Belle Gunness - Americas First Female Serial Killer
One of 5 stories in Very Bad Women Volume #1 by Guy Hadleigh.
Brynhild Paulsdatter Storet was born in Norway on November 11 1859. The innocence of Brynhild was short lived; brutality changed her life before she left the shores of her beloved Norway. Young Brynhild fell in love and conceived out of wedlock; she decided to tell her lover at the dance held in a barn outside of town. Behind the barn, she broke the news to the one she wanted to marry; instead of sharing her love and joy, he became enraged. He violently attacked Brynhild; because of the beating, she lost the child. Brynhild was never the same; love and hate became inseparable in her mind, they were fused together in a demented dance, forever fighting for her attention…
Brynhild left Norway for the United States and a new life; she was full of anticipation, she wanted to start over in a new place and find a new love. She changed her name to Belle to help her forget her past, to try to erase the pain and bury Brynhild in the dirt of Norway. She told herself that Belle was nothing like Brynhild; Belle was smart and beautiful. Brynhild was dead and gone, a distant relative with no one to mourn her passing.
Belle made her way to Chicago, a city full of strangers, full of infinite possibilities. She wanted to be in love, she wanted a family and Chicago was full of potential suitors. She fought back the fear with a brave and beautiful new name, and found herself a boyfriend. The man’s name was Mads Ditlev Sorenson. He was tall, blonde and handsome; he was soft spoken and clever, nothing like…she pushed the anger and fear of her past deep into her mind. It was hard to be alone with him at first; they spent most of their time in public places, where she felt safe. Belle knew she had to fight the emotions that were welling up inside her, and when Mads asked her to marry him, she accepted immediately. She did not want to wait and have a big wedding, she wanted to get married as soon as possible; if she waited she might give in to her fear and run.
After the wedding, they moved into a small apartment together in the heart of Chicago. “Why do you look away when I hold you”, Mads asked, his eyes were full of concern. “I am dreaming of our new life together” she answered sweetly. He liked this answer, but deep down he knew she was hiding something. “So I make you happy?” he whispered in her ear, “very happy” she said pulling away. “I will make us supper, sit and relax” she began taking out what she needed to make the evening meal. Mads went to the couch to sit and read the paper; he wanted to make her happier; he wanted her to look into his eyes so he would know she was happy and proud of him.
“Belle, I have found a business, I want to buy it and I want you to help me run it”, Mads declared as he came home from work the next day. Belle was surprised, a business! She would never have to worry about money again. “You are a resourceful man Mads, I couldn’t be more proud of you” she said wrapping her arms around him and looking into his eyes. Mads kissed her and held her close. He was right, she wanted more, she wanted a man who could provide a better life for her; and now he could. The young couple spent weeks fixing up the new business; a confectionary shop on the main strip. It was small but inviting, and Mads loved greeting the new customers; Belle spent most of her time in the back, arranging the stock and cleaning. It seemed a dream come true for Belle, but the dream did not last very long.
One afternoon Belle came to the store with lunch for her and Mads; she thought they could close up shop for an hour and spend some time together. When she arrived, the store was closed, she opened the door and stepped into the semi dark shop, all of the shades were closed and there was no sign of Mads. Suddenly she heard loud sounds coming from the stock room; it sounded as if boxes were being thrown about. Cautiously she peeked through the door to the stock room; Mads was kicking boxes and knocking stock from the shelves in fit of anger. She backed up and knocked over a mop and bucket, making enough noise to startle Mads. “Who’s there!” he yelled, clenching his fists. Belle didn’t answer, her heart began to pound, tears began to stream down her face…the door flew open just missing her; Mads was dumb struck at the sight of her.
“Why didn’t you answer me, why are you crying?” Belle didn’t answer him, she began shaking and threw the lunch basket hitting Mads in the chest, and ran for the door. She didn’t look back, she ran all the way to the apartment in a terrible state, desperate to get away from…who? Mads? She threw herself on the bed, she couldn’t stop crying and shaking, she was angry, angry she felt so helpless and afraid. She felt out of control, she heard Mads enter the apartment calling her name. She wanted him to go away; she didn’t want him near her. “Are you alright in there Belle?” he was banging on the door to the bedroom, “Belle, answer me, are you alright!” he yelled. Belle opened the door in a fit, “Go away, you stay away from me!” she screamed in his face then slammed the door. Mads fell silent, he took a piece of paper from his jacket pocket, it was a collection notice from the suppliers of the store. He looked at it then slid it under the door, “Belle, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you knew, I wanted to keep this from you until I could fix it”, he leaned his head against the cool wood of the door listening to her sob.
Silence, nothing but silence; Mads was sitting on the floor outside the bedroom door; he had fallen asleep waiting for an answer from his wife. He awoke to find the bedroom empty; he wandered into the kitchen and found Belle making dinner. She heard him behind her, he put his arms around her waist, “I am so sorry Belle” he whispered. She turned around and pulled away, “I came to the shop to tell you something today Mads; you are going to be a father” she said in a voice that sounded distant, without emotion. Mads felt a chill, her eyes were cold and empty as she spoke, he expected anger, he expected her to question him about the finances of the store…this he did not expect. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be ok, but she turned and went back to making dinner. He sat down at the table struggling for the words to express what he felt. Before he said a word, Belle took the paper from her apron and tossed it on the table; “I will help you take care of this without kicking and screaming”. “I love you Belle” he said reaching for her hand as she placed his dinner in front of him. “This child will need more than your love Mads, eat your dinner” she answered with a cold voice.
The next morning Mads woke up to Belle singing sweetly in the parlor. “Mads, come quickly, I have something to show you”, she said between verses. “This is your way out of that mess at the store” she handed him some papers. “These are insurance papers Belle, they won’t help with our debt”, “Oh?” she replied with a smile. She took the papers from his hand and explained how she planned to take care of the problem. “We will burn the place to the ground, this will solve our debt and provide money for a new home; this place is too small for three” her voice was no longer singsong; it was direct and forceful. Mads did not like the idea but it was no longer his decision; he wanted her to be happy, he would do whatever she wanted. Within a week, the confectionary shop was a smoldering ruin.
The insurance money provided a new home for the Sorenson’s; all three of them. Belle named the baby Caroline and before long the small family welcomed another baby, a boy she named Axel. The relationship between Belle and Mads never truly recovered after they burned the store. Mads believed Belle lost respect for him, Belle believed Mads was useless and if left to his own devices; prone to fits of violence. Both were wrong in their assumptions, but Mads was dead wrong. He never knew the dark violent past hidden away in the psyche of Belle; he didn’t know she was damaged…damaged and a threat to everyone around her.
Shortly after the birth of Axel, Belle became despondent, she sat for hours in her room, ignoring the crying infant; she barely acknowledged Caroline. Mads felt responsible for her sadness; he decided to find someone to help with the children. He found a young girl through relatives of his in Norway; her name was Jennie Olsen, she was orphaned. He arranged to bring the child to the United States; he would provide for her keep and she would help Belle care for Axel and Caroline. Jennie was only seven years old; she would be a helper and he hoped Jennie would provide company more congenial than his own.
Belle seemed pleased about the arrival of Jennie. She no longer spent so much time alone; she enjoyed decorating Jennie’s new room. Jennie was a talkative little girl; happy to have someone to pay attention to her. Mads was impressed with his problem solving skills; he helped a little girl who needed a family, and made his wife happier. All was well in the Sorenson household until little Caroline fell ill. It wasn’t long before Axel was showing the same signs of illness; both children were seen by the family doctor who diagnosed them with colitis. Although they were being treated for the illness they grew sicker; Mads wanted to take time off from his job to be with his family, but Belle insisted that she and Jennie could take care of the babies without help.
With each passing day, little Caroline and Axel grew weaker, the color of their skin was a sickly grey, and they could no longer eat without vomiting. Caroline and Axel passed away and Belle refused to have a funeral for the children; she demanded that Mads take care of the arrangements for burial without her. He was shocked to find out that Belle was already with child before the infants were buried. He was not ready for another baby, he was still mourning the loss of two children; Belle appeared to be comforted and soon began preparing to replace Axels’ bassinet with a new one. She never spoke of Axel and Caroline again. Both children were insured and the insurance money was used to purchase items for the new baby.
Several months after the death of the children Mads began feeling ill; he missed days at work and had bouts of fever. Belle treated him at home, giving him medicinal powders in his meals; she said he didn’t need to see the doctor. Days went by and Mads condition deteriorated; his sister came by and insisted he see the doctor, Belle calmed her and told her the doctor already provided medicine for him. His sister stayed with them for a week and he eventually gained enough strength to get out of bed. Soon he was back to work and the family put his illness behind them.
Life returned to normal for the Sorenson family and over the next three years Mads and Belle had two children; Myrtle and Lucy. Jennie loved being a big sister; she spent all of her time helping Belle with the girls. All was well until Mads came home from work early one afternoon; he was feverish and weak. Belle put him to bed immediately and prepared medicinal powder for him. His color was bad and he was damp with sweat, he needed more than medicinal powder. He languished for two days, subsisting on warm broth and medicinal powder. On the third day, he insisted on seeing a doctor and sent Jennie to fetch him. When the doctor arrived, he was alarmed at Mads condition. He wanted to put Mads in the hospital but Belle stepped in, she insisted she could care for him at home. The doctor left but he was suspicious of the illness that was plaguing Mads; he wrote a letter to Mads sister telling her that he believed Mads was suffering from strychnine poisoning.
Before his sister received the letter, Mads was dead. The coroner pronounced him dead from an enlarged heart. Mads sister and his relatives demanded an investigation; they used the letter as proof that Mads was poisoned. An inquest into his death was made but no evidence was found; the coroner claimed that symptoms of an enlarged heart are similar to poisoning. Belle was never accused but his relatives had their suspicions. Belle refused to hold a funeral for Mads and he was buried alongside Axel and Caroline.
One month after her husband’s death Belle received a large check; he died the day his two insurance policies overlapped. Belle cashed in on both policies and used the money to move the family to La Porte Indiana. She purchased a pig farm; it was a large property and a business that could support the family. She told the children never to say his name again; they would start a new life in a new place. Myrtle and Lucy never questioned Belle, they were young; but Jennie was a different story.
Before the family made the big move to La Porte, Belle met up with an old acquaintance; he was a recent widower. His name was Peter Gunness; he recently lost his wife in childbirth and he was struggling to care for his daughter Swanhilde and the infant daughter his wife gave her life to give him. Belle immediately began spending time at Peter’s home, helping him with the baby. He fell in love with Belle, he had always liked her and now he felt comforted by a woman from his homeland who spoke his language and showed affection for his children. Before long Peter proposed, he wanted a mother for his girls and woman he could relate to. Belle accepted; she knew what she wanted and it was not a husband, Peter had enough money to care for everyone.
The couple married before moving everyone to the new farm in La Porte. There were other buildings on the property, a boathouse and a carriage house; they burned the day the Gunness family moved in. Belle was happy to collect the insurance money for the destroyed buildings, “it is a good thing I had insurance on those buildings”, she smiled at Peter. “You are a smart, resourceful woman Belle” Peter said sitting down next to Belle as she handed him the insurance checks. “What will you do with the checks?” Peter inquired. “I will put them in the bank” she replied. “I don’t have a bank, I keep my money in my safe box” Peter announced with a look of pride. “Peter, you cannot keep your money in a box, people may steal it, if there is a fire like the one that burned our carriage house your money could be burned up!” Belle said taking his hand in hers. “I will put my money in your bank Belle, you are my wife and I want you to keep the money safe”, Peter kissed her on the cheek and left to get his money from the box.
Peter was very happy to have such a wonderful new wife; it eased his heart to watch her with his infant daughter. Soon Peter set to work readying the farm for production; the farm was used as a pig farm and he planned to use it the same. He spent all day repairing fences, installing feeding troughs and cleaning the cluttered barns. Belle stayed at the house, caring for the infant and she arranged to send the four older girls to school. Everyone seemed happy, falling into a normal family routine; but Belle was already making plans to change the family structure to her liking.
It was a warm spring day; the new hired hand Ray Lamphere readied the carriage to take the girls to school. Everyone was in high spirits as they left the house; Peter kissed all of the children and his wonderful wife as he left to labor on the farm. Belle waved to her husband and children as they drove down the path; the baby started to cry and she went back inside to take care of the problem.
Belle was cold and calculating, she wanted Peter’s money not his companionship and she did not want more children to care for. She knew he had money before she went to help him with the children in Chicago; he received insurance for the death of his wife. Now that money was in her bank account and the farm was almost operational. The family was larger now and the extra money would not stretch as far as she wanted it to; she decided to trim the family down to a more fiscally manageable size. Infants are expensive so she laced the baby bottle with arsenic; the baby would cry and fuss but the family was away for the day.
Belle sat on the large porch rocking in the old rocking chair left by previous owners. She busied herself with crochet work, ignoring the pitiful cries coming from the open front door. When the crying stopped, she put away her crochet work and went to check on the infant; the baby was limp and pale. She placed a mirror under the nose to make sure the baby was no longer breathing, and then she ran from the house to find Peter and tell him the awful news.
Peter struggled to deal with the death of his infant daughter and Belle tried to comfort him. She told Peter the baby was with her mother now; no one suspected any wrongdoing. Peter tried to be strong but the loss of the child reminded him of the loss of his first wife and his mourning was double. Belle received the insurance check for the death of the infant and deposited it without telling Peter. Peter’s mourning was beginning to irritate Belle; she want to forget and move on; Peter could not forget. She decided to help him join the family he mourned for; but first she doubled his insurance policy.
Peter Gunness died a tragic death; it was sloppy. Belle did not want it to be suspicious, she decided not to use poison…too many people in her family had succumbed to similar illness. Belle took a meat cleaver from the counter, put it in her apron and called Peter to the kitchen. She pointed to the meat grinder on the shelf over the stove and asked him to get it for her; as he reached for the grinder Belle struck him in the back of the head with the cleaver. He fell to the floor without uttering a sound; he did not release his grip on the grinder and it came crashing down onto his head. Belle stood admiring her work when she heard a small gasp behind her…Jennie was standing on the porch in the doorway with a look of panic on her face.
Sloppy, so sloppy! Belle ran to the door and pulled Jennie into the house; whatever she did next frightened the girl into silence…for a time. Belle told the coroner that Peter pulled the meat grinder from the shelf and lost his grip on it; the story worked because the grinder wound covered the cleaver wound. His relatives were agitated, they said Peter was not a clumsy man and would not have dropped the grinder; this was not strong enough to accuse Belle. Peter was buried and again the girls were told to never mention his name.
Several weeks went by and the family plowed forward; the joy was gone, the smiles and idle chatter was silent. One afternoon Belle answered a knock at the front door; it was a man from the coroner’s office. “I am sorry Mrs. Gunness, you must come with me”, the man held the door open and waited for Belle to get her shawl. “Why, why must I come with you to the coroner’s office?” Belle asked as she slipped the shawl over her shoulders. “The coroner will explain”, he answered without looking at her.
Belle took Jennie home, home to die. Belle killed Jennie and buried the body in the pig pen on the farm. When neighbors asked about Jennie she told them Jennie was sent to finishing school; no one questioned the answer. Jennie was forgotten, Myrtle and Lucy never asked about Jennie; they knew better. Belle was pregnant with Peter’s child when he was murdered and gave birth to a boy, Phillip Peter’s family found out about Phillip when they came to collect Peter’s older child Swanhilde. Belle no longer wanted to care for Swanhilde and she notified the family that they should arrange to remove her from her home. Swanhilde was lucky; she survived and went to live with her uncle.
Again, Belle collected insurance money; Peter provided in death for his family and went to his grave without knowing he fathered Phillip. After the death of Peter, Jennie and the removal of Swanhilde, Belle placed a request for a suitor in the love column of a national newspaper. She wrote of her financial security and her desire to find a husband with finances that equaled her own. The responses poured in; men from all over the country wanted to meet Belle, she had her pick of suitors.
Belle chose men who were financially secure and willing to travel. From the date of Peter’s death until her demise, she swindled and murdered seven men. Ole B. Budsberg of Lola Wisconsin, Thomas Lindboe from Chicago, Henry Gurnholdt from Scandinavia Wisconsin, Olaf Svenherud from Chicago, John Moe of Elbow Lake Minnesota and Olaf Lindbloom from Wisconsin, and Andrew Helgelien for South Dakota were all murdered and buried on the property of Belle Gunness. The only male acquaintance of Belle that did not end up buried on her property was Ray Lamphere; her hired hand.
Ray Lamphere was always around, Belle knew he had his suspicions but she trusted him; maybe she knew she would eventually need him. Several days after receiving the letter from Alse Helgelien Belle went to the Sherriff and filed a complaint about Ray Lamphere; she claimed he was threatening her and her family. She began spreading rumors around town that Lamphere was unstable and a threat to her safety. She told everyone that Lamphere was threatening to burn down her home; everyone in town knew the stories. Lamphere was eventually brought in for questioning, he denied the allegations but the reports had planted the seed.
On the evening of April 27, 1908 Belle kissed her children goodnight and then went to the kitchen to wait for them to fall asleep. When the children fell silent she went to their rooms to make sure they were deep in sleep; then she went to the barn to retrieve a full container of gasoline. As the children slumbered, she doused the home with the flammable liquid; just before dawn on April 28, 1908, she set the house ablaze. The home burned to the ground, killing everyone inside…or maybe not?
In the smoldering ruins the coroner found the remains of the children and a decapitated woman, leading to suspicions it wasn’t Belle. Not a difficult assumption really as the body only weighed around 150lbs, much less than Belle. The headless body was never completely identified as her and rumors soon began to circulate, but hard evidence was not available.
Teeth, bones and body parts were also found in the ashes, together with watches and other items belonging to men that had fallen into Belle’s fateful embrace. Shallow graves around the farm were also discovered and eventually the bodies of more than forty men, women and children were exhumed.
Ray Lamphere was arrested for arson and murder…the authorities believed he was the culprit from the outset; Belle made sure of that. The court found him guilty of arson but the murder charges were dismissed. He eventually died in prison but not before admitting to his cellmate his love for Belle and his involvement in covering up her death.
Epilogue (or is it?)
Belle smiled as she stood on the banks of the Mississippi waiting for the huge paddle boat to dock. She was full of anticipation, she wanted to be in love, she wanted to forget her past; she buried Belle in the smoldering ruins of the pig farm. She changed her name to Esther; Esther was a strong, financially independent woman, recently widowed and ready to take on the world…
Main image credit Belle Gunness, with her children in 1904. Photograph: Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
Belle Gunness - Americas First Female Serial Killer is one of 5 stories in Very Bad Women Volume #1 by Guy Hadleigh. Available from Amazon by clicking here
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Blog written by Guy Hadleigh, author of Crimes That Time Forgot, the Macabre True Crimes & Mysteries Series, the Murder and Mayhem Series, the British Killers Series, the Infamous True Crimes and Trials Series - and many more!
