Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-04-16
Confession of a Wife Murderer.
[From the Toledo Commercial, April 81

III, -. %. springer, esq, we last evening paul
a visit to r. j. NJ Ward, who gave us the
following confession in relation to the murder
of his wife Ward seemed to be deeply affect
ed, frequently interrupting his disclosure by
exclamutions of deep sorrow and regret for the
crime he had committed, and giving US full
and complete disclosure of the same. After
taking down his confessions, we read the same
to him, when he pronounced it correct. We
give it to our readers as we had it from his
own lips, i'll the presence of the Sheriff and
others
CONFESSION.
"On Tuesday evening, Feb g. Mrs. Ward
and myself had some words, during which Mrs.
Ward struck me on the head with a fluid lamp
also on the right side of the nose, causing the
same to bleed freely. | begged her not to
strike me, took the lamp away from her. and
went to bed We arose between and 7 o.
clock on Wednesday morning. spoke to her
about the blow she had given me, showing her
where she had struck ne on the evening pre-
vious, also the blood on the bolster and tick
She said she wished had bled to death, and,
picking up a stick of hickory wood, she at
tempted to strike me- warded off the blow,
which fell upon my right thumb, lamng it Sc
verely. The stick fell from her hand, and as
she stopped to pick it up | seized fiatiron,
and in the heat Of passion 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, 1" Oh Ward
YOU have killed me :" dropped the fatiron
and went to her she was lying on her side ;
| turned her over ON her back, and placed a
petticoat under her head, supposing she was
ony stunned. | used all means in my power
to restore her, but in half an hour she died,
having only spoken once, :" o, 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
ill., About - o'clock, Wm. Ii. Nathan, q
lnulatto boy, came to the door with some milk;
came into the shop took the milk from him
and he left. | then went to Liba Aliens gro
Gerry bought pound of sugar told him was
going away. then returned to the house,
aud after q short time commenced cutting up
the body. tore the clothes open from the
throat down. l then took small pocket
knife and opened the body took out the bow
els first, and then put them in the stove, upon
the wood they being filled with air. would
make noise in exploding, as took my knife
and pricked holes through them, to prevent
the noise then took out the liver and heart,
aud put them in the stove found it very diff
fcult to burn them had 20 take the poker
aud frequently stir them, before they could be
destroyed found the lungs very much decay
ed. then took out the blood remaining in
the cavity of the body, by placing a copper
kettle close to the same, and scooping it out
with my hands. l then dipped portions of
L. ~. H. - Al
CT, fearing, if | put the blood in the stove
alone that it might be discovered. | then
made an incision through the flesh, along down
each side, broke off the ribs and took out the
breast bone, and throwing it into large boi-
Ter, unjointed the arms at the shoulders, dou-
bled them up and placed them in the boiler
then severed the remaining portions of the bo-
dy, by placing stick of wood under the back
and breaking the backbone over the same,
cutting away the flesh and ligament with a
knife ; then tried to sever the head from the
body it proving Intellectual, and | put the
whole upper portion of the body in the boiler;
then took large carving-knife and severed
the lower portions of the body, unjointed the
legs at the knee, aud again at the hpjoint
cut the thighs open and took out the bones
and burned them up ; they burned very ra
pidly.
On Thursday night l commenced burning
the body, by placing the upper and back por-
tions of the same, together with the head, in
the stove. On Friday morning. finding it had
not been consumed, | built a large fire by plac-
ing wood around and under it, aud in short
time it was wholly consumed except some
small portions of the larger bones and of the
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 Saturday by Constable Curtis.
Hearing on 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 bO-
dy, by burning the same in the stove, cutting
the lcshy parts of the thighs in small strips,
the more readily to dispose of them. On Mon
day morning | took up the ashes in a small
kcg, 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 pla-
ces. | then burned her trunk and every YES
tige of her clothing, disposiug of small por-
tiOns at time, to prevent their creating too
much smoke"
On the 9th inst, Il j. VI. Ward, the mur-
derer, was brought in, dressed as usual in a
full suit Of black, appearing much downcast,
and as the Court commanded him to stand
up, he arose breathing heavily, his eyes fixed
upon the floor, and only momentarily seeking
the face of the Judge. With one hand he
leaned heavily on the chair, while the other
hung trembling at his side.
After the Judge had pronounced sentence
of death, Ward knelt down, and, leaning on
the chair, buried his face in his hands, weep
ing aud groaning. He was suffered to remain
thus few moments as the forms of adinnrn-