The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-26
Details of the Awful Deed that Changed
an Humble Cottage Into a Slaugh-
ter Pen in Few Minutes.
BLOOD CURDLING NARRATIVE
Shocking Crime that Rivals the
Work of Old Bluebeard.
Summitville officers Lay Trap for
Two Burglars and a Desperate Fight
EnSueS with ReyOlvers.

munity has again been aroused to a fever
heat of excitement over another unexpected
turn in the Wratten murder mystery 1t
now develops that the supposition that
"Budd'' Stones first confession was all a
tissue of lies is fact. He was the nearest
neighbor of the Wratten family and is the
man who first gave notice of the murder of
the six defenseless persons. Last night, in
his cell, at Jeffersonville prison, where he
was taken for safe keeping, he made his
second confession. This time he exonerates
the six men whom he implicated in his
first story. He says he discussed the mat
ter with no one except Martin Yarbrough
and then they only talked of robbery. His
details Of how he massacred the whole
family is the most astounding story that
could be contemplated. In his own words,
he said:
'I first armed myself with a corn knife
and child's AK, in which 1 had placed a
short handle. 1 went to the home of the
Wrattens' shortly before midnight. Look
ing through a window / saw the sick man
lying On his bed, and in the other beds I
saw the children asleep. Mrs. benson
Wratten moving about the room in
her night clothes getting some medicine
for her husband Everything was dark in
the grandmother'S room. l then walked
boldly to the door in which the body of
Mrs. Ada Wratten was afterwards found,
and knocked. Mrs. Wratten came to the
door and L asked her if she had any medi-
cine for the toothache. She said she had
some Wizard OIL and went to get it, When
she came back to the door L said to myself:
It's time to hit her. She saw me raise the
corn knife and cried out before 1 could
give her a cut. When 1 hit her she fell
and l jumped over her body and rushed
into Wratten's room. Ethel, the oldest of
the children (who survived her injuries
three days) had heard her mother scream
and recognized me. She yelled: 'Budd
Stone, what are you doing here?
II jumped at her and gave her side cut
on the head, and she fell off the lounge on
the floor. She never moved and / thought
1 had finished her Her father was too
sick to fight but he raised up
and had clear stroke for his neck. /
had to hack him a couple of times before
he would lay still. then turned on the
other two children and finished them in
bed"
After all in that part of the house had
fallen beneath the murderous blows Stone
says he rushed from the house and ap-
preached that part in which the old lady
had made her abode. Trying the door he
found it barred, and, leaping through the
window into the dark room, he ran against
the aged woman, and terrible fight in the
dark began. Stone, armed with the bloody
knife, began raining blows on the defense
less old lady, who, in order to save her
self, made a desperate fight with her hands
She protected her head with her hands
0ff
stroke sent her hacked and bleeding to the
floor. But little effort was made to get the
money the old lady was supposed to have.
In fact, Stone admits he had gone so far
with his awful work that he did not care
whether he got any Of the money or not.
He returned to the room in which the 9TH
er victims lay and, finding that life yet
remained in benson Wratten, he settled
him with a final blow on the forehead with
the AK. Mrs. Wratten, too, was struggling
and trying to raise up but well-directed
blow from the murderous AK queted her.
When the bloody Work was completed
Stone meditated on the surroundings for
few moments and, though fearing to
further look on the remains Of his victims
he seized the Pickering lamp and dashed it
through the window into the darkness. Ii z
fed from the premises and went to a log
not far away and concealed the bloody
knife and ak beneath some leaves They
were found this morning where Stone had
stated and brought to this city. Some two
or three hours were consumed in the bloody
work, and when the murderer reached his
home it nearly o'clock in the morn
ing. His wife noticed the blood on his
shirt and made mention of it. Stone re-
piled that the doctor had concluded TO pull
his tooth, and he had got the blood on him
in that way. He arose early in the morn
ing before his wife, and going to the spring
near by, he washed his CORY shirt. Return
ing to the house, he told his wife he had
another pair. They were given him. but
he did not return the Others q fact which
set his wife wondering. Subsequent events
show that he stuffed his pants down be-
tween the ceiling and outside boards of his
house, where they Were found smeared
with blood