Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-06


After Mrs. Guinness bought the farm,
which contains sixty acres. it was i'm
proved considerably; a fine driving way
leading from the road to the house. which
STOOD on hill. surrounded by trees; well
Kept lawns, dotted with shrubbery and
mower plots sloped away toward the
neids on three sides and on the rear
10 me great barn. within which were
stabbed four horses. a pony for the chill
dren and several highly bred cows
There were an orchard a truck gar
den and meadow. Nothing about the
pidce suggested that it was an abode Of
InSstery and death. Yet. because Of the
previous character of the place, it was
summed by the neighbors. and when the
great death mystery which 1T held was
developed there were no friends of the
woman to whom the authorities could
turn Tor information. save Roy Lam
'9here, former man-of-all- work at the
1arm. and Joseph MaxSOn, whose short
service had given him no inkling of the
mysteries which enveloped the place.
Investigating Twelve Deaths.
Eleven deaths was the total this MORN
Ing the discovery Of the sixth body at
noon today increasing the number by
one The total includes two husbands
of Mrs. Guinness. five bodies found yes
terday and four bodies previously re-
ported.
Five bodies. some Of them dismem-
oered and the parts sewn in gunny-
sacks. were unearthed yesterday in soft
spots in the barnyard Of the burned
Guinness house. one mile out Of town.
With the four imperfectly identified
bodies recovered from the ruins Of the
house since the fire Of April %, which
carpenter. on suspicion of numbering
Mrs. Belle Guinness. forty-four years
old. and her daughters. Myrtle Soren-
sen. eleven years old; Lucy Sorensen.
nine years old. and their half-brother.
Philip Guinness five years Old there are
nine bodies to be identified.
Mrs. Guinness is believed to be the
murderer q the men and children One
ness home ~ matrimonial advertise
ment Lamphere was jealous of him.
and in that there may be possible
solution OF at least G,,s one Of the crimes
under suspicious circumstances. The
life Of the first Max Sorensen. was In
sured for $500. and that Of the second,
Guinness for $500. The companies
paid the money over to her.
J. Procured Substitute Corpse.
The opinion Is strong that the Guinness.
woman herself may not be dead. that she
procured a female corpse. set fire to her
own house and then fed. leaving the
world to believe she had persisted in the
flames.
The first body dug up was that OF An
drew Helgelein, wealthy bachelor OF
Aberdeen. s. D.. who came here in Janu-
airy and disappeared about February l.
The limbs and head had been sawed OIL
and placed in gunny. which then had
been sewn up. The body was nude.
In a second excavation q skeleton be-
iieved to be that of Jennie Olson. an
adopted daughter Of Mrs. Guinness. who
disappeared in September, 1905. was dis
covered. The girl was nearly seventeen
years old at the time and it was reported
by Mrs. Guinness that she had gone to
Los Angeles, Cal, to attend college.
Continued digging brought the search
ers to more sacks. which contained the
dismembered body Of q large man. De-
composition had reduced the body to such
state that the only features recogniz-
able as such were a dark mustache and
dark hair.
Beneath this body was another layer OF
earth. under which were found the bod
fes of two children, apparently about
twelve years of age. There are several
more suspicious places in the grounds
about the ruins and the authorities re-
sumed the search today with the chance
of finding more bodies.
&C.. Was veritable Catacombs.
A dispatch from Laporte this after.
noon states that the gang of men ex
cavating on the Guinness farm today
under the direction of Sheriff Shutter
came upon another disturbed spot within
six feet of the place where yesterday
four bodies were dug up. and upon dig
ging three feet down struck a wooder
box which fell tn pieces as their spades
hit il. Upon taking away the dirt thu
men found the skeleton Of a man lyinl
face downward. Continuing their dig
ging at the same place. the men came
upon the skeletons of two more persons
but there was no clothing and it was i'm
to toll hafh 4
OF female The ground Is being Still
further excavated.
John Larson of 99o Francisco avenue.
Chicago. twenty,eight years old. a
nephew of Mrs. Guinness. Is here trying
TO take four bodies found in the ruins OF
the fire to Chicago. which he believes
are the bodies of his aunt. Mrs. Belle
Guinness. and her children. Myrtle. Luc,
less. The nephew made a deposition be-
fore the coroner. DIR. Charles 8. Mack
and a statement to the newspapers today
which throws light upon the life and past
history Of Mrs. Guinness He said:
MY aunt was born in Trondhjen. Nor
way where she still has sister and
brother living. Her maiden name was
Belle Paulsen. She was forty-eight years
six years ago. My mother Is her sister.
Had Weakness for Children.
My aunt had a weakness for adopting
children. She was queer woman and
there was arrangement in the family
with her for about fifteen years. Wher
first she met people she was cordial.
Later she would appear Indifferent to
them. She was married at the age OF
twenty-four to Max Sorenson He died
suddenly after eating supper His wife
found him dead in a room upstairs This
was in Austin. ILL., There were rumors
that Sorenson was poisoned. l under
stand the body was exhumed, but NOTHING
was done otherwise.
Her second husband was A. Guinness
whose death was also unusual meat
cleaver fell on him in his home and ia.
tally injured him. In addition he was
scalded. He died without making any
statement. When my aunt lived in Aus
tin the house in which she lived was
burned. Later she lived at North Eliza
where she conducted a confectionery and
stationery store. but did not own the
building. That place. too. was burned out
and she got insurance money. There was
report that the fire was started nv her
My aunt wanted to adopt my oldest sis.
ter fifteen years ago. but my father OBJ.
jected This caused the family estran Re.
ment. She adopted Jennie Olson wher
Jennie was eight months Old
Investigating Another Mystery.
. Another mystery has developed In tn,
series OF murders committed in ant
around the Guinness house.
Sheriff Schulzer today commenced a,
investigation into the disappearance O
Ole RudsberU of lola Wis R,,dsho 70