Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-05-07
ANOTHER ARREST N
GUINNESS MYSTERY
Woman Friend of Lsmphere in
Custody and Will Be Held
as Witness
RAIN HALTs INVESTIGATIONS

by Storm-Two Additional Bodies
Found Last Night, Making Total Of
Nne-Mystery Far From Solved as
Yst-other News.
La Porte Ind, May 7.-Bessie ConNs
lin, young woman residing in Michi-
gan City, Ind, whose former home was
in La Porte, has been arrested by Sher-
iff Shutter and is being held as an i'm
portant witness in the Guinness farm
tragedy. The woman was a friend OF
Ray Lamphere, who is accused of COM
plicity in the murders at the Guinness
home. She is not accused of COM
plicity, but her testimony is considered
as of great Importance. She Will re-
main locked up until the grand jury
hears her testimony next week. 1t Is
said that Lamphere, while talking to
Miss Conklin, made threats against
Mrs. Guinness and said he had infor-
nation which, if disclosed, would hang
Mrs. Guinness.
Because OF heavy rain, digging for
more bodies on the Guinness farm was
abandoned today. Work will be re-
sumed tomorrow.
Che shed on the Guinness farm con-
tanning the bodies of the victims was
s~,<~ Il, NJ, t1o oiort1f M
bodies were seriously disturbed.
Last Nights Developments.
Laporte, Ind, May 1.-THE grisly
story of the private graveyard at the
farm of Mrs, Bella Guinness, mile
north of Laporte, is still in its early
chapters. Last night the estimates of
the number of persons murdered at the
place thru the lure of matrimonial
bureau run all the way from twelve to
fifty.
The exhumation yesterday OF four
dismembered bodies wrapped in burlap
brings the total of victims known to
have been murdered, to nine. lnclud-
ing the bodies supposed to be those
of Mrs. Guinness and her three child
rem, discovered after the fire which
burned the farm house on April %.
the total of deaths to be investigated
and accounted for is thirteen.
There is scant doubt that Sheriff
Shutter today will discover evidences
of murder in two more suspected
graves as yet unopened. All suspicious
parts of the premises are to be dug
up, with especial attention to the
soft spots beneath rubbish heaps,
which so far invariably have been
found to conceal bodies.
Three Bodies in Latest Grave.
A huge crowd of morbid persons at
tended the opening of the two graves
from which four bodies were taken
yesterday. The last grave opened
contained three dismembered skele-
tons, with strips of gunny cloth cling
ing to the jumbled pile of bones One
skull was missing and owing to the
length of time the bodies had been
buried, it was impossible for Coroner
Mack and his physicians to determine
the age and sex of the skeletons with
any degree Of certainty.
The other grave which was opened
was found to be an abandoned vault.
skeleton of what DIS believed to have
length of the hair.
A more full examination by physi-
clans and dentists may result in find
ings which will lead to fdentifications.
Bringing Places Near Together.
The remarkable feature of the search
for bodies at the farm is the small area
of ground in which they were buried.
The Guinness farm abuts upon Fishtrap
lake, a marshy body of water, and is
near Clear Lake, which is deeper. The
house was built on a knoll and faced
east.
Fifty feet to the south of the ruins
is a small yard used for chickens and
about fifty by twenty-five feet in area.
The yard stands little to the east Of
the barn and was handy as place in
which to throw refuse from the stable.
1t is fenced with woven wire of close
mesh and by the neighbors was con-
sidered chicken yard.
In the northwest corner an irregular
hole dug in the earth marks the grave
from which the body of the man be-
lieved to have been Andrew Helgelein
was taken. About five feet to the south
of this hole is the unused vault from
which the skeleton thought to be that
of the blond woman was taken.
Boy Discovers One Grave.
On the south side Of the yard, just
under the fence, and on the brink of
declivity which slopes sharply to Fish
trap lake, is the hole from which the
three skeletons We're taken yesterday
afternoon. The place has been masked
by tangled wire placed on top of it,
the free ends of the wires being twisted
in almost inextricable fashion in the
strands of the fence. Attention was
called to it by a boy who kicked up a
human rib which caught in the fence.
The other bodies We're taken from
graves which. like the ones mentioned,
had been made close to the fence at
the east side of the inclosure. There
are two noticeably soft spots which
have not been dug into as yet. These
will be examined today.
A little red carriage shed few feet
to the west of the lot and near a
windmill is being used as a charnel