, 1872-12-09
A MURDER UNPARALLELED.

am prepared to give"
| A MURDER UNPARALLELED.
The Bodies of q Euthcr and Son Hid.
den for Six Months-The C1enched
! HIND in u Horse Pond-The Two
Feet Under an Apple Tree-The Head-
! less Trunk buried Under IN Old TVax-
| ercolsrsc.
London {Nop. 18 Correspondence o the Ne0 York Sun.
| In Cropton Lane, about four miles from Pick!
ering quiet little town in Yorkshire, is a small
farm which has been occupied for several gener-
| ations by family named Wood. The last Of the
family was Joseph Wood, who, with his son, lad
Of years, disappeared last May. Joseph Wood
years Of age, q good farmer, friendly neigh
Dor, and generally liked although the farming
folks thereabout used to smile at his eccentrici-
ties, and occasionally provoke them. His &C.
| centricity showed itself in variety of ways,
chiefly in his money dealings. Sometimes he
would pay nothing to his creditors until they
sued him. Sometimes he would insist on pay
ing double the amount Of his bill, but he latter
| " kept large amount Of cash at the farm. Up
! to 1870, I. Catherine Thompson lived with him
as his wife, and her death in that year increased
| the eccentricities for which he WAS already re-
markable, and it soon began to be known that
| quantity OF gold and silver in the house. There
| were three chi1dren-voung Joseph, sister,
who at the time the story begins was on q visit
at distance from home and child Of 4
years OF age.
On the 18th Of May the family consisted Of
Mr.. Wood, the two lads, and cousin named
Robert Charter, who, being small farmer on
his own account at Lastingham, about three
miles off, had come to look after his cousins
crops, and manage the farm for o time. Charter
is about 80 years Of age, and there appears to be
nothing against his character, nor anything re-
n,arkable in his disposition. Mr.. John Wood
lives on a farm separated only by mar
seph, and on the early morning Of the
18th of May, Stead, one of his labor
ers, saw Charter busying himself about
the yard and to him Charter volunteered the in
formation that his master and the lad Joseph
had gone away from home that morning. The
early hour induced Stead to inquire where they
had gone, and Charters reply was, II don't
know, but he called out to me two OF three times
from the stair bottom, Robert, we're going"
stairs he looked up and down the lane but could
not see 11r. Wood and his boy. The strangenees
Of this proceeding struck the laborer, who, ap-
parently pondering over it during the day, men
toned it to his master On his return from the
fields in the evening.
A1r. John Wood, viowing with alarm this sup
posed new eccentricity Of his brother, naturally
questioned Charter, and expressed surprise that
across the lane and tell him what had occurred.
Charter said it IVES no business of his to inquire
where his cousin had gone, and that anybody
else WAS as likely to go of for few days in the
Same way. :
Time passed and nothing was seen or heard OF
the father or son. The relatives, though puz-
zled, were not 80 astonished IS they would hare
been but for the missing mans known eccen-
tricity but even with that consideration they
we're not satisfied Mr. John Wood and third
brother, William, 8 Pickering tradesman, accord
ing1y instituted : search in the country around,
giving their chief attention to Lastinghan,
Hardwicke lived. A fourth brother. Thomas,
then joined John and William, and he, least
satisfied of the trio, had suspicious Of Hard
wicko 80 strong that he requested assistance of
Police Superintendent Jonas in searching the
house. The search was fruitless.
Five days having passed, Charter, who remain-
ed at Cropton Lane, received q letter addressed
"Mr. Robert Charter, with Joseph Wood, Crop
ton Lane, near Pickering" Of which the follow
ing is q copy:
LIVERPOOL, May %, 1872.
70 Robert Charter:
DEAR CousEx i write these few Lines to let you
must stay at cropton lana and get my affairs settled up
you can We are going either to-day to-
don & where am going. Excuse my bad writing, .
bad pen, and in haste, JOSEPH WooD.
The post-mark showed that the letter had been
actually posted ut Liverpool the day before, but
the nneasineBs OF the family was Increased when
investigation made it evident that On the morn
ing Of the disappearance, the 18th, only lady
had booked from Pickering to liverpool, and
that the writing did not resemble that Of Joseph
Wood. OF the latter important point hr. John
Wood had no doubt.
Any active inquiry would now, seem to have
gradually ceased, nothing being heard at Liver
pool to throw Light on the mystery. In about
two months Charter. who had remained alone at
Cropton Lane with the child Thomas, brought
his wife to take up her abode with him. Toward
the close Of July the s1umbering suspicious were
again klnd1ed. and, for some reason, Superinten-
dent Jones, Mr. John Wood, and q 1Irs. scorby,
relative by marriage paid visit to Cropton
smell pervading. the premises, and remarking
upon it we're Informed by Charters wife that i
arose from the recent burning of some putr1d
meat and the box in which it had been kept, the
party went away without making any strict
search, the utmost extent of their suspicious
being that the eccentric relative WAS somewhere
kept in confinement This, Of course, does not
explain how they accounted for the boys alb
sence.
Another long period Of suspense IN inaction
followed, and the thread of the story is next
taken up in September, in the middle Of which
month Charter came to Ar. ". Woods shop, re-
marking upon his Cousins prolonged absence,
and atsr e f IT, zsR Roa aR h9 s E ssg
would come and take possession. This offer was
not accepted, but Mr. ". Wood, representing
the family, suggested that the accounts OF the
farm should be gone into and settled. Cnarter
offered no objection, and, according to his show
ing, lie had paid him something over 910O, leav- |
ing . balance Of ESQ due to him. The balance |
WAS paid, and the accounts were thus squared. |
On the goth Of September, III. Wooa called at |
q cart in the yard being loaded with Mrs. Char |
ter's effects. The house WAS then closed for six |
weeks. |
In the earlier Fart Of the present month came.
the beginning Of the end OF this terrible mya- |
terry. Clearing cut O corn-bin in tho barn ct !