Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1873-05-21
MIFFLINTOWN JUNlATI COUNTY, PENNA, MAY a,sa a

been buried upon It's face. The flesh had
dropped away from the legs. There was
no coffin, no winding sheet, no prepara-
tion for the grave, nothing upon the body
but an old shirt. torn in places and thick
with damp and decay. The corpse was
tenderly disinterred, and laid upon its
back in the full light Of the soft April
sun One look of horror into the ghast
ly face. fostering and swollen, and doz-
en- voices cried out III terror at is DR..
York :" 'i
And it was. He had been buried in a
shallow hole, with scarcely two feet of
dirt over him. He had been murdered.
and how? They examined him closely.
Upon the back Of his head and to the left
and obliquely from his right ear, terri
BILE blow had been given with hammer.
The skull had been driven into the brain.
Strong men turned away from the sick
ening sight with a shudder. Others
wept. Some even had to leave the gar
den and remain away from the smambles
Of the butchers
It seemed as if the winds carried the
tidings to Cherryvale In an hour all
the town was at the scene Of the discov
cry. A coffin was procured for DR..
York's body, and his brother, utterly
overwhelmed, sat by the ghastly remains
as one upon whom the hand of death had
been lead He could not be comforted
But the horrible work was not yet com.
pleted. The iron rod was again put in
requisition. until six more graves were
discovered, five of which contained each
a corpse, and the sixth, containing two,
an old man and little girl. Some were
in the last stages of decomposition, and
others, not SO far gone, might have been
identified if any among the crowd had
known them in life. -D - ~-
The scene was horrible beyond de-
scriptlon The daylight fled from the
prairies, but the search went on with
unabated vigor. A fascination impossi-
bic to define, held the spectators to the
spot. The spirit of murder was there,
and it kept them in spite of the night
and the horror of the surroundings. The
crowd increased instead Of diminishing.
Coffins were provided for all, and again
was the search renewed. 1t was past
midnight when our informant left, but
three more graves had been discovered.
each supposed to contain corpse, al
though they had not been opened. The
whole country is aroused Couriers and
kilograms have been sent in every direc-
ton with descriptions of the Benders,
aud it is not thought possible that they
can escape. With the crowd at the
grave was a man named Brockman who
was supposed to know something about
the murders. Furious men laid hold
upon him at once and strung him up to a
beam in the house His ccntortions
were fearful. His eyes started from
their sockets, and lived hue came to
his face that was appalling. Death was
within reach of him when he was cut
down. "Confess Confess y. they yell
ed, but he said nothing Again he was
: jerked from bis feet, and again was the
strong body convulsed with the death
throes. Again resuscitated. he once
more refused to open his mouth. He did
not appear to understand what was
wanted of him. The yelling crowd. the
mu.ilated and butchered dead, the flick
ering and swirling torches spu,tering in
the night wind, the stern, set, faces OF
his execulioners, all, all passed before
him as dreadful phantasmagoria 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
"He is dead.'' they said. But he was
not dead The 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,
fand three others are yet to be uncovered
1t is thought that more graves will yet
be discovered. The pit under the trap
door was made to receive the body when
first struck down by the murderer's ham
mer. All the skulls were crushed in and
all at nearly the same place. One of
the corpses was 30 horribly mutlated as
to make the sex even matter of doubt
The little girl was probably eight years
of age, and had long, sunny hair, and
some traces of beauty on a countenance
that was notentirely disigured by decay.
Nothing like this sickening series Of
crimes has ever been recorded in the
whole history of the country.
People for hundred of miles are flock
. ing into Cherryvale. and enormous re-
wards are to be offered for the arrest of
the murderers. 1t is supposed that they
have been following their horrible work
for years. Plunder is the accepted cause.
DR.. York, it is said. had a large sum of
money on his person, and that he stop-