Then, I did the planting.. [9] The district coroner convened a coroner's jury, suspecting murder, but nothing came of the case. Those that could be identified included: The unidentified bodies and unsolved mysteries that would emerge from these ruins would make headlines across the Midwest. 2. We try to fit the pieces together through a few old photos, family and county records, and folklore. [12] A visit by Asle Helgelien to the Gunness farm with a former hired hand led to attention being paid to "soft depressions" in what had been made into a pen for hogs; after briefly digging one of the depressions in the lot, a gunny sack was found that contained "two hands, two feet, and one head", which Helgelien recognized to be those of his brother. She is responsible for so many deaths that detectives have ceased counting the number of bodies discovered on her premises. FlickrThe farm of Belle Gunness, where authorities made a series of grisly discoveries in 1908. Belle Sorenson Gunness, a notorious female serial killer born November 11, 1859 and declared dead April 28, 1908 was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth. She immigrated to the United States, where she lured her victims to her remote farm in Indiana. In the ruins, authorities found the bodies of a headless adult woman, initially identified as Belle Gunness, and her three children. Afterward, the locals said that Brynhilds personality drastically changed. Gunness claimed that Sorenson had come home with a headache, and she had given him quinine. [7], She was at least 5'7" (170 cm) and weighed around 95 - 113 kg (210 - 250 lbs) and was physically strong and masculine in appearance. Shortly after dispensing with Lamphere, she presented herself at the La Porte County courthouse, declaring that her former employee was not in his right mind and was a menace to the public. Workers sifting through the debris discovered four bodies in the basement later in the day. In her reply, Belle offered true love and a life of wedded bliss but also mentioned a quick $1,000 that she needed to pay off a mortgage. At age 14, Gunness began working for neighboring farms by milking and herding cattle to save enough money for passage to New York City. [15][16] Described as worried as to the peace of the families of the victims, Schell offered the confession to Bechly, which was later published. At the time, forensics was in its infancy, and the bodies had been so mutilated that there was little hope of identifying them. Henry Gurholdt of Scandinavia, Wisconsin, had gone to wed her a year earlier, taking $1,500. She then bought toys for her children and two gallons of kerosene. A few days after Helgelien arrived, he and Gunness appeared at the Savings Bank in La Porte and deposited the check. Can you conceive of anything nicer? However, The New York Post suggests that she may have killed as many as 28 people, while Mental Floss claims that she killed "at least 20." [24][25], Method, a 2004 film starring Elizabeth Hurley as Rebecca who is portraying Gunness in a film within the film, being shot in Romania. She was a Norwegian-American serial killer. All of them told of lonesome brothers, uncles, and cousins answering Belles matrimonial ads and traveling hopefully to La Porte with their life savings stuffed in their pockets. The two once apparently had a relationship, but Lamphere had left in a jealous rage after Helgelien arrived. Over 40 victims had been found, including lovers, her husbands, and even her own children. Belle also began posting notices in lovelorn columns to entice wealthy men to her farm, after which they were never seen again. Investigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. DESCRIPTION: "Belle Gunness was a lady fair In Indiana State, She weighed about 300 pounds, And that is quite some weight." "Her favorite occupation Was a-butchering of men." "Now some say Belle killed only ten, And some say 42." At last she vanishes with the cash AUTHOR: unknown EARLIEST DATE: 1958 (Burt-AmericanMurderBallads) He then sent two of his deputies to dig into the debris digging for the corpses missing head and sent two others to arrest Lamphere. Then, in 1881, following her sisters example, who had emigrated to America earlier, Brynhild moved to the United States, where she assumed a more American-style name. Belle collected $3,000 insurance money for Peter's death. Reported other unnamed victims may have been: Bones and Body parts found at the Gunness farm. What is certain is that she murdered most of her boyfriends and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. Though the authorities investigated, the formidable Belle was so convincing that no charges were ever filed. [7] She moved to the United States in 1881. And she was different in another way as well. [1] [22][pageneeded] Spectators came from across the country to see the mass graves, and concessions and souvenirs were sold. That man is out to get me, Gunness told the attorney. Whether Gunness died in the fire or escaped remained uncertain, although the sheriff blamed a Chicago American reporter for inventing the "escaped" story. Gunness was back a few days later to complain to the sheriff that Lamphere had visited her farm and argued with her. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. What's more, Gunness simply vanished off the face of the earth at the same time her crimes came to light. She hit him with a meat cleaver and he died. She then torched the small brick farmhouse and fled. She also seemed to spend a lot of money on wooden trunks which witnesses said she could lift like a box of marshmallows. Meanwhile, men showed up one by one at her door and then kept vanishing without a trace. On June 13, 1900, Gunness and her family were counted on the United States Census in Chicago, recording her as the mother of four children, of whom only two were living: Myrtle A. and Lucy B. Then, the farm became something of a tourist attraction, with thousands of gawkers turning up and in some cases, taking souvenirs, according to The New York Post. By his count, he said she had murdered 42 men and had taken amounts from them ranging from $1,000 to $32,000. But no one at the time chalked it up to anything but a tragic coincidence. The idea that the decapitated body belonged to Gunness was called into question, and a farmhand/accomplice claimed that the alleged murderer had taken the money she'd fleeced from her victims and vanished. Ray Lamphere, Gunness's hired hand, was arrested for murder and arson on May 22, 1908. And Gunness also claimed that she needed to make a will because Lamphere had apparently threatened her life. There, Gunness met her first known victim her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. The story of Indiana's first documented serial killer, Belle Gunness. Next came George Anderson from Tarkio, Missouri, who said he would pay the mortgage off if they decided to wed. Late that night, while sleeping in the guest room, Anderson awoke startled to see Belle standing over him, peering into his eyes and holding a candle in her hand. She may have killed both of her husbands and all of her children (on different occasions), but she is known to have killed . Initially, the bodies were believed to be Belle and her children, Myrtle (age 11), Lucy (age 9), and Phillip (age 5). Belle Gunness had asked him to level dozens of soft depressions in the ground, which supposedly covered trash. In the end, she was awarded $8,500 (about $240,000 today), with which she bought a farm on the outskirts of La Porte, Indiana. However, a neighborhood boy said he had seen Lamphere running down the road from the Gunness house just before the structure erupted in flames. Newly flush with cash, Gunness bought a 48-acre farm in La Porte, Indiana. To make matters worse, one of Belles children told a classmate that her mother had hit her husband over the head with a cleaver. 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. Bell Gunness killed more than ___ people over several decades. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. Reading Gunness' plodding letters to Andrew, it is plain that "soaring" and "rapture" were not her style. Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. Somehow, she convinced local authorities to hold a sanity hearing, but Lamphere was pronounced sane and released. [7], Peter died eight months later due to a skull injury. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth on November 11, 1859 in Selbu, Norway. Belle Gunness (also known as Lady Bluebeard, The LaPorte Black Widow, The Mistress of Murder Farm, and Hell's Belle) was probably one of America's most prolific serial killers. Gunness, according to Lamphere, had drugged the woman, then bashed in her head. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. [30] It was published in the UK with the title Triflers need not apply [31]. Usually accompanied by a handsome man, she was unrecognizable from the rough farm woman the locals were used to seeing. Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. He disappeared from her farm within a week of his arrival. These are famous words by the convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos who was put to death by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. Mrs. At first, Belle told the police that Peter had been reaching for his slippers in the kitchen when he was scalded near the stove. Some time after the death of her second husband, according to The New York Post, she took to placing personal letters in a Minneapolis Norwegian-language newspaper, promising men love and happiness if they would come to her farm with their money. We fixed him for keeps.. Sure, I worked for Mrs. Gunness for a time, but I didnt see her kill anybody, and I didnt know she had killed anybody., But on his deathbed, Lamphere changed his tune. Curiously, the corpse itself seemed to be much too small to be hers. Belle explained that Peter reached for something on a high shelf and a meat grinder fell on him, smashing his skull. Lamphere was later linked to the fire at Gunness farm. As The New York Post noted, she's been tied to at least 11 murders, and possibly dozens more, although the exact number of her victims may likely never be known. Within a week, he had disappeared. Not long after Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson in 1884, their store and home mysteriously burned down. Gunness, the youngest of 8 children, grew up on a cotter's farm in Innbygda, Selbu. Without saying goodbye, he fled the house and ran away, getting on the first train headed to Missouri. In fact, the farmhand did. The following week, while Peter was out of the house, his infant daughter died of unknown causes in Belle's care. These were lonely Norwegian bachelors, many completely cut off from their families. How many are known? He slammed the door and then, in his underwear, leaped from the second-story window, barely surviving the fire that was closing in around him. Lamphere was arrested and charged with murder, with his cries of innocence falling on deaf ears. Billed as "based on a true story," Tom Logan is directing the film, which stars Traci Lords cast as the murderous Belle Gunness. In the smoldering ruins workmen discovered four skeletons. It was initially hoped that a sealed envelope flap on a letter found at the victims farm would contain enough DNA to be compared to that of the body. Belle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. Though estimates vary widely, Belle Gunness is believed to have killed at least a dozen people (and possibly upwards of 40) between 1884 and . 40. Belle Gunness was known as many things: the "Female Bluebeard," the "High-Priestess of Murder," the "Mistress of the Castle of Death," the "Queen of Crime," and "Hell's Princess." . He never returned for his belongings, nor did he ever speak to Gunness again. (Darron Cummings/AP) As the tale of the "Murder Farm" fanned across the country, investigators were joined by. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. Belle began putting the following ad in out-of-state newspapers: "Comely widow who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts in La . In 1908, just when Hegelein's brother became suspicious and Gunness's luck seemed to be running out, her farmhouse burnt to the ground. One of her ads was answered by a Wisconsin farmhand, Henry Gurholt. [9] The couple owned a candy store which later burned to the ground. A celebrity actress who gets her dream role playing real-life 19th century serial killer Belle Gunness in a feature film, starts to take on the characteristics of the character both on-screen and off. The farmhouse had belonged to Belle Gunness, at the time simply believed to be a widowed Norwegian immigrant but now infamous for being one of the most prolific female serial killers in the United States. His watch was found in Lampheres possession. The First victims. This is what is known, and what is suspected, about the number of victims serial killer Belle Gunness had. One man, George Anderson, managed to escape with his life when he realized Gunness had murder on her mind. In the belief that the headless corpse was, in fact, Belle Gunness, the remains were buried next to Belles first husband, Mads Sorenson, at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. Helgelien became even more convinced of foul play when he went out to the ruins of Belles home and watched as the men digging for her head turned up eight mens watches, assorted bones, and human teeth instead. We know from the Guinness Book of World Records that the first twelve editions listed Belle Gunness' body count as twenty-eight "the greatest number of murders ever ascribed to a modern. Standing six feet tall and weighing over 200 pounds, she was a physically strong woman. Hoping to find a clue related to his brothers disappearance, Helgelien and the farmhand began to dig up a pile of soft dirt in the hog pen. She suggested that maybe Andrew Helgelien had gone to Chicago or perhaps back to Norway. She was a big woman. Further digging yielded more grisly discoveries. All told, the remains of more than forty men and children were exhumed. There, she set about starting her new life. The night he visited Belle's farm was the last he would have. They had four children together but two allegedly died of acute colitis. Jennies body would later be found buried on her adoptive mothers property. In what may be a rather cruel bit of irony, some of her letters invited the men to "come prepared to stay forever," according to SyFy. In the pantheon of serial killers, Belle Gunness stands alone. Then, Sorensen died, not at all suspiciously on the day that one life insurance policy was set to expire and another had just come into effect. Local people refused to believe that her husband could be so clumsy he had run a hog farm on the property and was known to be an experienced butcher. Belle Sorenson Gunness (born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth; November 11, 1859 - April 28, 1908) was a Norwegian-American serial killer. Gunness had planned the entire thing, and skipped town after withdrawing most of her money from her bank accounts. The coroner described the incident as a little queer but believed that it was an accident. The most well-known letters that Belle Gunness wrote was to her final victim Andrew Helgelein. My mama killed my papa, Olsen allegedly told her schoolmates. Lamphere ended up in prison because of his connection to Gunness and the fire on her farm. By the time her crimes were discovered at her burnt-out pig farm in 1908, her tally of victims had risen to at least 12, and possibly as high as 40. Soon afterward, Olsen vanished. He raced to town to get help, but by the time it arrived, the house was already in smoking ruins. Sorenson died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. While there, she was attacked by a man who kicked her in the abdomen, causing her to miscarry. He quickly jumped out of bed and threw on his clothes. Triflers need not apply. She would spike their coffee, bash their heads in, cut up their bodies, and put them in sacks, he explained. However, he had helped Belle bury many of her victims. Maxson said there were many deep depressions in the ground covered by dirt. More reports of missing men began to pour in from surrounding Midwestern states, and relatives began to appear from all over the region to claim bodies. One man who helped her move in later claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself. Belle did indeed become wealthy, but not because she earned the money honestly. Together, the seemingly happy couple opened a confectionery store and had four children togetherCaroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. [7], Gunness began placing marriage ads in Chicago newspapers in 1905. Little is known about her early life. 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. She was also known as Hell's Belle, the . Gunness received men visitors all the time, one of her farmhands later told the New York Tribune. But in reality, she was a serial killer who murdered at least 14 people. Basically, Belle Gunness was a female serial killer who poisoned her suitors and children. Belle Gunness, also known as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strset, was a Norwegian-American serial killer who operated in Illinois and Indiana from 1884 until 1908. One of these men was John Moe, who arrived from Elbow Lake, Minnesota. He was last seen alive at the La Porte Savings Bank on April 6, 1907, when he mortgaged his Wisconsin land there, signed over a deed, and obtained several thousand dollars in cash. Over the next several decades, Gunness was allegedly sighted in various cities nationwide. But many couldnt help but notice that she bore a striking resemblance to Gunness and even had a photograph of kids who looked a lot like Gunness children. She killed most of her suitors and boyfrie Alchetron Sign in Sneha Girap(Editor) Disturbed when Andrew failed to return home, Asle wrote to Belle asking her about his siblings whereabouts. The author wound her longtime interests in vintage crime and women's history into a novel that's largely from. [28], Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men is a 2018 non-fiction book by Harold Schechter on the life of Belle Gunness. This letter was later found at the Helgelien farm. As late as 1931, Gunness was reported alive and living in a Mississippi town, where she supposedly owned a great deal of property and lived as a prominent citizen. He tried to rouse the lady of the house, the towering Belle Poulsdatter Sorenson Gunness, and he called the names of her . At the same time, several farmers who had traveled past the farm at night reported having seen Belle digging with a shovel in the hog pen. At this time, Belle started to have problems with her farmhand, Ray Lamphere. She also chloroformed her children, smothered them to death, and carried them to the basement. On the morning of April 27, 1908, the farmhand on a lonely property outside La Porte, Indiana, woke to the smell of smoke. Some of these were most undoubtedly additional victims, though they were never proven. [12] Lucas Reilly, quoting The Chicago Inter Ocean in Mental Floss, noted that, The bones had been crushed on the ends, as though they had been struck with hammers after they were dismembered [and that] Quicklime had been scattered over the faces and stuffed in the ears. Eerily, in 1931, a woman named Esther Carlson was arrested in Los Angeles for poisoning a Norwegian-American man and attempting to steal his money. In December 1902, Peter himself met with a tragic accident. According to Belle, he was struck on the head when a sausage-grinding machine had toppled off a high shelf in the kitchen. Shutterstock. La Porte County Historical Society MuseumInvestigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. Who Was Belle Gunness? Storset then married Peter Gunness, in 1901; a week later, his infant son from a previous marriage was dead under suspicious circumstances. She made her home in Chicago and started working as a maid. Recent examination of the body revealed it was likely not Belle Gunness, so she almost certainly survived, having swapped with a decoy. [27], The Farm, a 2021 film starring Traci Lords, is based on the Belle Gunness story. It read: To the Dearest Friend in the World: No woman in the world is happier than I am. He moved to La Porte, Indiana on January 3, 1908 to be with Belle Gunness. Sure, she came with dreams of getting together a bunch of money for herself, but her methods for getting that money were devious and deadly. He died there of tuberculosis on December 30, 1909. Lamphere also cleared up the mysterious question of the headless female corpse found in the smoking ruins of Gunness home. [citation needed] Bechly attempted to convince Schell to allow him to publish this later confession, but was denied by both Schell and Schell's wife. Belle Gunness, birth name Brynhild Paulsdatter Strset, was born in Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway, on November 11, 1859. . Wikipedia, Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas Declaring Independence, Stanley, Ks Extinct but Still Here (LOK), Black Bob Reservation in Johnson County (LOK), Make History Come Alive With These Online Tools and Resources. [7] In Chicago, while living with her sister and brother-in-law, Gunness worked as a domestic servant, then got a job at a butcher's shop cutting up animal carcasses. Gunness claimed they were a Los Angeles professor and his wife who had taken Jennie to California. Belle also began. In the span of two days, investigators found a total of 11 burlap sacks, which contained arms hacked from the shoulders down [and] masses of human bone wrapped in loose flesh that dripped like jelly.. And did Gunness really die in the farmhouse disaster? Little is known about her early life. Budsbergs sons had no idea their father had gone off to visit Gunness. Second husband, Peter (Peder) Gunness. Hells Belle Gunness was Americas most degenerate female serial killer in history, who likely killed both her husbands and all of her children. Married with Sorensen and Belle has born 4 children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle and Lucy. Elliot Leyton. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. The investigators had previously checked her bank accounts, and though a small amount was remaining in one of her savings accounts, the money in all other accounts had been completely withdrawn shortly before the fire, suggesting that the evil woman had created a great hoax and evaded the law. Female Serial Killer Belle Gunness . Another report in 1931 suggested that she may have been a woman known as Esther Carlson, who was arrested in Los Angeles, California, for poisoning August Lindstrom, a Norwegian-American man, on February 9, 1931, for his money. What followed were a series of insurance frauds and crimes, escalating in size and danger. The pair exchanged many letters until a letter arrived that overwhelmed Helgelien, written in Gunness careful handwriting and dated January 13, 1908. At other times, she would wait for the suitor to go to bed and then enter the bedroom by candlelight and chloroformed her sleeping victim. But, there was another side to the woman that Lamphere saw, and soon the local folk would as well. Belle Gunness's First Husband. Belle had anywhere from 13 to 42 victims. In 1881, at the age of 21, Brynhild left Norway and settled in Chicago. Gunness then began meeting wealthy men through a lovelorn column. When drinking, Lamphere often boasted of sleeping with his employer, which came as a surprise to those who only saw Belle as the burly woman who liked to dress in mens overalls and do her own hog butchering. After the fire, her victims were unearthed from their shallow graves around the farm. Though the coroner ruled that the kids had died of colitis, their symptoms were also consistent with poisoning. Sheriff Smutzer then took a dozen men back to the farm and began to dig, and on May 3, 1908, the diggers unearthed the body of Jennie Olson, who had vanished in December 1906. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. However the fourth, believed to be Gunness, was inexplicably missing its skull. Most of the remains found on the property could not be identified. He also swore to the reverend, as well as a fellow convict, that he had not murdered anyone. However, when he was introduced to Andrew Hegelian Belles new husband-to-be, he made a scene, and Belle promptly fired him on February 3, 1908. At first, investigators believed the bodies to be Belle Gunness and her three children: Myrtle, age eleven, Lucy, age nine; and Phillip, age five. These men was John Moe, who arrived from Elbow Lake, Minnesota lot. Hearing, but by the time it arrived, the farm a serial killer Belle wrote. 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