Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-28
MURDER INVOLVES SIX.
Ugly and compIcate.i Case Develops
in Indiana.

d* uSlN ana COinpilt lt'tl IL iiihl "'i N'''7'
as was ever known in this part OF
Indiana is now abs0! bing the pest
efforts of the county officials ana the
atte ntiun of the public. Already SIX
persons are under arrest. among tnciii
two WOlnen-Oue the widow or tht
victim and the other her daughter. or
the men, tYo are brothers OF the
woman and third is 2 half-brOther of
he dead man.
Edward Preston Sarderson was a
Wcll-knovn farmer living near here. 4
family f-ud is supposed 10 be at the
bottom Of the whole trouble. sander
son married his s1ep-sister. That. a.
course. made her brothers. already
Sand,rson's step-brothers, his broth
ers- in-laW.
In October - San1creon disappeared.
ana November ; his dead body was
found in Il gravel pit 1t the edge of the
city with Il big sion" chained to hi
neck and two bullet hGlcs in his head.
The body was found by a boy. Gus
Brown. who had gone to the gravel pit
l.. play. While digging for a muskrat
the animal ran from its hole into 2
pool Of water i'll the pit. While watch
ing tht. animal young Brown saw what
appeared to be human hands a few
inches beneath the surface of tn"
water. He called assistance and tn"
body Of Sarderson was taken from thv
edge Of The pool. where il had bee.
submerged under eighteen inches o.
water.
The appearance of the body indicated
that it had not been in the water long.
There was no decomposition and the
blood was still slowly nozing from III.
gunshCt wounds No gun was found
On the body. nor could one bc found in
the pool. This fact and the heayr
stone chained to the neck of the. dead
man eliminated any consideration of
the suicide theory.
SanderSon body vas clothed as it
had been on the night ne disappeared
He had been digging a cellar for a
neiShfOr and the dirt from this Occu-
patton could sill be seen on his hands
when the body was found. The theory
If the state is that Sanderson was
killed and hidden in some other place
When the search Cor the missing man
was CONNIE need III perpetrators it is
thought. b&caIne alarmed, and in Seek
ing for 4 safer place to conceal the
greWsOme evidence against them, re-
n owed the body to the little-frequented
Gravel pit, placing il. as they thought.
ont of sight beneath he water
Ever since SanderSon's disappearance
2 search has been conducted. Sheriff
Hudson and @. NJ. Shinn. relative of
the dead man, persisted in searching
for information as TO his Whereabouts
The bad feeling existing between the
dead man and his Wires relatives
aroused suspicious of foul play that
We're directed especially against tn.
! cooks. E"neSt Sanderson half
brother, who is confined in the Jail with
William and otto Cook. step-brothers
vent there originally Of his own Volt
non. He was not at that time suspec-
led of completely. He told the officers
that he and the Cooks mad heard before
the body was discovered that if SAN
ierson was found dead mob would be
formed to lynch the stop brothers.
The evidence produced at the
r"roner's investigation showed that
bad feeling had existed between the
lead mans wife and her brothers and
the others implicated for some time
II was shown that one at least Of the
Sanderson on sight. and that the dead
nan had on a previous occasion been
beaten into insensbility by his broth
ers-in-law.
Aside from the Cook brothers. Ern-
"st Sanderson, Mrs. Sanderson. and
Clara Smith. her daughter a warrant
was also issued for Samuel Emory
who had been missing since the time
of SanderSon'S disappearance. Emory
has since been apprehended in Wells
county. where he claims to have been
working. He was arrested by Sheriff
Johnson Of Wells county. and is now
confined in the Jail in Hartford City
but is not allowed to communicate
| with the other prisoners. Emory ad-
nits that he slept with Sanderson the
sunday and Thursday nights previous
! to his disappearance, but denies all
knowledge Of the murder or that he
has been in hiding. He professed per
feet Willingness TO accompany the
officers when he was arrested.
Since his arrest Emory has talked
freely. Concerning the trouble be-
tween the Cooks and Sanderson, h.
said: bill Cook often said he would
shoot Pres Sanderson the first time
SanderSon crossed his path. Although
! slept with Sanderson on the Sunday
and Thursday nights before he disap-
peareG. | knew nothing of the murde:
ut the time and neither did | have any
thing To do with it.
1t is alleged, and a part Of the evi-
dencc secured at the coroner's invesu-
| CATION substantiates the assertion
| that last summer serious quarrel dis
rupted the Sanderson family. Preston
| SandcrSon. the dead man. was at the
| time it is alleged. beaten insens1Dlc
| by his brothers in-law. Since that
| time Sanderson and his Wife have not
| lived together. Mrs. Sanderson oc-
| cupicd one house on the farm owned by
| Sanderson. and he lived in small cot
| tage keeping house for himself. Ihat
| there has been very bad feeling toward
Sanderson by the other members OF MS
| family is well known, and many nave
told Of hearing the Cooks. especiaiiy
William, threaten to do Sanderson m
| jury.
| Purcell Powless, a full blooded onel-