THE LA PORTE TRAGEDY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 442, 1 December 1908, Page 3

THE LA PORTE TRAGEDY.

New York, November 29

Lamphere, the farm hand, who was arrested on May 7 th. on a charge of murder of members of the Guinness family, at La Porte farm, Indiana, has been convicted of arson, and an indeterminate sentence of from two to 20 years’ imprisonment has been passed. He is appealing on the ground that be is either guilty of the murder of Mrs Belle Guinness and her three children or is innocent altogether.

The original cable message stated that after a fire on a farm at La Porta, Indiana, four bodies, which were then believed to be those of the occupier, Mrs Belle Guinness, and her children, were discovered in an incinerated state. A farm hand named Lamphere was charged with murdering the family. Subsequent to his arrest, nine additional bodies were found roughly burned near by. The police were then led to believe that Mrs Guinness escaped to Chicago, after burning a strange woman and her children, in order to prevent identification. The other corpses were believed to include applicants who were lured into the house in response to Mrs Guinness’ matrimonial agency advertisements, and it was thought that the applicants were robbed and murdered, and their life insurance money was collected. Mrs Guinness' first husband was believed to have been poisoned, and there were indications that the second husband was murdered with a butcher’s cleaver.

Mrs Guinness was aged 48, and was a handsome woman, possessed ol extraordinary physical strength. Sixteen bodies in all were exhumed from the farm, where they had been buried in chloride of lime. The police suspected Mrs Guinness of being the murderess, or else the “ fence,” or receiver of bodies of the victims,, assassinated by the Chicago murderer, Gand. The bodies have been dismembered, apparently by an expert. Bessie Wallace, a pretty girl of 20, was arrested on suspicion of being a decoy in connection with Mrs Guinness’ seductive matrimonial advertisements. Five big trunks had recently been delivered to the farm from Chicago, and placed in a secret room in the basement. They were only opened by Mrs Guinness.

Lamphere confessed that he caught Mrs Guinness in the act of burying the dismembered body of Andrew Heldgren, the wealthy Norwegian, at night. Thenceforward Lamphere had her in his power. In December, 1906, a man named Too disappeared from the farm, after drawing £2OO. Another named Budsburg drew and disappeared. One named Dindboe disappeared with his savings, and two others named Egman and Osage, who went to the farm with and respectively, both disappeared. Further investigations disclosed the fact that Mrs Guinness’ first husband was named Sorenson. He died the day before an old life insurance policy expired, and two days after a second policy became operative. A trunk full of incriminating letters addressed to the victims was discovered at the La Porte farm. A doctor declared that one victim Was found grasping a bunch of a Ktan’s hair, which circumstance

suggests that Mrs Guinness had a male accomplice. Witnesses stated that they had seen Lamphere running from the burning farmhouse, Lamphere frequently purchased chloral. He declared that Mrs Guinness, ni 1907, proposed that he shloud marry her, after insuring his life. The marriage was post, poued. A gold-crowned tooth, found in the debris of the burned farmhouse, was believed to have belonged to Mrs Guinness indicating that she might have perished in the fire. Two dozen surgical scissors, two surgical knives, and a dirk were discovered amongst the ashes in a cellar under the building. It was supposed that they were used by the person who murdered andd ismembered the victims.

Lamphere’s counsel declared that the initials on rings found with the tooth suggested that they possibly belonged to a first Mrs Guinness. He intended to prove that later she was lured to the farm, and incinerated with her three children, as at first cabled.

Seven children were entrusted to Mrs Guinness, who was a baby farmer.