The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-13
Farm Hand Faces Charge of
Numbering, Through Burning,
Woman and Children.
CASE PROMISES TO BE
EXTREMELY SENSATIONAL
Theory Is That Accused Set Fire
to House in Which Vic
Tins Slept.

oA4 oll Il, luusy -NONs 1-.~l HC LIZ
PRODUCTION Of evidence in the trial of
Ray Lamphere, for the murder Of Mrs,
Belle Guinness and her three children,
by setting fire to the house, will begin
tomorrow morning, q jury having been
secured late this afternoon, and States
Attorney Smith having made his open
ing statement to the jury before the
adjournment of court.
Prosecutor Smith s opening state
ment to the jury consumed an hour,
and in it be went into much detail as
to what he could prove. After read
ing the Indiana statute, which provides
that where a person or persons lose
their lives in a fire wilfully started by
another, even though he may not have
intended TO cause the deaths of the
persons or persons, it becomes murder
in the first degree and is punishable by
death or life Imprisonment. Prosccu-
tor Smith stated:
Proof That Is Required.
"All We are required to show is that
The defendant set fire to the house and
that these occupants lost their lives
by reason of this act
Mr.. Smith said that the evidence will
show that Lamphere made remarks to
for Mrs. Guinness and his intention to
do her harm, including statements that
he knew how to get money from her.
The fear that Mrs. Guinness felt for
Lamphere was touched on, and then
the prosecutor took up the story of the
night of the fire and what the state
would prove. lie said that by Lam.
phere's own statement it would be
proven that he set the alarm clock at
Mr.. Smith s house. where he spent the
night, for 8 clock in the morning OF
April 10, and that fifteen or twenty
minutes later he left there. tWe will
also prove,' continued the state 8 at
torney, "by Lamphere own state
meut. that nc took the road going by
the Guinness house, aud that be was
on the spot when the fire broke out,
about 4 clock. and that he was tho
only person around at that time. We
will prove that he was at the Lake
Erie crossing at 4:50 a. m. This is
mile and d quarter away. We Will
show that instead of going on the high.
way Lamphere jumped over fences and
ran along through the woods to John
Ross's place, where he was going to
get a broadax before continuing to
the Henry Warwick place, where he
evidence that when he was arrested
that night by Deputy Sheriffs Anstiss
and Mari that the first thing he said
was: Did those folks get out OF the
housef' So you see the thought fore
most in his mind was the burning of
that house,
Events Preceding Tragedy.
The prosecutor then took up the
events of the day and evening preced-
ing the fire. so far as they concerned
Mrs. Guinness, and told of her visit to
Attorney Letters Office for the pur-
pose Of making her will. and Of her
expressed fears of Lamphere. The
prosecutor told of her purchases of
groceries and toys, games, etc, for the
children. He said that by Joseph Max
son, the hired man, it would be proven
that all had supper about clock
and that among other things they had
beefsteak, and Hmy reason for men
tioning this observed Mr. Smith,
will develop when the evidence is
offered -
The states attorney said that Max
on will then tell OF seeing Mrs. Gun
ness and the children playing the new
games on the dining room table as he
went TO bed in his room about $3.50
o clock,
How Victims Perished.
Continuing, he said that the state
would prove that Mrs. Guinness and her
tive-yearol son, Philip, slept in a bed
in the northeast corner on tho second
floor, and that the two girls slept in
a room in the southwest corner; that
the fire was started in the southwest
corner and was driven toward the north
by the wind; that Mrs. Guinness and
the boy were overcome, and that later,
when the fire entered the girls room,
they ran into their mothers room,
thereby getting into the hottest of the
flames and going down with their
mother and brother,
"'We will also prove" said Mr..
Smith, ''that when the bodies were
found there was foot of debris un-
derneath mattresses, bed springs, etc,
showing TINT those bodies could not
have been cadavers placed on the ce-
ment floor of the basement
The juTymen were not allowed to
separate after they had been sworn in
and VIII be kept together until the
verdict has been returned. Quarters
have been prepared for them on the
third floor of the courthouse where
they will be under the care of n bailiif
Meals will be eaten at u hotel. Tho
introduction OF evidence Will begin
tomorrow morning. Coroner Mack being
the first witness to be called.
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