Hide Article Text (OCR)
A Horrible Story Conat from l*t*o«outo», • Kao.—A Wbolo Vaaollj Murdered. ! aPleasaxtox, Kaa, June S.—About noon iyesterday Constable Loogoss came to town . with the word that two children hud been discovered drowned in Sugar Creek, about five miles north of Pleasanton. A coroner*s jury was at once summoned by X. W. Barnett, Esq., and repaired at once to the placeof drowning, and upon reaching the little stream, a wagon and one horse was found near by, and by the side of the wagon was the dead body of a girt about sixteen years of age with her head severed from her body by an ax which stood near. The bodies of the children were taken from the stream and proved to be a girl of about eleven years of age and a boy of about six. The girl had been struck in the head with an ax, and the boy's throat was cut from ear to ear. Coffins had been provided for the two children only, in which they wero placed and the inquest proceeded over the three. In the meantime some of the party had discover'd a terrible stench about one hundred yrm- from the wagon and upon searching.,, .e thick brush the body of a womauw t: .. 'lt;talso ..end over with logs Aid L - . . pon u.. -«».wring her it wasfound that she, too, had been struck upon the side of the head and then had her throat cut from ear to ear. There was nothing upon any of them to tell who they wore or where they were from. The oldest woman was probably thlrty-seren years old. In the wagon was found four plain straw lints, a bundle of woman's wearing apparel, an axe with which the deed was done, a cross cut saw, two iron wedges, a cable log chain and a skillet. The wagon Is an old one, as is also the harness. The hone found near by is a small bay pony and blind in both eyes; the other horse was probably ridden off by the perpetrator of the awful diced. Near by In the creek wero found fishfiles and lines, just as they had beeu left, he deed has probably been done about a week as the bodies were badly decomposed.A strov dog supposed to belong to i parties came to a farmer’s house near by a few days since. The victims were buried on the spot, as they were too badly decomposed to move. Never before has such an atrocious act been committed In this part of the State, and the citiiens are much excited over the terrible event, and the perpetrator would be summarily dealt with If found now. The Coroner's jury have not yet brought la their verdict Further inquiry developes the fact that these parties passed through Pleasanton the early part of last week and Inquired the way to Jones’ Switch. The man waa about five feet six inches high, short, sandy beard and w very ragged clothes. A clue will soon found as to who the victims were.• rCBTRSI PABTICULABS.Pleasaxtox. Ka9, June 4.—The mur dared family discovered four miles north of here was the family of John H. Anderson. The bodies found were Mrs. Anderson, aged about thirty-five years; Lilllau, thirteen yean; Ella, ten yean; Anna, eight and James, four yean. Anna's body waa discovered this morning, making five bodies so far. Thu family were very Improvident the man, John U. Anderson, and hb nephew by marriage, Lewb Wampler, preferring Ashing and hunting to work. It seems, from what can be teamed, that this Louis Wampler had committed some crime which the. Anderson family were filly acquainted with j and on several occasions hid threatened tc j kill the whole family. From every indication lie carried out hte threats On May 83 Wampler and Anderson left Jones' switch (a wood switch about five miles north ot here) to go to Mbsouri after Anderson’s fsmily, who resided on H. F. Caton's farm, about ten miles east of Pleasanton. On Mooday, May 85, Wampler appeared at thehouse alone, and told Mrs. Anderson that her husband was arrested and in the calaboose at Pleasanton for some cause unknown, and wanted her to come t«: him. She went to a neighbor named Mnllh sad stated that she was afraid to go with Wampler, for fear he would kill her, but he j prevailed ou her to go, and that night about t eight o’clock they started for Pleasant. »s Before they started he loaded hb rifle. ing he might oeed it on the way. Th«\\ arrived In Pleasanton about two o’clock a. m. Tuesday, May 87, and were met by thf ; night watchman. James McGuire,who four.. ! out that the man’s name was Wampler an-that he wanted to know the way to Jones* switch. He directed .them there and toot especial notice of him and hb dog. s yellow shepherd dog with white on neck anlt;) feet .That b the last trace of the famllj until the discovery of the bodies. Parties found the wagon, harness and one horse, i/oub Wampler is a man about thirty of. thirty-five years old, about five feet six and a half or seven inches tall, dark com plexion, weighs about 140 pounds, nothing peculiar about hb speech or walk: dressed in very common clothes. One bone and bridle and hb rifle are missing, and are wanted very badly in this neighborhood. It b supposed the body of Anderson will yet be found somewhere on the route from Jones’ switch to hb home In Baua County. Mo. Everything that can be done to secure the person of Wampler will be done by our i*eople. There has never been such excitement In this vicinity since the day that Price fought hb only battle ou free soil on the ground on which this town i* now located.
Newspaper Details
Lawrence Daily Morning Tribune
Lawrence, Kansas, US
Thu, Jun 05, 1884
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Reinhart B.
USA 21 Jan 2017
Other Publications Near Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence Journal World
Journal World
Lawrence Daily Gazette
Lawrence Daily Journal World
Lawrence Chieftain
