In the 1800s, there were no dating apps, but there were newspaper ads and through these, dozens of men were lured to their demise.

Indiana's Black Widow

We all know what a black widow spider is, but what does it mean when a woman is called a "Black Widow?"  According to Urban Dictionary a "black widow" is a woman who murders her partner for money.

A woman who marries a man for money, then kills him to inherit all that he has. She becomes a widow when he dies, and the black represents the dirty deed that she did.

This is the story of Indiana's infamous Black Widow, Belle Gunness or as some like to call her "Hell's Belle."

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How a Candy Store Sparks a Deadly Desire

Belle Gunness was a Norwegian-born immigrant who came to the United States at the age of 21 in 1881.   According to SyFy Belle was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset, but changed her name to "Belle" when she arrived in the U.S..  She and her first husband Mads Sorenson owned a candy shop, but unfortunately, the store was not doing well.  Eventually, the store burnt down and Belle and Mads received a sizable insurance payout.  Once the Sorensons received the insurance payout Belle quickly realized she could play the system. Unfortunately, this would end in tragedy for many as Belle's greed knew no limits.

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SyFy says that Belle and Mads had two children who would meet an untimely fate due to acute colitis, at least that's what the life insurance company believed when they sent Belle and Mads the payouts.  But Belle's string of bad luck would continue when her husband would tragically die.  Lucky for Belle, he passed away on the day two life insurance policies just so happened to overlap, giving Belle the maximum payout.  However, this began to raise suspicions about Belle, so she left Chicago and moved to the small town of La Porte, Indiana.

 

The Butcher of La Porte

After moving to La Porte, Indiana Belle began writing matrimonial ads for Chicago-area newspapers, but she wasn't looking for love.   She was charming in her writing and would lure unsuspecting men to her farm, there she would murder them and take their money she was ruthless.

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The Library of Congress says that more than 40 wealthy suitors would meet their demise at the hands of Belle, which makes her one of the country's "most fiendish" murderers.  After the fire, dozens of bodies were unearthed from the farm.

After a suspicious fire leveled the house, killing her children, authorities would later unearth scores of missing men's bodies from the "murder farm," many beheaded and dismembered.

 

One Big Mystery

In 1908 the farm where these killings took place was burned to the ground taking Belle and her three foster children with it.  However, of the four bodies found in the ashes where the house once stood, only one was missing a skull, and it is believed that body without the skull was the body of Belle Gunness, or was it?

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According to Biography, it is believed that Belle died in the fire, however, many believe Belle lied and got away.  Including the man convicted of setting the farm on fire.

Ray Lamphere, Gunness's hired hand, was arrested for murder and arson on May 22, 1908. He was found guilty of arson, but cleared of murder. He died in prison, but not before revealing the truth about Belle Gunness and her crimes, including burning her own house down -- the body that was recovered was not hers. Gunness had planned the entire thing, and skipped town after withdrawing most of her money from her bank accounts. She was never tracked down and her death has never been confirmed.

Do you think Belle got away with murder?  We may never know.  What we do know is that Belle's reign of terror came to an end in 1908, at least in 1908.

If the story of Belle Gunness intrigues you, there are two great articles you need to check out, read this one from SyFy and this one from Biography. 

 

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