gunness

A photo montage of Belle Gunness, a few of her victims, her children and forensic items illustrates the new documentary "The Gunness Mystery." (Click to enlarge)

   “The Gunness Mystery,” a historical documentary on the life of infamous LaPorte serial killer Belle Gunness, will premiere at the LaPorte Cinema on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010, with showings at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

  The documentary was produced by LaPorte County residents Bruce Johnson and Stephen Ruminski. A synopsis at website www.thegunnessmystery.com states: “The Gunness Mystery is a documentary detailing the life of one of the most prolific female serial killers in history. In the late 1800s, Belle Gunness emigrated from a small town in Norway to the bustling city of Chicago. Following the death of her first husband, she moved with several of her foster children to a farm in LaPorte, Indiana. Belle began reaching out to men across the Midwest through a series of want ads in Scandinavian newspapers. Those who answered her ads were promised a bright future as a partner in her farm. They were also told to sell their belongings, bring only cash, and not tell anyone where they were going. Those who came were never seen again.”
Bruce Johnson   Bruce Johnson is a native of LaPorte who teaches at South Central School. He has been researching the Belle Gunness story for many years, partly because of his interest in local history and his Scandinavian heritage. He has hosted guests from Norway, England, and France who have visited LaPorte to research Gunness, and he has appeared in Gunness television documentaries in Norway and England. He is also the first LaPortean to have visited the home of Gunness in Selbu, Norway.
   In 2007, he volunteered to create a historic presentation to observe the 100th anniversary of the Gunness discoveries and raise funds to purchase gravestones for the victims buried in LaPorte. It was his goal to research and write a factual script for The Gunness Mystery and use archival photos to create an accurate account that could be presented to local organizations in exchange for donations to the memorial fund. He also was determined to locate as many living relatives of victims as possible who would be able to take part in the dedication of the gravestones. More than 40 relatives of victims were in attendance from throughout the country for the memorial dedication services on April 26, 2008.

   Stephen Ruminski, a native LaPortean, is an aspiring writer, director and editor. He is a graduate of Tribeca Flashpoint Academy in Chicago, where he studied film and film post-production. He has been running his own video production company, P.C. Video Productions, for many years. “The Gunness Mystery” is the first documentary produced by the company.  

Stephen Ruminski

    In Late 2007, Stephen attended Bruce’s Belle Gunness slideshow at the LaPorte County Public Library. Stephen and Bruce met shortly after and began planning the documentary.

   Tickets for the premiere are $10 and are available at the box office of LaPorte Cinema, 608 Colfax Ave., or online at www.thegunnessmystery.com. Also available at the website are details on how to purchase DVDs, posters, photos and more regarding the Gunness documentary.

   For more information, contact Bruce Johnson at http://us.mc509.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=mrjsc@csinet.net.