The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-06-12

A-Windov.
B-Front door.
D-Door between bed room and sitting room.
E-Door between sitting room and kitchen.
F-Door to back yard
asleep.
H-Where child was found.
I-Where woman was found.
door to pantry, etc.
The dead bodies lay as they were found
until J. NJ. Trueblood, J. p, acting as cOro-
ner, arrived. Drs. Troy and Winter assisted
by Drs. Marsh, Jones, Carter, Yencey, Cook
and Tague, made minute examination of
the bodies, and they agreed that death had
ensued in both cases by strangulation IN
placing the thumb and fingers of the left
hand about the throat until death ensued.
No violence was committed on the woman
The marks of the thumb and fingers were
distinctly visible on the left and right side
of the throat. The faces and breasts of the
woman and child were much discolored
and presented horrible appearance as they
lay upon the floor in their scanty night gar
ments.
The news of the foul deed spread rapidly
throughout the country. and by noon 500
or more persons, men, women and children.
were present, all terribly excited, and VOW
ing speedy and condign punishment should
the guilty party or parties be discov-
cred. From the first, suspicion was directed
by the vast concourse to Stephen l.. Bales
brother-in-law of Mr.. Wilson, and husband
of Elizabeth Ann Bales one Of the legatees
under the will Bates was present on the
ground. His face was scratched in several
places, as was the wrist of his right hand.
Feeling that justice would be done, Bales
was interviewed by the reporter of the Han
cock Democrat and IN the presence of a
large crowd of excited people he made the
following explicit statement of this terrible
affair:
STATEMENT OF STEPHEN L. BAELs
On yesterday afternoon / went to the
blacksmith shop at Miner corner 10 get
some work done. Left there and reached
home near d. m When / came to the gate
leading to the barn lot, Just east of the
Wilson residence, got down from my horse
to open the gate. After getting through the
gate l got on my horse, aiming to go TO the
watering trough in the barn lot northwest
of the house about 100 yards When 1 start
ed the mare kind of pulled her head up as /
drew the relns. AS / Strengthened up
saw something white about twenty or
twenty-five yards in a northwest direction
from me- standing close to the east side of
the fence dividing the house lot from the
barn lot placed my eyes very close on the
white object to see what it was. 1 supposed
from the way il moved or walked 10 be a
man. 1t was dark and drilling rain, so that
/ could not see very well | was satisfied
when / saw two otner men standing close to
the white object. then supposed the white
object to be white straw or wool hat
said, How do you dog' No answer was
made. The men were close together. The
thought struck me that might be in danger,
and did not go to the watering trough or
barn Immediately north of where stood
with my b. asst / turned my mare square
around ana rode back to the gate pulled the
pin out and passed into the road; started
east on the road and thought would ride
on home, about sixty-five rods of the Wilson
residence; then the thought struck me that
had no stable or feed for my mare; rode
TO the pasture gate, about four or five rods
east of the barn lot gate and stopped sud
denly; got off my mare; L took off the saddle
and bride and threw them under a sugar
tree, and turned the mare loose, toward the
barn lot gate, so she could go into the barn
lot, the gate of which left open; l watched
the mare until she passed through the
barn lot gate, say a minute and half.
| listened but did not hear anything
(of the men) when / proceeded to my
house. Having had my supper at Aaron
Cass', my brother-in-law, l made no light.
The house has but one room, the kitchen
being some distance from the house, / spoke
10 my woman and told her what had seen
ted her ] would 60 to bed, as 1 did not