The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-06-04
KILLED BY HIS SONS.

The Assassination OF Swain Anderson
Traced to His Sons-They Confess the
Crime.
MOUNTAIN GROVE, No., May ga
great sensation was created here yesterday
when Ewing Sanders, Edward and Henry
Anderson, the last named pair sons Of
Swain Anderson, the wealthy farmer and
Mason who was assassinated last Saturday
evening, were arrested, charged with the
murder: and still greater sensation came
when IL was announced that the three had
made confessions acknowledging the crime.
Ewing Sanders told the full story Of the
commission of the crime as follows: Ihe
plan was laid about two months ago. Ed
came to where I was ut work in the held
and proposed that help him kill the old
man. said didn't like to, but then and
afterward he kept persuading me, ana 1
finally yielded. Ed told me he had laid
plan to kill him once before, when he went
to salt the cattle. by knocking the old devil
in the head with an axe and then
letting the wagon run over him, but one OF
the little boys was along. agreed to his
plan about two or three weeks ago and
since then every thing was perfected. Ed
begged and begged me until didn't know
what l WAS about 1t was my gun, a
,nGzzle loader. got the ammunition last
Wednesday night. The plan was to have
Fred Archer stay all night to keep down
suspicion.
II hid the gun about 800 yards from
where he was shot and we got it about
twelve o'clock at night and waited for him
lie came along between one and two walk.
ing fast, all unconscious Of danger. Ed
lifted the gun and fired and he dropped and
uttered on and instantly expired. We
didn't so IN to the body but ran away home
to MIR. COx's and put the gun away and
went to the kitchen and got something to
eat and went to bed"
70. God, what have done! O, boys, Ed
and Henry, you havo got me into this! U,
horrible, horrible! They were to pay me
$50 and give me work as long a. I wanted
it, The old lady and Jennie didn't know
any thing of it. U. Ed, Ed, why did you
persuade me to 90 into it, and o! to thuk
my poor Old mother raised me better. 1t
will kill her. q, God! o, GOdy'
Ed and Henry Anderson, when gues-
TONED, said: I'VE worked it up together
how to kill father the first time and failed.
The last plan proved successful. w. S.
Campbell, who worked for Us, first put 10
into our minds, and who got mad at father
about one year ago, and said to mo i'm the
field that it would be blessed thing il the
old fool was dead, meaning father. We be-
gan to mediate about j: from that time,
and others put it also in our minds, among
whom were Joe Lee and Price Byers. Joe
Lee told ME if it was him i'm our place that
father would be dead man in less than
twenty-fOur hours
IF it had not been for them this awful
murder would never have happened. 1t
has worked on our minds. Ed was to do
the shooting. as Henry said lie would not
help shoot him. About three or four years
ago, Oh Sunday morning, father and Ed had
a trouble about Mr.. Archer's horses which
had come To our house. Father picked up
rail and made for Ed and said he would
knock Eds brains out. That was the be-
ginning of our bad trouble, and has worked
on us since and has got worse and worse,
until We planned to kill him. He always
worked against our going to church and
school anG that worked on us.
I'VE never really thought about what
would follow after the killing. We did it
in a worked up passion. We shot him with
ran and got separated, but finally got to-
gether and went direct to MIR. COx's. Father
came ambling to me and we shot and nearly
missed him."
There arose a dispute between Ed and
Ewing Sanders as to who did the shooting.
Ed said Ewing did the killing and Ewing
denied it. but the weight of evidence is that
Ed did the shooting.
There is strong talk Of lynching.
The young men say that the rest Of the
family knew nothing about it. Ewing
loaded the gun with turkey shot and three
buckshOt
The investigation will he continued to
day and new Developments may be brought
out. There is intense excitement IN town.
The three prisoners were taken tn Spring
field for safe keeping. Ewing Sanders
mother, seventy odd years old, is now in
Mysteries.