Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-02-22
A BLOODY WRETCH HANGED
James r. Stone, Murderer of
the Wratten Family.
THREE MINUTES PAST MIDNIGHT
Walked With a Firm Step to
the Scaffold.
His Neck Broken by tho Fall-story of
His awful Crime--A Family of six Per-
sons Horribly Butchered by Him--His
Wonderful Goodness.

JEFFEEsoSvILLE, IND. Feb. l6-Mur-
derer James Il. Stone was hanged at 1903
o'clock this morning. Warden Patten
complied strictly with the statute as 1t was
the first execution since the passage of the
new law requiring murderers to be hanged
in Indiana penitentiaries, the admission
of witness to the execution being limited
to the warden, the wardcn's assistants. the
three directors of the prison, physicians,
the chaplain, the spiritual adviser CT the
condemned and ten relatives and friends
selected by the condemned. No Others
were admitted. Stone several weeks ago
gave to warden Patten list of those whom
he wanted to he present. The list included
none of his relatives.
Stone maintained to the last that the
angels in heaven awaited his coming; that
his crimson-stained hands had been
washed in the blood of the lamb; that he
had made his peace with God and man
and waited with fortitude the time for his
execution.
When the hour of midnight arrived he
was taken from his cell, adjoining the
execution room. to the scaffold. walking
with q firm step. His neck was broken
by the fall and within II minutes he was
pronounced dead.
HE MURDERED AN ENTIRE FAMILY.
The crime for which Stone was executed
Was lHc HluTueT Oh tue NTaLtcu ldHllly III
their home on the night of Septem Der
18th, 1898. The family consisted OF six
persons-Nr. and Mrs. Wratten and their
three children and Mr.. Wratten's mother.
AT about 10 o'clock on the night of Sep
TENDER 18th he left his home, after telling
his wife he was going to find doctor and
have an liberated tooth extracted. He
went directly to tho Wratten house, which
was less than half mile from Ills place,
Oftar ha1 a1 hfpNentf with N ahrrf-
handled corn-knife and small Ratchet,
He found Wratten Frustrated with sick.
ness and his three children asleep. Mrs.
Wratten was walking about i'll her night
clothes, having given her husband SOME
medicine. Old Mrs. Wratten had retired
to her room and was asleep.
Stone inquired of young Mrs. Wratton
if she had any medicine for toothache.
She got him bottle of liniment, and as
she reached the door with ii Stone cut her
down with the curn-knife. He stepped
over her body, and entered the room in
which the sick father and his children lay.
They had been aroused by their mothers
screams, and as Stone made his appear
ance, the oldest of the children. Ethel.
asked: bud Stone, what are YOU doing
here?' With this he crushed her skull by
terrible blow with an axe and then at.
tackled the sick man. With one swing Of
the keen-edged weapon he almost severed
Wratten's head from his body.
He then turned his attention to the two
remaining children, and continued to cut
and slash every indication of life.
Having ended the slaughter so far as
that part of the house was concerned, he
attempted to enter the room of the grand
mother. She had beard the screams and
means. and had barricaded her doors with
chairs and other furniture. Stone could
not open the door, so he leaped through O
window and attacked the old lady in the
dark. He rained blows on her in ahorribe
manner and beat her face into shapeless
mass of flesh and bone. His blows. with
the knife almost severed her arms from
her body.
After killing the old lady the murderer
passed through the rooms in which his
other victims lay. Mr., and Mrs. Wratten
were still breathing but delirious. He
gave them the fiaal blows that sent them
into eternity.
Stone did not get any money. In fact,
he said, after the tragedy that he did not
care for money. de went home, but was
first at the Wratten homestead next day
and gave the alarm of the murder. He
notified the undertaken and helped him
prepare the bodies for burial. He also
made himself generally useful around the
house the day following the murder and
WAS loud in his denunciation of the
terrible deed. In fact he went so far as to
act in capacity of pall-bearer at the
funeral.
Ethel whose skull was crushed in was
alive on the morning the murder was dis
covered, although unconscious, and ling
cred for week at the house of neighbor
Among others Stone called to see the little
sufferer and tender assistance.
According to confession made by Stone
to his father short time ago, he took
advantage of the absence of the family al
dinner one day and deliberately smothered
the child, fearing that she would live tC
tell the story OF the murder. Suspicion
was finally turned to him and he was ar
rested.