The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-04-21
CONFESSION OF A. WIFE MUIR
PERER
Burning of The bodu bu the husband.


We stated a few days ago that Return
J. M. Ward had been convicted at Toledo,
Ohio, Of the murder of his wife. He has
since, it appears, made full confession of
the horrible deed tie the Editor of the Tole-
do Commercial, from which Journal we
copy it:
CoxFEss1ox.-O Tuesday evening, Feb.
Sd, Mrs Ward and myself had some words,
during which she struck me on the head
with a fluid lamp, also on the right side of
the nose, causing it to bleed freely. l beg
| ged her not to strike me, took the lamp
away from her and went to bed. We arose
between six and seven o'clock on Wednes-
day morning, when spoke to her about
the bow she had given me, showing her
where she had struck me the evening be-
| fore, also the blood on the bolster and tick
She said she wished | had bled to death,
and picking up stick of hickory wood.
she attempted to strike me. / warded off
the blow, which fell upon my right thumb,
! laming it severely. The stick fell from
her hind, and as she stopped TO pick it up,
| [ seized a fiat iron, and, in the heat of pas
sion, struck her with it on the right side of
the head upon and under the ear, driving
the earring into the flesh. She fell to the
floor exclaiming, 'Oh, Ward, you have kill
ed me ~ ! dropped the fat-iron and went
to her; she was lying on her side; / turned
her over on her back, and placed a petit
coat under her head, supposing she was
| only stunned. | used all means in my
! power to restore her, but in half an hour
she died. having only spoken once, "Oh,
my Nellie," meaning, as / suppose, her
! little girl.
| After she was dead | wrapped her head
in petticoat and drew the body under the
bed to conceal it in case any one should
come in. About half past eight O'clock
VIM. II. Nathan. a mulatto boy, came to
| the door with some milk: came into the
shop. took the milk from him and he left.
l then went to Liba Aliens grocery and
bought pound of sugar; told him 1 was
going away. / then returned to the house,
and after short time commenced cutting
up the body. tore the clothes open from
pocket knife and opened the body, took
out the bowels first. and put them in the
stove upon the wood; they being filled with
air, would make a noise in exploding, SO |
took my knife and picked holes through
them to prevent the noise; then took out
the liver and heart and put them in the
stove; found it very difficult to burn them:
had to take the poker and frequently stir
them before they could be destroyed; found
the lungs very much decayed. l then took
out the blood remaining in the cavity of
the body by placing a copper kettle close
to it, and scooping the blood out with my
hands. | then dipped portions of her clo-
thing in the same, and burnt them together,
fearing that if 1 put the blood in the stove
alone that it might be discovered. l then
made an incison through the flesh, along
down each side, broke off the ribs and took
out the breast bone, and throwing it into a
shoulders. doubled them up and placed
them in the boiler; then severed the re-
naming portions of the body by plac ing a
stick of wood under the back and breaking
the backbone over the same, cutting away
the flesh and ligament with knife. Then
tried to sever the head from the body, but
it proving Intellectual, put the whole up
per portion of the body into the boiler; then
took a large carving knife and severed the
lower portion of the body, unjointing the
legs at the knees, and again at the hip
joints; cut the thighs open and took out
the bones and burnt them up; they burned
very rapidly.
On Thursday night I commenced burn
ing the body by placing the upper and back
portions of the same, together with the
head, in the stove. On Friday morning,
finding it had not been consumed, built a
large fire by placing wood around and
under it, and in short time it was wholly
consumed, except some portions of the
larger bones and skull. The remaining
portions of the body were kept in the boiler
and in tubs, under the bed, covered up
with corded petticoat, and were there at
the time the first search was made ON Satur-
day by Constable Curtis.
Hearing Gu Saturday evening that the
citizens were not satisfied with the search
made by Mr. Curtis, proceeded on Sunday
morning to destroy the remainder of the
body by burning it in the stove, cutting
the aeshy part of the thighs in small strips,
the more readily to dispose of them. On
Monday morning l took up the ashes in
small keg, sitting out the larger pieces of
bone with my hands, placing the same in
my overcoat pockets, which scattered in
various places in the fields, at different
times. Also took the major portion of the
trunk nails, together with the hinges, and
scattered them in different places. l then
burned her trunk and every vestge of her
clothing, disposing of small portions at a
time to Dreyent their creating too lnuch