11 Fort Wayne Daily News, December 1, 1902, pp. 1 and 2, and December 4, 1902, p. 1. Also see La Porte Argus-Bulletin, December 16, 1902, p. 1, and December 17, 1902, p. 1.
12 Bowell’s postmortem report is contained in the transcript of the coroner’s inquest, December 17, 1902, filed in the archives of the La Porte County Historical Society.
13 La Porte Argus-Bulletin, December 19, 1902, p. 1.
14 Langlois, p. 108.
15 de la Torre, p. 45.
16 Ibid.
17 Coroner’s inquest, archives of the La Porte County Historical Society.
18 de la Torre, p. 45.
1 Langlois, pp. 56–57.
2 Duluth News-Tribune, May 13, 1908, p. 2.
3 Langlois, pp. 45–48.
4 Ibid., pp. 49–50.
5 Langlois, p. 58.
6 Ibid., pp. 60, 61–62, and 66–67. See also Stuart Holbrook, Murder Out Yonder: An Informal Study of Certain Classic Crimes in Back-Country America (New York: Macmillan, 1941), p. 127.
7 Shepherd, p. 69.
8 Decatur Herald, May 23, 1908, p. 1.
9 Paula K. Hinton, «‘Come Prepared to Stay Forever’: The Tale of a Murderess in Turn-of-the-Century America», diss. (Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, 2001), p. 41.
10 Ibid.
11 «Coroner’s Inquisition, Unidentified Person, Gunness Farm, Henry Gurholt? Deposition of Witness Martin Gurholt, Exhibit ‘B’», on file in the archives of the La Porte Historical Society Museum.
12 «Coroner’s Inquisition, Deposition of Witnesses, Exhibit ‘C,’ Chris Christofferson, May 26, 1908», on file in the archives of the La Porte Historical Society Museum.
1 A facsimile of one of these ads is on display in the Belle Gunness exhibit at the La Porte County Historical Society.
2 La Porte Weekly Herald, May 14, 1908, p. 8; Shepherd, p. 64; Hinton, p. 34.
3 Hinton, p. 46.
4 Richmond Times Dispatch, June 10, 1908, p. 1.
5 Hinton, p. 46; de la Torre, p. 55.
6 La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 8, 1908, p. 1.
7 Grand Forks Evening Times, May 15, 1908, p. 3. Moe’s last name is sometimes reported as «Moo».
8 de la Torre, p. 16; New York Tribune, May 10, 1908, p. 1; Shepherd, p. 53.
9 Otago Daily Times, November 30, 1908, p. 5; Hinton, p. 31; La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 11, 1908, p. 1.
10 Shepherd, p. 52.
11 La Porte Weekly Herald, May 14, 1908, p. 8; Langlois, pp. 77–78; Shepherd, pp. 51–52; Anon., The Mrs. Gunness Mystery! (Chicago: Thompson & Thomas, 1908), pp. 66–67.
1 de la Torre, p. 17.
2 La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 11, 1908, p. 1; de la Torre, p. 18.
3 New York Sun, May 10, 1908, p. 2; La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 14, 1908.
4 de la Torre, p. 18; Anon., The Mrs. Gunness Mystery! pp. 84–85; Troy Taylor, «Come Prepared to Stay Forever»: The Madness of Belle Gunness. Hell Hath No Fury, Book 5 (Decatur, IL: Whitechapel Press, 2013).
5 de la Torre, p. 19.
6 La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 18, 1908, p. 1.
7 Marion Daily Mirror, May 19, 1908, p. 2; Washington Herald, May 10, 1908, p. 3.
1 All contemporary newspaper articles on the case, as well as virtually all succeeding accounts, spell the name «Helgelein». However, on the Find-a-Grave website, there is a photograph of Andrew’s gravestone in which his last name is spelled «Helgelien». There is a note on the site stating: «The name Helgelien as spelled on the gravestone is confirmed by family members to be correct. An alternate spelling (e. g., Helgelein) seen elsewhere is not correct».
2 Asle Helgelien, Andrew’s brother, said that he had found eighty letters from Belle among his brother’s belongings. During Ray Lamphere’s trial, however, newspapers reported that the prosecution was in possession of seventy-five letters from Belle to Andrew. See La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 18, 1908, p. 1, and November 19, 1908, p. 3.
3 Ted Hartzell, «Belle Gunness’ Poison Pen», American History, Vol. 43, No. 2 (June 2008), p. 50.
4 Chicago Evening American, November 18, 1908, p. 3.
5 Indianapolis Star, May 7, 1908, p. 3; Chicago Daily Journal, May 8, 1908, p. 1. Some accounts say that Helgelien robbed and torched the post office not in Red Wing but in Norway, Minnesota.
6 My thanks to Katherine Ramsland for providing me with typed transcripts of Belle’s surviving letters to Helgelien.
7 Hartzell, p. 53.
1 de la Torre, p. 19.
2 Shepherd, p. 30.
3 de la Torre, p. 104.
4 Shepherd, p. 28; Altoona Morning Tribune, November 18, 1908, p. 1; La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 14, 1908, p. 1.
5 La Porte Weekly Herald, May 14, 1908, p. 1.
1 La Porte Argus-Bulletin, November 17, 1908, p. 1.
2 Chicago Tribune, May 8, 1908, p. 1. Some accounts spell her last name «Cone».
3 La Porte Argus-Bulletin, November 17, 1908, p. 1.
4 Compare, for example, La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 9, 1908, p. 1, and La Porte Weekly Herald, November 26, 1908, p. 1.
5 La Porte Argus-Bulletin, April 29, 1908, p. 1, May 9, 1908, p. 1, and November 19, 1908, p. 1.
6 Transcripts of this and other letters between Asle Helgelien and Belle Gunness were provided to me by Dr. Katherine Ramsland.
7 La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 9, 1908, p. 1; de la Torre, p. 107. Belle’s original «Statement Alleging Insanity» is on file at the La Porte County Historical Society.
8 Josh Chaney, «Story About Belle Gunness», unpublished manuscript on file at the La Porte County Historical Society Museum; Hinton, p. 89; La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 9, 1908, p. 1.
9 de la Torre, p. 21; La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 9, 1908, p. 1.
10 de la Torre, p. 107.
11 La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 13, 1908, p. 8.
1 La Porte Weekly Herald, May 14, 1908, p. 16. The La Porte Argus-Bulletin of May 8, 1908, reports the teacher’s name as Jennie Garwood.
2 Chicago Inter Ocean, April 30, 1908, p. 12; de la Torre, p. 21. A transcript of Belle’s will is in the archives of the La Porte Historical Society Museum.
3 Chaney, p. 27.
4 La Porte Weekly Herald, May 14, 1908, p. 15.
5 La Porte Argus-Bulletin, November 18, 1908, p. 1; de la Torre, p. 109.
6 La Porte Argus-Bulletin, November 18, 1908, p. 1; de la Torre, p. 111.
1 La Porte Argus-Bulletin, May 4, 1908, p. 1, and November 18, 1908, p. 1; de la Torre, pp. 7 and 112; «Coroner’s Inquisition, Deposition of Witness Joseph O. Maxson, April 29, 1908», on file in the archives of the La Porte Historical Society Museum.
2 «Coroner’s Inquisition, Deposition of Witness William Clifford, April 29, 1908», on file in the archives of the La Porte Historical Society Museum.
3 «Coroner’s Inquisition, Deposition of Witness William Humphrey, April 29, 1908», on file in the archives of the La Porte Historical Society Museum.