The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-15
TRUE STORY TOLD.
Preacher Who Received Raw
Lamphere's Confession
Breaks Silence and Reveals Dead
Mans Secret.
NOT MUCH DIFFERENT
NOT MUCH DIFFERENT
From the Version That Has
Been Published.
Except That Names of Victims
Are Not Given.

Chicago. Jan: 15.-The Tribune prints
the following this morning under a
Mount Pleasant. Ia, date:
The Rev. E. A. Schell, president of
Iowa Wesleyan university, broke his
long silence today and gave to the
Tribune the confession of Ray Lam
phere. made to him in the county Jail
at Laporte, Ind. in April, 1908.
DR.. Scher authorized the publication
Of the confession and described how it
was given to him. When seen by a rep
resentative Of the Tribune in his office
at the Iowa Wesleyan university he
dictated the following statement of his
reasons for making public the confess
sion:
which continue to keep alive interest in
the Guinness case and the interrogations
which must continually arise in the
minds Of sorrowing friends and recog-
nizing that the principal facts already
are made public, I have concluded 20
relieve myself of further responsibility
by communicating to the public
through the Chicago Tribune the de-
tails of my three conversations with the
late Ray Lamphere in the Jail at La
porte, the statements he made to me,
and the circumstances under which
they were made"
Here follows the story of DR.. Schelps
visits to Lamphere, after which the
statement continues:
81 promised not to tell the prescott
ing attorney, and after some two hours
of general conversation about Mrs.
Guinness, he told me the story of the
night as follows:
Lamphere's Story.
T had been intimate with Mrs. Gun
ness from June, 1907, while as carpen-
ter and man Of all work I was around
the house. Three times at her request
I purchased chloroform, and once dug
a hole in the hog lot for her and helped
her put in the body Of some one who
she said had died suddenly about the
house, and she thought the easiest way
was to cover him up and say nothing
about it,
had no suspicious of Mrs. Guinness Eav-
ing murdered any one until one night
when he returned suddenly from Mich
igan City and having bored some holes
through a wall, saw her administer
some chloroform to man and hit him
in the back of the head with a Ratchet.
He then said that he had taken money
from Mrs. Guinness several times, max
ing her dig up or he would tell On her.
Once she gave him $50. At another
time she gave him SIS and again So. He
would then go to the saloons and when
the money all gone.
ION Sunday night, after he and a
negress he mentioned had been drink
ing, about IL o'clock, the two went to-
gether to the Guinness house. letting
themselves in by a key which he had,
and going quietly so as not to disturb
another hired man. who was in the
house. With some of the chlorofOrm
which he had purchased for Mrs. Gun
ness before Helgelein disappeared,
Il fo11 n int ~ n a
bottle, the two gave Mrs. Guinness
some chloroform, holding it under her
nose until she became quiet. The lit
tie boy was in bed with her. They
then gave some to the two children,
who were in bed in another room. /
asked him to explain how all were to-
gether when found. He said he did
not know, that he was pretty drunk,
but that was the way he remembered
it.
Searched the House.
''They then searched the house for
the large sum of money which they
felt sure was hidden in the house, but
found only a small amount. He did
not set the. house on fire, though he
said he was not certain that the ne
gress did not do it, for she was as
drunk as he. He stoutly protested
that he had not arranged a candle so
that it would burn down and later set
fire to the place. and that he had
nothing in his mind more than to get
money enough to have a big time
with.
'.He and the negress left the house
together, and at a certain point in the
road she went home and he went
running away, greatly afraid because
he saw the house burning. I advised
him to tell the story to the prosecuting
attorney and save the county the cost
of the trial and his sisters the expense
of defending him. I told him I would
see Attorney Smith and ask him to be
easy on him and allow him to consult
with a lawyer before a plea of guilty
was made. I met Smith almost i'm
mediately after leaving the Jail and
told him Lamphere was going to con-
fess.
ST advised him to arrest the ne
gress but he attached no Importance
to it, and I urged him to let Lamphere
have a LAWYER. He asked me If Lam