The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-16
A THRILLING NARRATIVE.
Details of the Sextuple Murder, and
How stone Was Caught.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, Ind, Fep I6.-The crime
for which the slaughterer, Bud Stone,
swung from the gallows in the southern
prison makes a story with details bloody
and revolving. In the middle of the fore
noon of Sept. 10 last a horseman rode down
the main street of Washington, Ind, and,
halting near number of men, stated that
six persons, comprising the family of Den
son Wratten, had been foully murdered at
their home ten miles east Of the city, and
that there were no clews to the murderer.
The city was shocked as never before. Sher-
iff Leming telegraphed to Seymour for
Carter's bloodhounds, and the dogs arrived
next morning and were put on the trail.
In the meanwhile thousands of persons
hurried to the scene OF the tragedy. The
horseman who carried the news to Wash
ington was James +. Stone a neighbor of
the Wrattans, who had gone to the house
early in the morning, accompanied by his
little boy, to see benson Wrattan, who
had been very i'll with typhoid fever. When
they get there they discovered the ruin
that had been wrought, and, after survey
ing the premises, the alarm was given to
several neighbors, and Stone was dis
patched TO the county seat for the officers
t Those first visiting the scene found
shocking spectacle. In the back door lay
the body of Ada Wratten, benson Wrat-
tens WIFE, mutilated in a horrible manner
In ah adjoining room was the body of Mr..
Wratten lying on the bed, with his hands
crossed on his breast and a depression in
the forehead as If made with the pole of
hatchet. His body was rigid in death. His
face was also horribly lacerated. Near
little cradle lay the body of the baby, Hen
ry, aged three years, the head Of the infant
bearing a cut six inches in length. On
small couch in the same room lay Ethel
Wratten, aged eleven. In her forehead was
a depression similar to the wound on her
her fathers head. Examination showed the
girl to be in a comatose condition. Be
tween the couch and the fathers bed the
mangled body of Stella Wratten. aged nine,
lay. The most revolving scene was in the
room that had been the apartment of Den
son Wratten's mother, Mrs. Elizabeth
Wratten She was hacked almost beyond
recognition. Both arms We're cut off. The
face was cut in shreds and the breast hor-
ribly mutilated. Her body was soaked in
blood, the carpet, bedding. curtains and
furniture spattered with gore
CRUEL DEATH OF ETHEL.
Neighbors took up little Ethel at once
and every possible effort was made to nurse
her back to consciousness. as the only hope
of clearing up the inscrutable mystery lay
In the possibility of her regaininy her
senses. Her skull was trepanned, and there
was some evidence on the third day that
she might revive, at least long enough 10
tell the story Of the shocking murders. nut
suddenly the child died. Since his sentence
to hang, the cold-blooded murderer admits
that he gained permission To watch at the
bedside of the little girl, and when no one
was around he deliberately smothere1 her,
and thus closed forever. he thought,
chance of his being detected as the cIimi-
nal
The bodies OF all six victims were pre-
pared for burial and were laid In the little
country churchyard side by side During
the preparation no one took deeper inter
est than this man Bud Stone who had
ridden 10 town with the report of their UNI
timely deaths. On the day OF the funeral
he assisted in bearing the remains to the
grave, ana, when tears were dimming hun
dredS OF eyes, he wept with the rest. All
this time the officers were securing the
country for clew to the murderer. IL was
supposed that several were implicated, and
suspicion was fastened first on one and then
the other Stone also assisted in the search
with great energy. The bloodhounds when
started on the trail led straight up TO his
door and attacked him furiously, but this
did not disturb him, the dogs were pulled
on and Stone was not suspected. His wife