Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1873-05-24


of the men descended. They found them
selves in au abyss shaped like a well, SOM
six feet deep, and about Eve feet in diane
ter. Here and there little damp place
could be seen as If the water had come vi
from the bottom or been poured down fron
above: They .groped about over thes,
splotches and held up handful To tht
light. The ooze smearcd itself over thei,
palms, and dribblcd through their finger
it was blood.
The party had provided themselves will
a long sharp rod Of iron which they droyt
into the ground in every direction at the
bottom of the pit, but nothing further ro
warded the search, and they came away u
examine the garden in the rear the house
After boring or prodding, as it were, fol
nearly an hour, the rod was driven dowr
into spot, and when it was Withdrawn
something that looked like matter aahered
10 the point. Shovels were at once set to
WORK, and IN few moments a corpse was
uncovered. 1t had been buried upon its
face. The flesh had dropped from the legs.
There was no coffin, no winding sheet. nc
preparation for the grave, nothing upon
the body but an old shirt torn In places,
and thick with damp and decay. The
corpse was tendcrly disinterred, and laid
upon its back in the full light of the soft
April sun. One look of horror into the
ghastly face, fostering and swollen, and a
dozen voices cried out in terror
SIT Is DIR. YoRK,''
And it was. lie had been buried In n
shallow hole, with scarcely two feet of dirt
over him. Had he been murdered and
how? They examined him closely. Upon
the back Of his head, and TO tho left, and
nhllnIInly from, ~ Ii
had been given with a hammer The skull
had been driven into the brain. Stronr
mon turned away from the sckening sight
with saudder. Others wept. Some even
had to leave the garden and remain away
from the shambles of the butchers.
1t seemed as if the winds carried the tid-
lngs to Cherryyale. In an hour all the
town was at the scene Of the discovery. A
coffin was procured for DIR. York's body,
and his brother, utterly overwhelmed, sat
by The Shastly remains as one upon whom
the hand of death had been laid. lie could
not be comforted.
But the horrible work was not yot COM
pleted. The iron rod was again put in re-
until six more graves were dis
covered, five of which contained each q
corpse, and the sixth containing two, an
old man and little girl. Some were in
the last stages of decomposition, and 9TH
ers, not so far gone, might have been idcn-
tilted If any among the crowd had known
them in life. ... ..
The scene was horrible beyond dcscrip-
ton. The daylight He'd from tho prairies,
but the search went on with unabated vi
gor. a fascination impossible to defno,
held the spectators to the spot. The spirit
OF murder was there, and it kept them in
spite OF the night GB3hh9e h9rr9g Of the sur:
of dphihien.....s " 40 the search renewed. 1t
was past midnight when our informant left,
but three more graves had been discovered,
each supposed to contain q corpse, al
though they had not been opened. The
whole country is aroused. COuriers and
kilograms have been sent in every direction
with descriptions of the Benders, and it is
not thought possible that they can escape.
With the crowd at the grave was man
named Brockman who was supposed to
know something about the murders. Fu-
rious men laid hold upon him at once, and
strung him up to beam in the house. His
contortions were fearful. His eyes started
his face that was appalling. Death was
within reach OF him when he was cut down.
~ ''CoNFEss! ! CONFESS - ...
they yelled, but he said nothing. Again
he was jcrked from his feet, and again was
the strong body convulsed with the death
throes. Again rcsuscitated, he once more
refused to open his mouth. He did not
appear to understand what was wanted Of
him. The yelling crowd, the mutlated and
butchered dead, the ilickering and swirling
torches sputtering in the night wind, the
stern, set faces of his eXccutioners, all pass.
aI hnt,,r I,,1 ,NlNH loo
ria, which dazed him and struck him
speechless. For the third time they swung
him up, and then his heart could not be
felt TO beat, and there was no pulse at his
wrists. lie is dead they said. But he
was not dead. Tho night air revived him
at last, and he was permitted to stagger
away in the darkness as one who was
drunken or deranged.
Six butchered human beings were
brought forth from their bloody graves, and
three Others are yet 10 be uncovered. 1t is
thought that more graves will yet be dis
covered. The pit under the trap door was
made to receive the body when first struck
down by the murdercr's hammer. All the
skulls were crushed in, and all at nearly
the same place. Ono of the corpses was 50
horribly mutiated as to make the sex even
matter of doubt. The little girl was pro-
badly eight years of age, and had long,
sunny hair, aud some traces Of beauty on a
countenance that was not entirely disfgur-
ed by decay. Nothing like this sickening
series of crimes has ever been recorded in
the whole history of the country.
People for hundreds of mikes are focking
into Cherryvale, and enormous rewards
are to be offered for the arrest Of the muir
derers. 1t is supposed that they have been
following their horrible work for years.
Punder is the accepted cause. DIR. York,
it is said, had Il large sum Of money on his
person, and that he stopped at the house
either to feed his horse or get Il drink Of
water. While halting for either he was
dealt the blow which killed him in an in
slant. Every one who knew him liked
him. None of the other corpses have been
identified. We have despatched special
reporter 10 the scene, who will send US
further and fuller particulars of the diabol-
ical butchery. .. ..
LATESF-MIDEIGHr.
The following special despatch, received
at midnight, gives some further horrible
particulars
'CuERsYvALE, Kan, May s-ll.30 p.
m.-Seven more bodies have been taken
up. besides that of DIR. York, with three