Early Life
Belle Gunness’s early life is somewhat of a mystery. Belle was the youngest of eight children and it is believed that she was born on November 11, 1859. A story about Belle’s life that has been unverified, explains that she was pregnant at 18 and while attending a dance, a man attacked her. The man kicked her in the stomach and she miscarried. The man was wealthy and not arrested for the crime. After this incident, she became cold and distanced herself from friends and family. Belle Gunness worked on a large wealthy farm for three years in order to have enough money to immigrate to America. First Marriage Belle was six-foot tall and 280 pounds, and after a couple of years in America she found her first husband, Mads Albert Sorenson. They were married in 1884. Belle and her husband opened up a store together and when it was not doing well, the store and their home mysteriously burnt down. The couple was able to collect the insurance money, and build a new home for their now four children and one adopted child. She was able to collect insurance on two infants that died within months of one another and again when her husband, Mads, died of a heart attack. Belle used the money to buy a farm near La Porte, Indiana. Second Marriage Gunness married again in 1902 to a man named Peter Gunness who was a widower with a young girl and an infant daughter. In the same week that the couple got married, the infant daughter died under Belle’s care. Peter died soon later because of a “freak accident”, when a meat grinder fell off of a shelf and hit him in the head. Again, Belle was able to collect insurance money from a death. Authorities questioned Belle and many neighbors suspected foul play, but she was able to convince investigators of no wrong doing. Belle was five months pregnant when Peter died and she had a son. Around the same time, her adoptive daughter vanished and Belle claimed that she was away finishing school. The adoptive daughter’s body was later found buried on Gunness’s property. Life After Marriage After giving birth to her son, Belle started meeting men through personal ads. The men would visit her at her farm and then each one mysteriously vanished without a trace. Many of the men would bring money in order to help with Belle’s mortgage on the farm and then they would never be seen again. One exception to disappearing was the ranch hand Ray Lamphere, who set a stage for Belle’s escape. Belle claimed Lamphere was stalking her and reported him to the police. Later, Gunness’s home was set on fire and it was thought that her and her children were all killed in the fire. Really, Belle was faking her own death and was able to get away with all the murders. Lamphere was arrested for arson and for the murder of Belle Gunness. As the farm house and area around it were investigated the murder case against Lampohere fell apart and he was only found guilty for arson. Lamphere said that Gunness was a rich woman. He thought that she had murdered 42 men and maybe more. She had taken different amounts from each man, the amounts ranged from $1,000 to $32,000, which was a very large amount in those days. The local banks admitted that that she withdrew most of her funds shortly before the fire, meaning that she was planning on faking her death. What Happened To Belle? What happened to Gunness after escaping the fire? For several decades, Belle Gunness was allegedly seen in cities and towns throughout the United States. Different people reported to spotting her in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Belle Gunness will always be an American criminal folk and a female Bluebeard. . |
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Leah Ristow
Leah Ristow