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The Guinness Home Has Sinister HistoryTHE grwsome developments on the pretty Guinness farm here have set the entire country agog. Tbo place quite justifies the ‘’wotrtng widow’% description of It to Intended victims as “the prettiest farm In Northern Indiana.*' Allowing for an owner's partiality, that 1b not much of an exaggeration. Situated about a mile north of Laporte. on the McClung road, a well built macadam driveway, its •ixty-Uve acres run back to Fishrrap Lake. Elshtrap Is rather a fnarsby body of water but nearby Is Clear Lake, which ll considerably deeperThe house itself was built on high ground, on a pretty well shaded little knoll, and faced east Notwithstanding its unquestioned attractlx eneas, the place had a bad reputation and was ah u tine d by tho farmer folk of the neigh-borhocd.Long before Mrs Gu in ness\ acquired it, it belonged to Mattie Altic and was well known as a resort It became an eyesore to the citizens cf La parte But just as steps were about to ue taken to have the p.-ace closed Maili? AUtc dropped dead of heart disease in the doorway *fter a. night of revelryNext, rwc brothers named Breeding died so suddenly that the coroner was called to lnvew»t£Aie A litfla ]at«r thenext occupant, named Edle, committed suicide by hanging.Then came Mrs. Guinness and her reign of tragedy. After Mrs. Guinness bought the farm, which contains sixty-flve acres, it was Improved considerably.A fine driveway led from the road to the house, which stood on a hill surrounded by trees, and well-kept lawns dotted with shrubbery and flower pots sloped away toward the fields on three sides and on the rear to llie great ba-rn. within which were stabled four horses, a pony for the children and several highly-bred cows. There was an orchard, a truck garden and a meadowNothing about the place suggested that it was ar. abode of mystery and death. Yef because of its previous character It ■was shunned by the neighbors, and when the great death mystery which it held developed there were no friends of the woman to whom the authorities could turn for information save Ray Lawphere, former man of all work at the farm, and Joseph Maxson. whose short service had given him no inkling of the mysteries that enveloped the place.Maxson gave a graphic description of his attempts to save Mrs. Gulnneas and her children from the Are. this .being corroborated by neighbors of undoubted Integrity. Of the three children who perished by fire when the house was burned, i \ two. Myrtle and Lut j, were born while die first husband was living. Philip wasa son of the eeoond hnnband.
Newspaper Details
Washington Post
Washington, Washington-DC, US
Sun, May 10, 1908
Page 97
Full Page
Clipped by
Jane A.
USA 01 Nov 2018
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