America's Femme Fatale, livre ebook

Hoosier History Live interview: Serial Killer Belle Gunness

NUVO mention: Halloween on the horizon

How does a Norwegian farm girl become an infamous American serial killer, responsible for upward of 40 murders?Born in rural Norway in 1859, "Belle" Storset Sorenson Gunness was constantly dealt bad hands in life—so she decided to take life into her own hands.

InAmerica's Femme Fatale: The Story of Serial Killer Belle Gunness, Jane Simon Ammeson traces Gunness's path from a poor teenager rejected by a wealthy lover; to a new wife in Chicago, desperate to escape the poverty of her childhood and impatient for a child to love; to an ambitious, widowed landowner in La Porte, Indiana. Ammeson's careful research reveals how the young immigrant slowly turned into one of America's most dangerous serial killers, allegedly murdering husbands, lovers, and children, and, for a price, disposing of inconvenient corpses for others. Ammeson brings this shocking story to life, detailing the suspicious neighbors who were cowed into silence by Belle's intimidating personality, the culture of orphanages trafficking children and matrimonial agencies, the carnival atmosphere that exploded around the pile of bones found on Gunness's farm, and the sensational reporting that filled newspapers for months.

Perfect for true crime fans fascinated by the creation of a sociopathic serial killer, America's Femme Fatale will leave you entertained and looking over your shoulder.

It was around midnight when Eb Hill pulled his hack to a stop in front of Belle's large brick house on the dark and deserted country road.

Hill's passenger, a pretty, well-dressed young woman he'd picked up at the railroad station about a mile away in La Porte, descended from the hack and walked up towards the darkened front door, following the instructions she'd been given, but when she knocked, no one answered.

She knew the widow was waiting for her, because the message she'd received had said to arrive at midnight on January 14, 1908. Landis was not a woman to be deterred and as Eb watched, she walked back down the front steps. But instead of returning to the hack, she followed the walkway leading to the back of the house, disappearing into the inky blackness.

Minutes later, Eb heard shrieks coming from inside the house and the loud cracking sound of bolts being shot open. Climbing down from the driver's seat, he stood frozen for a moment, uncertain of what to do, when the door was flung open. There, silhouetted in the light streaming from inside the house, Addie was struggling to break free from Belle's grip. Belle, said to be able to carry two pigs, one under each arm, was a strong farm woman. But Landis in her panic and fear was able to deliver a fierce shove, pushing her away and ran down the steps.

She hadn't gotten very far when she fainted. Eb hurried to her prone figure and scooped her up. The widow, standing in the doorway, stared at the two of them for a long moment, and though she and Eb knew each other and their eyes met, neither said a word. Then Belle went back inside, slamming the door behind her. There was the noise of bolts shoved back into place, and as Eb watched, every light in the house went out, one by one, until all the windows were black.

Once in the hack, Addie became hysterical, screaming "Save me! Save me!" as Eb flicked the reins heading back to the train depot. By the time they arrived, Addie, somewhat calmer, boarded the train back to Chicago. Only months later, in the fall, after spending time in at Longcliff—the same place Leonidas Coles was sent to after his breakdown—and being treated by doctors was the traumatized woman able to tell her story.

Earlier that day, after visiting the bank with Andrew, Belle sent Ray on an errand out of town. Her cousin was sending her a horse, and Ray was to meet him in Michigan City, about twelve miles away. Belle was emphatic in her instructions to wait for her cousin, even if that meant Ray had to stay the night in Michigan City. Ray didn't like leaving Belle with Andrew but left as his mistress commanded, though he was not quiet in his grumblings.

Ray convinced his friend John Rye to come along for the ride, and the two set out in a cutter. When they arrived at the meeting place, Belle's cousin was nowhere to be found. They waited for a bit, but Ray's impatience grew to anger and the two decided to douse his fire at a saloon. After a few drinks, they caught a vaudeville show.

Ray and John went back to the livery barn where they were supposed to meet Belle's cousin. There was still no sign of him. Fed up and thinking he had been ordered on a fool's errand, Ray told John he was going to go back to La Porte. The two caught an interurban car, and Ray jumped off at the icehouse switch near Belle's farm, telling John, "I'm going over and see what the old woman is doing. I'll see you later at the saloon."

Ray was geared up for a fight, but when Belle answered the door, she simply invited him in. Julius Truelson, an old acquaintance, was seated in the parlor with Andrew. Expecting Ray to be gone for the night, Belle had hired Julius for the evening's work. After greetings were made, the four played cards for a bit. Though Ray resented the prosperous farmer from South Dakota for taking his place in Belle's bed, he noticed a subtle shift in power in the room's atmosphere. Andrew, oblivious, played his hand and drank his beer. But Ray now understood that Andrew was a walking dead man.

Belle excused herself to refresh their drinks and expertly slipped poison into Andrew's beer. Feeling odd, he begged Belle to call a doctor and when she didn't, he began to struggle as the men attempted subdue him. Belle hit him over the head, and he fell unconsciuse. Ray and Julius carried him to the door of the butchery room, but Belle insisted on doing the work herself and told the two men to wait outside.

All three were so caught up in the moment that they hadn't noticed Addie Landis's tentative knock at the door. Receiving no response, Addie walked around the house toward the light in the back. She could not contain her exclamation of horror when she saw Belle cutting off Andrew's head, while Ray stood by with an open sack ready to receive the gruesome byproduct.

A struggle ensued, but Addie managed to break free and unlock the front door. Belle was on her again, and the two stumbled out the door into the darkness. At the sight of Eb, Belle was momentarily distracted, just long enough for Addie to give her an adrenaline-fueled shove, breaking free. She ran down the steps toward Eb but was overcome and fainted. Belle didn't move. As she watched Eb pick up the girl, she shot him a menacing look of warning. Then without a word, Belle stomped back into the house and slammed the door behind her.

There was nothing to be done about Addie and so Belle set back to work. A short time later, she distributed packages of Andrew's parts to Julius and Ray to bury. Julius was eager to leave the scene, unsure of what Addie Landis might tell Eb or the authorities. So, with little left to do, Belle paid Julius well for his work and sent him on his way. She joined Ray in the yard to oversee the completion of the job.

Preface
Acknowledgments
1. In a Faraway Land
2. Dearly Departed
3. A New Home and a New Husband
4. My Baby She Wrote Me a Letter
5. Boundless Opportunities for an Enterprising Woman
6. Jennie Olson
7. The Rivals
8. The Beginning of the End
9. The Fire
10. The Discovery
11. Bringing Up the Bodies
12. The Confession
13. The Theory of the Exploding Head
14. More Bodies and More Clues
15. The Company She Kept
16. Dead or Alive?
17. Endings
Bibliography