Murderess: Belle Gunness

“The belief is general that Mrs. Gunness is not dead, but that another body has been substituted for her, and that she is probably on her way to Norway,” Palestine Daily Herald, May 6, 1908. 

Welcome to Civics and Coffee. My name is Alycia and I am a self-professed history nerd. Each week, I am going to chat about a topic on U.S history and give you both the highlights and occasionally break down some of the complexities in history; and share stories you may not remember learning in high school. All in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. 

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Hey everyone, welcome back. 

We are in the middle of spooky season and I couldn’t let the month of October go by without sharing at least some creepy history tales. As I am in the early stages of covering Reconstruction, I thought it would be a good time to dive into one of - if not the first - documented serial killers in American history, Belle Gunness. 

Described by at least one newspaper as quote “one of the most fiendish murderesses of the century,” end quote, Belle Gunness is shrouded in mystery. Believed to be responsible for as little as three and as many as forty people, Belle Gunness remains one of the most fascinating stories to date. 

So this week, I am diving into the history of Belle Gunness. Who was she? Why did she murder? And why is there so much mystery surrounding her crimes? 

Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let’s do this. 

As I mentioned in my opener, much of Belle Gunness’ life is subject to speculation. In fact, despite being labeled one of the most fiendish murderesses of her time, Belle Gunness was never actually charged nor convicted of murder. Now part of this was due to the fact that she is believed to have either died in a house fire before she could be caught - but even that is up for debate. Thus, most of what I was able to pull together for this episode is based off reporting at the time. If you know anything about nineteenth and early twentieth century journalism, then you are likely aware that journalists of the time wrote with a sensationalist tone often and were not always above board in verifying their facts. 

Some of what we know about Belle Gunness has been independently verified - such as her birth name, country of origin, and date of birth, but you will likely hear me using the words likely, probably, or reportedly a lot in this episode since the primary sources relied on hearsay and rumors in building their reporting about the famed serial killer. And with that, let’s begin.

Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storsth in Selbu, Norway on November 11, 1859. There were rumors that Guness’ family was made up of circus performers - that her father was a sword swallower and her mom a tightrope walker - but this has been debunked by researchers and historians as quote unquote absurd. What is more likely is that her father was a poor farmer, relying on his crop of barley, oats, and potatoes to make ends meet. In the winter months, when crop yields were low if not non-existent, Belle’s father found work as a stone mason. 

Coming from a poor family, Belle went to work early in her youth, picking up jobs as a dairy maid and cattle girl. Any money she made went back to her father to care for the rest of the family. Growing up poor stuck with Belle, who became very focused on ensuring her financial security. In an interview conducted after Belle’s crimes, her sister Nellie claimed that Belle had a singular focus on earning and keeping as much money as possible. At 17, Gunness discovered she was pregnant. As a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, being pregnant and unmarried at her age was quite the scandal and brought immense shame to her family. She apparently attended a holiday dance after her discovery, where she was approached by a young man who had less than chivalrous intentions. When Gunness rebuffed her would-be suitor, he became angry, violently attacking Belle and kicking her in the stomach, causing her to miscarry her pregnancy. 

Because her attacker was from a well-to-do family, he was never prosecuted or otherwise punished for his abuse. While the attack likely robbed Gunness of every being able to have another child, her perpetrator did not get away entirely scott free. Just a few weeks after her attack, the young man died mysteriously from stomach issues. Many researchers point to this as Belle Gunness’ likely first victim - an act of revenge against someone who was otherwise unlikely to face any consequences. Some criminologists who’ve studied Gunness’ crimes point to her upbringing as contributing to her eventual decision to commit murder. In their analysis, Gunness lacked a family life that provided love, support for her self-esteem, and basic needed which all contributed to her quote “psychological motivations” end quote. 

Whatever her motivations, Gunness’ personality shifted over time. Whether or not as a result of her miscarriage and attempted attack, Gunness grew increasingly resentful and placed little faith in finding a decent man with whom she could build a family. Instead, Gunness became focused on escaping her lower class background, hoping to strike it rich in America. She worked several jobs, including tending horses, milking cows, and cleaning pig slops, to save enough money for her fare to America. It took 3 years, and help from her sister, Nellie, before Belle had enough money to buy a ticket to New York. 

Her sister, who was oddly also originally named Brynhild, had immigrated to America a few years earlier in 1874 and had found a husband, John Larsen. The two had settled in Chicago - which enjoyed the largest ethnic Norwegian population in the United States at the time and were apparently financially well off - at least well off enough to help Nellie’s sister secure transport to America. Gunness sailed on the steamship Tasso, leaving on September 8, 1881. She entered the United States as Brynhild Petersen and quickly journeyed to Chicago to live with her sister. Despite this act of generosity, the two sisters apparently had a strained relationship. 

While living in Chicago, Gunness met her future husband, a department store watchman named Mads Sorensen. The two were wed in 1884 at the Norwegian Bethania Luthern Church by Reverend John Torgerson and soon after, the two moved to a new home located on Marian Court. The young couple were said to be active in their community - frequenting church activities and events put on by the local fraternity society. However, the two were not overly in love. In a later interview, Nellie claimed her sister said of her husband quote, “I would never remain with this man if it wasn’t for the nice home he has,” end quote. Neighbors and those who interacted with the couple reported sensing that Belle’s husband appeared fearful of his wife. As family photographer R.C. Ganiere said later, quote: “there was much ill feeling, and the man, a midget in comparison with his wife, seemed to fear her,” end quote. Despite this charge of sensing fear, Ganiere admitted he was not aware of any marital trouble between the couple. Whatever their marital woes, Belle began taking children into their home - some of which she claimed were her own, despite any evidence of her ever being pregnant or giving birth. She even visited a local doctor, disclosing that she was pregnant and would later need his assistance. The doctor was then called to the Gunness family home only to find Belle sitting in bed with an infant in her arms. Upon his arrival, Gunness claimed she had to call on another physician because she was unable to locate him. Gunness also claimed to have birthed four children in the span of three years - a statement that was highly questionable considering her previous injury. There is speculation that because Gunness’ previous miscarriage likely prevented Gunness from being able to have children of her own, that any children seen with her were likely purchased or procured in some other fashion. 

In February, 1894 Belle and her husband rented a grocery store. Located on Grand Ave, the couple lived in the back of the store to help save money. Gunness was not very cordial with customers and the couple frequently fought about finances. At least some of their financial issues could be attributed to Belle’s spending habits, as she always had the children under her care in very expensive clothing and sat frequently for portraits with the kids. But in Belle’s opinion, it was the grocery store that was not making enough money and she apparently told her husband that if the financial situation did not improve, the couple would be forced to close the store. It was under the guise of concern about financial insolvency that Gunness suggested her husband increase the total on his life insurance policy. He apparently agreed and took out a second, larger policy and coincidentally happened to pass away the same day both policies overlapped. 

There were some who were skeptical about the true nature of the grocery. Prior to Mads’ death, there were neighbors who believed that the grocery was a front for the real business of the Gunness household - buying and selling infants. Neither Belle nor her husband were ever arrested, charged, or convicted of any such crime that I could find, but it does seem suspicious that this woman - who focused on accumulating wealth and escaping her lower class youth - would take on the costs associated with rearing children if there was not some of financial incentive to do so. Gunness housed these children in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, before the establishment of any organized state foster care system - so she could not expect any compensation from the government for taking in these children, but there may have been another way for her to obtain payment… 

Of the many children who lived with Gunness, two died from what was diagnosed as colitis, which is the swelling of the intestine. However, poisoning can also create symptoms of colitis and  Again, Gunness was never charged with any crime, but she did collect money on life insurance policies for each child, both of whom were very young. After the death of her husband, neighbors grew suspicious so Belle packed up with her then-three children and used her insurance money to buy a farm in La Porte, Indiana in 1901. 

Belle married again in 1902, this time to Peter Gunness, who was a widower with two young daughters. Suspiciously, the youngest of Peter’s children died just a week after the two were married. And Peter did not last much longer, dying just 8 months later. When asked about what happened to her second husband, Belle maintained that he was somehow accidentally hit in the back of the head with a sausage grinder. After Peter’s death, Belle began placing ads in Norwegian language papers asking for a quote “good and reliable man” end quote to come live with her on her farm. A number of men answered the ad, including Ray Lamphere who arrived in La Porte in August 1907 ready to marry Belle. 

Belle kept Ray on as a farm hand and welcomed yet another suitor, Andrew Helgelien from Aberdeen, South Dakota, who arrived on the farm in January 1908. After only two weeks of living with Belle, he requested the money from his accounts in South Dakota be sent to a bank in La Porte. Both Belle and Andrew went to the bank to liquidate the asset together. Bank staff apparently recommended Belle consider leaving some of the money on deposit for safety reasons, but she declined - taking the entire sum in cash. Andrew disappeared shortly thereafter. 

Unlike her previous victims, Andrew had a brother, whose name was either Asle or John, who was very concerned when he was unable to contact Andrew. When John reached out to Belle to figure out why he hadn’t heard from Andrew, Belle claimed Andrew had left and she had no idea about his location. While this may have been an acceptable answer to some, John was not sold and continued contacting Belle asking her for any information she might have about his brother. It wasn’t just John asking questions; neighbors reported that at least three men who lived on her property had gone missing, prompting authorities to question Belle. Her story was that each man who had answered her quote unquote matrimonial advertisements failed to meet her standards and they therefore left. Belle also had a falling out with Ray, whom she fired in February 1908 with the claim of trespassing. Shortly after Ray’s departure, Gunness hired yet another man, Joe Maxson. 

Perhaps feeling the walls caving in, Belle had a will drawn up on April 27, 1908 and early the next morning at around 4am, newly hired Joe Maxson awoke to the smell of smoke. Realizing the house was on fire, Maxson tried in vain to wake the mistress of the house before running to town to get the fire department’s help in putting out the fire. Once extinguished, authorities discovered four bodies - three children and one woman - who was missing a head. Former farm hand Ray Lamphere was arrested for arson and murder and went on trial in November, 1908 at the La Porte County Courthouse. Without a head to confirm the body belonged to Belle, Lamphere managed to escape a murder conviction, though he was found guilty of arson. 

Further investigation of Gunness’ property led to the discovery of at least 13 bodies, including Andrew, who was discovered after the fire, buried in a gunny sack in a shallow grave. Police investigating the area speculated that some of the bodies discovered may have been murders committed while Gunness lived in Chicago and that she transported the bodies to Indiana to bury and protect her secrets. 

What truly happened to Belle Gunness remains a historical mystery. Given the time period, her story was likely enhanced or outright altered in an effort to sell more papers. We may never know the true extent of her wrath, but the story of Belle Gunness is likely to remain one of the spookiest tales of murder and mayhem in American history. 

Before I sign off today, I want to give a special thanks to the latest Patreon member, Ethan. As a reminder, you too can join the Patreon and get cool things like historical stickers and access to a special series, Civics & Cocktails. To learn more, head over to the website at www civics and coffee dot com. The website is also where you can see source material, transcripts, and other ways you can support the show. 

Thanks, peeps. I will see next week.

Thanks for tuning and I hope you enjoyed this episode of Civics & Coffee. If you want to hear more small snippets from american history, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening and I look forward to our next cup of coffee together. 

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