The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-02-04

kato about month ago on q real estate
deal with his brother. He thought he
saw the interference of the housekeeper
in the business, and he and the woman
Iquarreled. He says she turned his
brother against him. He returned to
Mankato and as he read something of
the recent Guinness stories suspicion
grew in his own mind.
He returned to Willmar about four
weeks ago and made his headquarters
on his farm, near Willmar. Upon re-
,peated visits to his brothers house he
secured letters and pictures of the sus-
pected housekeeper and forwarded them
ali 10 La Porte, Ind. Some OF these
letters were from persons named
Thompson and Casey, and under dates
,of the last three years show, says
Samuel Kirby, questionable relations
His letters to the Ia Porte authori-
ties aroused them to action.
Brother Makes Discovery.
Finally, last Thursday, Samue! Kirby
discovered that his brother had sold
his farm for part cash and part trade
THE boot" being farm near Grove
City, MINI. This farm he was also
trying to convert into cash. Still fur
Their convinced by these transactions
of the possible identity OF the house
keeper, the Mankato man returned to
Willmar from his brothers and wired
the La Porte authorities that his
brother and his housekeeper had told
him they intended going "to California;
within one week. The authorities wired
him that Chief of Police Cochran
would arrive Monday moning with a
warrant.
Sheriff Peter Bonde of Wilmar, a
skeptical but alert and efficient officer,
refuses all information. 1t is known,
however, that at midnight Thursday
Samuel Kirby called upon Sheriff
:Bonde, As a result of this interview
it is said, the sheriff pad another visit
to- the Kirby home, but the alleged
Mrs. Guinness had gone to a nei9hbor's.
He did not make known the purpose of
his visit. He remained there for din
ner and returned. 1t is known, how
ever, that the house Is under sur
yeillancc of one of his deputies.
BROTHER WAS SUSPICIOUS
Samuel Kirby, assistant day ticket
agent at the union depot, is son of
Samuel r. Kirby, who is at Willmar, in
vestigating the disappearance of his
brother, Gus Kirby and trying to de-
termine whether his brothers house
keeper is Mrs. Bella Guinness, who con-
Quoted murder farm near LaPoltc,
Ind.
| When seen today by a Free Press re-
porter, Mr.. Kirby stated that his uncle,
Gus Kirby, is a widowcr, with no chill
dren, and is a well known farmer, hav-
ing lived six miles from Willmar for
twenty-five or thirty years. Last fall,
Gus Kirby, being in need of house
keeper, went to st. Paul or some
other place and secured the services
of the woman now on the place, who
came there with Der sister. Both
women seemingly were very poor, and
the older one, who took the position of
housekeeper, always went about in an
unkempt condition. wearing a skirt
that reached only half way below her
knees, and seemingly neslecting to
comb her hair more than to run her
fingers through it. Her dress was
soiled. She is about forty years old,
but with her short dress appears much
younger.
Brother Made An Investigation.
The neighbors did not take kindly
to the two women, and in some way