EFFORTPOST The Victims of Bella Gunness (Her victims were Men and her own Children)

Belle Gunness' BIO

• Belle and her Children

Belle was born in Selbu, Norway in 1858, and emigrated to the United States in 1886(estimated). Belle was six feet tall (183 cm) tall, and weighed over 200 pounds. She had two daughters named Myrtle and Lucy, who she killed. Her apparent motives involved collecting life insurance, cash and other valuables, and eliminating witnesses. Reports estimate that she killed between 25 and 40 people over several decades. She married Mads Sorenson in 1893. They owned a Chicago store that only turned a profit after it burned and they collected the insurance. In 1900 Sorenson died of convulsions and Belle received about $8,000 from his life insurance.

By 1902 Belle was in La Porte. On April Fool's Day of that year she married Peter Gunness. They worked a farm on McClung Road. Peter died after a coffee grinder fell from a shelf and hit him on the head. The insurance company reluctantly paid on his policy. Belle began advertising in Norwegian language newspapers, "Widow, with mortgaged farm, seeks marriage. Triflers need not apply."

Apparently many answered her letters. Belle would introduce them as relatives. Belle's pretty, 18 year old niece, Jenny Olson, got suspicious because the suitors always left the farm during the night. Soon Jenny was away at school in California, according to Belle.

First Victim:

In 1884, Gunness married Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson in Chicago, Illinois, where, two years later, they opened a confectionery store. The business was not successful; within a year the shop mysteriously burned down. They collected insurance, which paid for another home.

Though some researchers assert that the Sorenson union produced no offspring, other investigators report that the couple had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. Caroline and Axel died in infancy, allegedly of acute colitis. The symptoms of acute colitis — nausea, fever, diarrhea, and lower abdominal pain and cramping — are also symptoms of many forms of poisoning. Both Caroline's and Axel's lives were reportedly insured, and the insurance company paid out.

A May 7, 1908 article in The New York Times states that two children belonging to Gunness and her husband Mads Sorensen were interred in her plot in Forest Home cemetery.

On June 13, 1900, Gunness and her family were counted on the United States Census in Chicago. The census recorded her as the mother of four children, of whom only two were living: Myrtle A., 3, and Lucy B., 1. An adopted 10-year-old girl, identified possibly as Morgan Couch but apparently later known as Jennie Olsen, also was counted in the household.

Sorenson died on July 30, 1900, reportedly the only day on which two life insurance policies on him overlapped. The first doctor to see him thought he was suffering from strychnine poisoning. However, the Sorensons' family doctor had been treating him for an enlarged heart, and he concluded that death had been caused by heart failure. An autopsy was considered unnecessary because the death was not thought suspicious. Gunness told the doctor that she had given her late husband medicinal "powders" to help him feel better.

She applied for the insurance money the day after her husband's funeral. Sorenson's relatives claimed that Gunness had poisoned her husband to collect on the insurance. Surviving records suggest that an inquest was ordered. It is unclear, however, whether that investigation actually occurred or Sorenson's body was ever exhumed to check for arsenic, as his relatives demanded. The insurance companies awarded her $8,500 (about $217,000 in 2008 dollars), with which she bought a farm on the outskirts of La Porte, Indiana

The body of Andrew Helgelein was the first to be uncovered in a shallow grave in the garden:

Suspicion of Murder:

In 1901, Gunness bought a house on McClung Road. Soon after, both the boat and carriage houses burned down. After moving to LaPorte from Chicago, she married Peter Gunness, a recent widower. A week later, Peter's infant daughter died in Belle's care. In December 1902, Peter had a fatal accident, with conflicting stories about the cause. A year later, Peter's daughter Swanhilde went to live with relatives in Wisconsin, the only child to survive living with Belle.

Peter's death brought Belle another $3,000 (some sources say $4,000). The coroner declared it murder, suspecting Belle. Her foster daughter, Jennie Olsen, allegedly confessed to a classmate. Jennie denied it when brought before the coroner's jury. Belle didn't mention she was pregnant, and in May 1903 she had a baby boy named Phillip.

Belle claimed Jennie had gone to a college in Los Angeles, but Jennie's body was later found on Belle's property. Between 1903 and 1906, Belle managed the farm. In 1907, she hired a farm hand named Ray Lamphere.

The Suitors:

In the year 1901, Gunness penned an intriguing personal advertisement, which she strategically placed in the matrimonial sections of prominent Chicago newspapers as well as those in several other sizable Midwestern cities. The message was as follows:

"Personal — comely widow who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts in La Porte County, Indiana, desires to make the acquaintance of a gentleman equally well provided, with view of joining fortunes. No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with personal visit. Triflers need not apply."

This provocative advertisement caught the attention of several middle-aged, financially secure men. Among them was John Moe, who journeyed from Elbow Lake, Minnesota, boasting of carrying over a thousand dollars to settle Gunness' mortgage. To the curious neighbors, Gunness introduced him as her cousin. Strangely, Moe disappeared from the farm within a week of his arrival.

Following Moe was George Anderson, hailing from Tarkio, Missouri, much like Peter Gunness and John Moe, he too was an immigrant from Norway. As they dined together, the topic of Gunness' mortgage surfaced. Anderson consented to settling it in the event they chose to marry. However, a peculiar and unsettling incident occurred late that night. Anderson awoke to the sight of Gunness standing over him, a guttering candle illuminating her face with an eerie expression. Without uttering a single word, she swiftly exited the room. Anderson, disturbed, fled from the house, hastily catching a train to Missouri.

The parade of suitors continued, yet none, except for Anderson, ever emerged from Gunness' farm. By this juncture, she had begun the conspicuous practice of ordering substantial trunks to be delivered to her residence. Clyde Sturgis, a hack driver, was a frequent courier of these bulky containers from La Porte. He later recounted how the robust woman would hoist these massive trunks effortlessly, as if they were mere boxes of marshmallows, hefting them onto her broad shoulders and conveying them into her abode. Furthermore, the shutters of her house remained perpetually drawn, casting a shroud of mystery over her activities, day and night. Observant farmers passing by in the nocturnal hours even claimed to have glimpsed her digging in the hog pen.

Enter Ole B. Budsberg, an elderly widower from Iola, Wisconsin, who would be the next to cross paths with Gunness. The last sighting of Budsberg alive was at the La Porte Savings Bank on April 6, 1907. On that day, he mortgaged his Wisconsin land, signing over a deed and procuring several thousand dollars in cash. What his sons, Oscar and Mathew Budsberg, were initially unaware of was their father's fateful visit to Gunness. When they eventually uncovered his whereabouts, they penned a letter to her, seeking answers. Gunness promptly replied, adamantly asserting that she had never encountered their father.

Over the course of 1907, a number of other middle-aged men made brief appearances on the Gunness farm, only to vanish shortly thereafter. Then, in December of that year, a correspondence began between Andrew Helgelien, a bachelor farmer from Aberdeen, South Dakota, and Gunness. Their letters flowed back and forth, building a connection, until one particular letter arrived, dated January 13, 1908. This letter would later be discovered at the Helgelien farm, written meticulously in Gunness' own hand. It read:

"To the Dearest Friend in the World: No woman in the world is happier than I am. I know that you are now to come to me and be my own. I can tell from your letters that you are the man I want. It does not take one long to tell when to like a person, and you I like better than anyone in the world, I know. Think how we will enjoy each other's company. You, the sweetest man in the whole world. We will be all alone with each other. Can you conceive of anything nicer? I think of you constantly. When I hear your name mentioned, and this is when one of the dear children speaks of you, or I hear myself humming it with the words of an old love song, it is beautiful music to my ears. My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. Come prepared to stay forever."

In response to this impassioned letter, Andrew Helgelien embarked on a journey to Gunness' side in January of 1908. Clutched in his hand was a check for $2,900, his entire savings, withdrawn from his local bank. A few days after Helgelien's arrival, both he and Gunness appeared at the Savings Bank in La Porte, jointly depositing the check. However, Helgelien would soon disappear, leaving behind unanswered questions and a growing air of suspicion. Nevertheless, Gunness, undeterred, returned to the Savings Bank to make a $500 deposit, followed by another deposit of $700 at the State Bank. It was around this juncture that she began to face challenges posed by a man named Ray Lamphere.

March of 1908 saw Gunness dispatching numerous letters to a farmer and horse dealer named Lon Townsend in Topeka, Kansas, extending an invitation for him to visit her. Townsend, however, opted to postpone the visit until the onset of spring, thus never having set eyes on Gunness before the fateful fire at her farm. Gunness also corresponded with a gentleman from Arkansas, sending a letter dated May 4, 1908. Although he expressed intent to visit, the impending disaster at her farm would alter these plans. In a separate instance, Gunness purportedly pledged her hand in marriage to a suitor named Bert Albert, yet the union never materialized, owing to his insufficient wealth.

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Ray Lamphere, the hired hand, harbored a profound love for Gunness, willingly undertaking even the most grisly tasks for her. However, as a stream of suitors vied for Gunness' attention, Lamphere's jealousy erupted in public scenes. Ultimately, on February 3, 1908, Gunness dismissed him from her employ.

Shortly after parting ways with Lamphere, Gunness made an appearance at the La Porte courthouse, asserting that her former employee posed a public threat due to his perceived mental instability. She managed to persuade local authorities to convene a sanity hearing for Lamphere. He was ultimately declared mentally sound and released. Nevertheless, Gunness returned to the sheriff a few days later, reporting a visit from Lamphere to her farm, prompting his subsequent arrest for trespassing.

Despite her efforts to sever ties, Lamphere persisted in seeking her company, but Gunness rebuffed him. Lamphere's veiled threats grew increasingly brazen, with one occasion leading him to confide in farmer William Slater, cryptically stating, "Helgelien won't bother me no more. We fixed him for keeps." Helgelien's absence from La Porte was noted, assumed to be a matter of his own volition. However, his brother, Asle Helgelien, grew concerned when Andrew failed to return home, prompting him to correspond with Belle in Indiana, seeking information on his sibling's whereabouts.

In her response, Gunness assured Asle Helgelien that his brother was not at her farm and likely ventured to Norway for a familial visit. Unconvinced, Asle Helgelien contended that Andrew was likely still in the La Porte vicinity, where he was last seen or heard from. Gunness remained steadfast, offering to assist in a search but cautioned about the costs associated with such endeavors.

It was not until May that Asle Helgelien arrived in La Porte to initiate his own inquiry. Meanwhile, Lamphere remained a lingering menace, while Asle's inquiries loomed as a potential threat to Gunness. Fearing for her life and that of her children, she confided in a local attorney, M.E. Leliter, expressing concerns about Lamphere's alleged threats to kill her and burn down her home. In response, Leliter drafted a will at her request, bequeathing her entire estate to her children. Following this, she settled her mortgage at a La Porte bank. Notably, she refrained from reporting Lamphere's purported threats to the police, leaving many to later speculate that her actions were calculated steps toward her own sinister agenda.

Morbid Discovery:

Gunness' dentist, Dr. Ira P. Norton, said that if the teeth/dental work of the headless corpse had been located he could definitely ascertain if it was she. Thus Louis "Klondike" Schultz, a former miner, was hired to build a sluice and begin sifting the debris (as more bodies were unearthed, the sluice was used to isolate human remains on a larger scale). On May 19, 1908, a piece of bridgework was found consisting of two human canine teeth, their roots still attached, porcelain teeth and gold crown work in between. Norton identified them as work done for Gunness. As a result, Coroner Charles Mack officially concluded that the adult female body discovered in the ruins was Belle Gunness.

• Asle Helgelien arrived in La Porte and told Sheriff Smutzer that he believed his brother had met with foul play at Gunness' hands. Then, Joe Maxson came forward with information that could not be ignored: He told the Sheriff that Gunness had ordered him to bring loads of dirt by wheelbarrow to a large area surrounded by a high wire fence where the hogs were fed. Maxson said that there were many deep depressions in the ground that had been covered by dirt. These filled-in holes, Gunness had told Maxson, contained rubbish. She wanted the ground made level, so he filled in the depressions.

• Smutzer took a dozen men back to the farm and began to dig. On May 3, 1908, the diggers unearthed the body of Jennie Olson (vanished December 1906). Then they found the small bodies of two unidentified children. Subsequently the body of Andrew Helgelien was unearthed (his overcoat was found to be worn by Lamphere). As days progressed and the gruesome work continued, one body after another was discovered in Gunness' hog pen:

• Ole B. Budsberg of Iola, Wisconsin, (vanished May 1907);

• Thomas Lindboe, who had left Chicago and had gone to work as a hired man for Gunness three years earlier;

• Henry Gurholdt of Scandinavia, Wisconsin, who had gone to wed her a year earlier, taking $1,500 to her; a watch corresponding to one belonging to Gurholdt was found with a body;

• Olaf Svenherud, from Chicago;

• John Moe of Elbow Lake, Minnesota; his watch was found in Lamphere's possession;

• Olaf Lindbloom, age 35 from Wisconsin.

• Reports of other possible victims began to come in:

• William Mingay, a coachman of New York City, who had left that city on April 1, 1904;

• Herman Konitzer of Chicago who disappeared in January 1906;

• Charles Edman of New Carlisle, Indiana;

• George Berry of Tuscola, Illinois;

• Christie Hilkven of Dovre, Barron County, Wisconsin, who sold his farm and came to La Porte in 1906;

• Chares Neiburg, a 28-year-old Scandinavian immigrant who lived in Philadelphia, told friends that he was going to visit Gunness in June 1906 and never came back — he had been working for a saloon keeper and took $500 with him;

• John H. McJunkin of Coraopolis (near Pittsburgh) left his wife in December 1906 after corresponding with a La Porte woman;

• Olaf Jensen, a Norwegian immigrant of Carroll, Indiana, wrote his relatives in 1906 he was going to marry a wealthy widow at La Porte;

• Henry Bizge of La Porte who disappeared June 1906 and his hired man named Edward Canary of Pink Lake Ill who also vanished 1906;

• Bert Chase of Mishawaka, Indiana sold his butcher shop and told friends of a wealthy widow and that he was going to look her up; his brother received a telegram supposedly from Aberdeen, South Dakota claiming Bert had been killed in a train wreck; his brother investigated and found the telegram was fictitious;

• Tonnes Peterson Lien of Rushford, Minnesota, is alleged to have disappeared April 2, 1907;

• A gold ring marked "S.B. May 28, 1907" was found in the ruins;

• A hired man named George Bradley of Tuscola, Illinois, is alleged to have gone to La Porte to meet a widow and three children in October 1907;

• T.J. Tiefland of Minneapolis is alleged to have come to see Gunness in 1907;

• Frank Riedinger a farmer of Waukesha, Wisconsin, came to Indiana in 1907 to marry and never returned;

• Emil Tell, a Swede from Kansas City, Missouri, is alleged to have gone in 1907 to La Porte;

• Lee Porter of Bartonville, Oklahoma separated from his wife and told his brother he was going to marry a wealthy widow at La Porte;

• John E. Hunter left Duquesne, Pennsylvania, on November 25, 1907 after telling his daughters he was going to marry a wealthy widow in Northern Indiana.

• Two other Pennsylvanians — George Williams of Wapawallopen and Ludwig Stoll of Mount Yeager — also left their homes to marry in the West.

• Abraham Phillips, a railway man of Burlington, West Virginia, left in the winter of 1907 to go to Northern Indiana and marry a rich widow — a railway watch was found in the debris of the house.

• Benjamin Carling of Chicago, Illinois, was last seen by his wife in 1907 after telling her that he was going to La Porte to secure an investment with a rich widow; he had with him $1,000 from an insurance company and borrowed money from several investors as well; in June 1908 his widow was able to identify his remains from La Porte's Pauper's cemetery by the contour of his skull and three missing teeth;

• Aug. Gunderson of Green Lake, Wisconsin;

• Ole Oleson of Battle Creek, Michigan;

• Lindner Nikkelsen of Huron, South Dakota;

• Andrew Anderson of Lawrence, Kansas;

• Johann Sorensen of St. Joseph, Missouri;

• A possible victim was a man named Hinkley;

• Reported unnamed victims were:

• a daughter of Mrs. H. Whitzer of Toledo, Ohio, who had attended Indiana University near La Porte in 1902;

• an unknown man and woman are alleged to have disappeared in September 1906, the same night Jennie Olson went missing. Gunness claimed they were a Los Angeles "professor" and his wife who had taken Jennie to California;

• a brother of Miss Jennie Graham of Waukesha, Wisconsin, who had left her to marry a rich widow in La Porte but vanished;

• a hired man from Ohio age 50 name unknown is alleged to have disappeared and Gunness became the "heir" to his horse and buggy;

• an unnamed man from Montana told people at a resort he was going to sell Gunness his horse and buggy, which were found with several other horses and buggies at the farm.

Most of the remains found on the property could not be identified. Because of the crude recovery methods, the exact number of individuals unearthed on the Gunness farm is unknown, but is believed to be approximately twelve. On May 19, 1908 remains of approximately seven unknown victims were buried in two coffins in unmarked graves in the pauper's section of LaPorte's Pine Lake Cemetery. Andrew Helgelien and Jennie Olson are buried in La Porte's Patton Cemetery, near Peter Gunness.

Images from her Farm:

A crate full of bones and body parts found buried on the farm.

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Bones and body parts found buried on the farm.

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Remains of Andrew Helgelien.

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The head of one of Belle Gunness' victims.

OTHER PHOTOS:

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*Belle Gunness' teeth?

These fake teeth were found in the rubble of the burnt farmhouse. Belle Gunness' dentist

claimed they were Belle's teeth and that the headless body of the woman found in the

fire could be Belle's. But witnesses said the teeth were planted there.*

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Evidence found on the Gunness property.

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People came from near and far to watch as police investigated these horrific crimes.

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Four bodies here.

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*Ray Lamphere, Gunness's hired hand, was arrested for murder and arson on May 22, 1908.

He was found guilty of arson, but cleared of murder. He died in prison, but not before

revealing the truth about Belle Gunness and her crimes, including burning

her own house down.*

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Belle Gunness' property.

SOURCES:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Gunness

https://www.biography.com/people/belle-gunness-235416