits of gold used by a dentist for fill
4 ings in crowns on the woman's teeth
is likely to be development of I'M
portance in the case. The specimens
were turned over to a local jewelel
last night and it is expected that he
will report on them soon. The tests
which are necessary, one by applying
acids to the metal and those involv-
comparatively simple to experts an6
the general conformation Of the relics
will also be taken into consideration
The fact that these products Of the
sluice box failing are globules is ta-
ken as prima facie evidence that the
metal is gold. DR.. l. p Norton, whc
pronounced the specimen found Tues
day to be a bit of gilded picture fran
ing said yesterday that gold of the
flneness used by dentists always bub
t,,%o eli 0A,,1A 1Ao
and the specimens in question are sup
posed to have been in the hottest par
of the ruined Guinness home for IL o.
more hours. The mystery has reach
ed a stage where the determination o
such facts is of major Importance
The discovery of additional bodies is
remote possibility and the identified
tion of any of the seven cadavers re
manning unmarked is even more dis
tantly to be expected
The authorities are being deluget
with inquiries concerning missing per
sons but with a few exceptions thes
communications are valueless becaus
OF the absence Of information as t.
malformations, dental work or othe
marks which might give a clew t
the identity of the crumbling skeleton
which are listed as totally unknown
Most of these remnants Of humanit,
have been under ground for years,
circumstance which has not been ia
volunteer correspondents of Sherit
Shutter, Coroner Mack and the othe
officials interested. Many of the letter
reveal pitiful stories Of anxious par
ents, brothers, sisters. husbands O
wives. who have waited long month
or years for word from their love
ones But they also show that in a
astonishing number of cases the hat
its, characteristics or physical pecull
arities of the missing persons hav
been either unknown or forgotten. 1
the presence of these latter circum
stances the authorities at Laporte ar
powerless to give the aid sought G
satisfy the demands of their off1cis
oDnsciences.
Yesterdays developments did littl
to elucidate the unsolved problems
arising from the corpse sown farm
The letter from Cleveland, concern
ing the attempts of an accomplice @
Mrs. Guinness to draw another victir
into her net, served to strengthe
the idea that the woman was the cen