Gunness Murder Area Victims
Waupaca Post
WAS HE KILLED?
Ole Budsburg of Iola
Believed to have been Murdered.
Reports in the daily papers of
yesterday brought to light he fact that Ole Budsberg, formerly of Iola, may be
among the victims of Mrs. Gunness, of LaPorte, who is supposed to have killed
twenty-two people, remains of that many having been found buried on her farm
near that city.
Budsberg, who was about fifty years
old, went to LaPorte in the fall of 1906, from Iola. Soon afterward, he drew from a savings bank
there $1,000 in cash, since which time he has not been heard from by his family
at Iola, though it was asserted about a year ago that he had gone to Norway.
Another feature of the story which
is of interest of this vicinity is that Carl Peterson, a fireman at the
Veterans Home, had recently been in correspondence with Mrs. Gunness, relative
to renting a farm of her, but evidently could not come up to her expectations
financially, as the last letter was that the deal was off. He answered her ad for a manager for her
farm, which he found in a farm paper, but, perhaps luckily for him, did not
have money enough to make it any object for her to get him to come.
Waupaca Post
ANOTHER LAPORTE VICTIM?
Henry Gurholt of
It has developed that Gurholt had
been in communication with a matrimonial bureau through a Scandinavian paper,
and some of his friends say he was corresponding with Mrs. Gunness.
He left
Waupaca Post
GOT TOO WARM FOR HIM
The publicity given Carl Peterson
through his correspondence with Mrs. Gunness of LaPorte, Ind., has been the
cause of his leaving his position at the Veterans’ Home and going to a cooler
climate, as he writes friends “to cool off”.
He is congratulating himself on his escape from the fate that
undoubtedly would have been his lot had he sufficient capital to put him in the
eligible class as a suitor for the murderess.
Mr.
Peterson’s whereabouts and photograph were in great demand for a time by the
press, but there seems nothing to warrant it other than the notoriety he was so
suddenly brought into by being a prospective victim of Mrs. Gunness.
We
trust there will be no more discoveries in the horrible affair to sadden the
hearts of our
Waupaca Record
CARL PETERSON HAS LUCKY
ESCAPE
His Inability to Put up
$1,000 Undoubtedly Saved Him from Being Murdered
Carl
Peterson, referred to in press dispatches relative to the notorious murderess,
Mrs. Belle Guiness of LaPorte,
Peterson,
who is a single man of about 36 years, thot this his
opportunity to get a start in life. He wrote Mrs. Guinness asking for
particulars and dwelling also on his accomplishments and willingness. Under date of April 14, he received a letter
from the woman in which she used five pages in telling him what a fine farm she
had and of her willingness to take in a partner who should have $3,000 ready
cash, but who would be accepted if he could only throw up $1,000. She also referred feelingly to the fact that
she was a widow of five years duration and had three lovely children.
If
the right man should appear a father for the children would not be looked upon
with disfavor. At least a thousand
dollars, however, was necessary for the man seeking her consideration.
Peterson’s letter in answer to this is the one which connected his name with the LaPorte crime. He writes “that he is sorry that he can not meet her requirements but that he is respectable and trustworthy.” He also adds that he hopes she may be able to fine the right kind of a man for a father to her children.
Peterson is congratulating himself on his lucky escape.
Budsbeerg of Iola Victim
Matt and
Oscar Budsberg accompanied by Edwin Chapin of Iola were in the city last night
enroute to
Ole
Budsberg was about 50 years old and has been a resident of Iola for a number of
years. Last spring he sold his farm to
his sons, Matt and Oscar, and went to LaPorte, Inc., where he intended renting
the farm of Mrs. Guinnes. Early in March
he was met by the woman and together they entered the savings bank and Budsberg
offered for discount a note drawn upon the Farmer’s State Bank in his home
town. The local institution refused to
cash it so it was left for collection.
The note was based on a mortgage assigned to the Iola bank and when it
was sent to that concern the full face value was returned to the local bank.
Budsberg
did not claim his money for several days so it was placed to his credit. April 6, he and Mrs. Guinness visited the
bank and withdrew the entire amount. It
was not until last October that the local bankers heard from the transaction
again. Then they received a letter from
J.C. Swendsen, cashier of the
Wright
Buck, assistant cashier of the LaPorte Savings bank, called at the Guinness
farm in an effort to secure the information regarding Budsberg. He was told by Mrs. Guinness that the
The
sons believe their father is one of the twelve victims of this sorceress.
Waupaca Post
H.A. LARSON RETURNS
We are
glad to see the smiling face of H.A. Larson on our streets again after being
absent more than two months. He was a
delegate to the General M.B. conference at
On
his return home he stopped at