Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1910-01-19
DYING, TOLD MURDER SECRETS.
Lamphcre Admitted Aaiding Widow
in Numbering Men for Money.

81. LOUIS, Jan. q. --Ray Lamp
here, who died recently in the Indi-
ana penitentiary at Michigan City,
while serving term for setting fire
to the house of Mrs. Belle Guinness,
near LaPorte, Ind, did not carry the
secrets of the Guinness charnel farm
to the tomb with him. When he
believed death was near he confessed.
The confession was made to Rev.
DR.. E. A. Schell. formerly pastor of
the LaPorte Methodist church, now
president Of the Iowa Wesleyan Uni
versity, and held by him invioate as
secret of the confessional. The
Post-Dispatch says Rev. MIR. Schell
would verify, II he would consent to
break the silence, the confession 1t
publishes. The Post-Dispatch, how
ever, says the confession It publishes
was made to man Of unassailable
character.
Knew Of Three Murders.
Lamphere, according to the con-
fession, had a guilty knowledge of
the murder Of three men In the Gun
ness home during the time he lived
there, about eight months, in 1907,
and he assisted Mrs. Guinness in dis
posing Of the three bodies.
He said that he had not received
as much Of the profits Of the transac-
ton as he considered himself enti-
tied to, and he went to the farm
house at night with a woman, chic
reformed Mrs. Guinness, her three
children and Jennie Olson. He and
the woman then searched the house,
finding between $50 and $50.
The light they used was a candle,
and they left the house without
knowing they had left behind a spark
that soon burst into flames.
Mrs. Gunness's method Of killing,
he said, was first to chloroform them
as they slept, and then if the drug
did not kill, to sever the heads with
an axe.
Each time n man was to be mur-
dered, according to Lamphere, she
sent him to purchase chloroform.
Lamphere said he saw one of the
men killed, and aided in burying all
three. These men were Andrew Hell
gelein and probably Ole Budsberg
and Tonnes Petersen Lien.
Lamplicre Killed Girl.
Lien, Lamphere thought, was the
third husband Of Mrs. Guinness At
the time OF the Lamphere trial it
was thought that Jennie Olsen had
been killed by Mrs. Guinness. Lamp
2tre, however, detailed how Mrs.
Guinness had sccreted her in the
house after she returned from visit
and she was chloroformed by Lamp
here and his accomplice.
The confession says Mrs. Guinness
informed Lamphere Of the coming
of her cousins. The first man to be
killed was from Minnesota. He never
awOke from his sleep in the Guinness
house. In the darkness Lamphere
was ordered by Mrs. Guinness to
dump gunny sack and its contents
in hole that had been made by ano-
ther farm hand for rubbish.
Mrs. Guinness never told him what
became OF the men, but Lamphere re-
ceived money from Mrs. Guinness.
Within a month another man arriv-
ed. He wanted to know his rights
before paying off the mortgage on
the Guinness farm, and Mrs Guinness
took him to st. Joseph, Mich, Lamp
here thought, where they were mar
ried.
There Was Another Burying.
\ few nights after they came back
there was another burying. Lamp
here received money once more from
Mrs. Guinness. and he said he became
her trusted ally.
Then Andrew Helgelein came from
South Dakota with Il check for So
1920. This was cashed and Helge-
lein was given to understand he was
nothing more than farm hand.
Lamphere was sent on an errand to
Michigan CITY to remain all night.
He returned to the Guinness home,
and through 4 hole in the floor heard
lielgelein groan in distress. He was
begging Mrs. Guinness to send for a
doctor.
1t was chloral she had given Hell
gelein. according to Lamphere Pres
emily Ilelgelein fell to the floor, and
Lamphere said he saw Mrs. Guinness
strike the PROSTATE form and end the
mans life