The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-05-20
A Child Brutality Outraged and
Murdered.
from the Utica Herald I

A most horrible tragedy was enacted on
Saturday last, at Pond Hill, about four
miles east Of Camden village. About three
o'clock, on Saturday afternoon. little
girl, eight years of age, daughter of Levi
Sanders, was brutally outraged short dis
lance from her fathers residence. and then
| her throat was cut and her head mashed in
with stone! The particulars of the case
are as follows: Mr.. Sanders, who is poor
man, had been promised some veal by one
OF his neighbors. Between 9 and 8 o'clock
p. NJ, of Saturday, the father told the little
girl to take pail and go to the neighbours,
about half mile distant, and get the meat.
She took the pail and started on her er.
rand, the road leading through a piece of
wood. Arriving at the neighbours she re-
manned there a few moments, and then in
company with another little girl, started
for home The second girl, having gone a
short distance with her, turned abont and
went back. A short time afterward.
screams were heard by the Sanders family,
ont no attention was paid to them, they
beng thought to emapate from man who
was afterwards arrested for the murder
About 5 o'clock the father and mother be.
came alarmed at the ,non-appearance of
their daughter, and a search was institu.
ted. The girl was traced from the neigh
Dor's house into the small piece of woods
and beside the road was found the first ey.
ldence OF the murder-a stone covered with
blood! A few rods further on was the
place where the outrage was probably com.
mltted, as the evidence of a struggle was
discernable on the leaves OH the ground-
From this place for about twenty rods, to
lonely gulf, the trail could be distinctly
seen, as if some dead body or log had been
dragged along Following this up for a
short distance, the body Of the girl was dis.
covered, with the head pushed under
the log and the remainder partially con-
cealed with pieces ofdecayed wood thrown
carelessly upon it. She. was immediately
taken out, when her throat was found cut,
her head horribly mashed in, and, it is all
legged, her person cut with knife in order
to the committai of the hellish deed. and
the iittle creature was still alive She
gasped two or three times, and then OMEN |
ed her eyes, but was unable to speak, She
lived about Is minutes after being found
Under the right ear was a mark, as if some
person had clinched her fiercely by the
throat, while over one of the eyes still an
other wound was found
AS soon as the news of the horrible crime
was spread abroad, the first inquiry among
the neighbours twas for the murderer, and loud
and deep were vows of vengeance. In the
piece OF woods where the murder was COM
mitted and within about 40 rods of Sanders
house, lives, in hut, young man, 26
years OF age, and named William Henry
Carswell. He leads sort of hermit life.
living entirely alone, his parents residing
some distance away in the town of Cam.
den 1t is said that he has always been
of a brutal disposition, and
wlthal rather eccentric if not foolish. It
is alleged that this man Carswell was seen
to enter the woods before the girl passed
through on her way to the neighbours, and
also to leave the same and hurry away in
inc dlrectian of Camden short time after
she entered the woods again on her way
home. The fact was deemed sufficient to
warrant his arrest. A warrant was issued
saturday night, and placed in the hands of
Mr.. York. Camden officer. He traced
Iarswell from Camden into the town oil
Vienna, where he was at last found, about
Il O'Clock, in bed at the residence of his
orother-in-law. He made no resistance.
md was Immediately taken to Camden
md lodged in jail. When he was charged
With the deed, he stoutly denied commit
ing it.