Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1911-07-27
HUSBAND ADMITS
He SLEW HIS WIFE
CONFRONTED WITH FINDING OF
HER BODY, w. e. LoNsBERRY
MAKES FULL CONFESSION.
DEED WAS COMMITTED SIX
YEARS AGO.
Suspicion Was First Directed Toward
Him by His Aged Mother, Who
Told Minister Her Story.

Self-confessed murderer of his wife
over six years ago. w. Il. Lonsberry
is In cell in the Eaton county jail
at Charlotte.
Several days ago he was arrested
on the accusation of his own moth
| er. who swore to a warrant charging
him with having slain his wife on
January ). 1905 He steadfastly de-
MED his guilt and asserted that his
wife was not dead, but had run away
However, the officers unearthed the
body of the woman under the floor OF
shed on the Lonsberry farm in
| Windsor township. and when con
! fronted with this fact. Lonsberry
made clean breast of the whole af-
! fair
Mother Tells Story of Murder.
Mrs. Lonsberry, the wife. disap
peared six years ago and her hus-
band gave ii out that they had quar-
relied and she had left home Nothing
more was thought about the matter
until about two months ago. when
the husbands mother, who is SO years
old, went TO her minister and told
him that she had seen her son kill
his wife six years ago. On his adj
vice she went recently TO Sheriff Don
ovan and repeated the story to him.
At first the sheriff was inclined
TO doubt 1t, but last week he and
several deputies went to the Ions
berry farm In Windsor township and
started a search. Mrs. Lonsberry,
senior, insisted that her son had bur
led the body somewhere about the
place, but just exactly where she did
not know. The officers dug up the
cellar under the house and searched
two old wells on the farm. but with
out result.
They pulled up the floor Of sheep
shed and began to dig. Three feet
down they came upon the body of the
dead woman. 1t was in a badly de-
composed state, having been buried
In lime. Nearly all the flesh was eat
Ell away, but enough of the clothing
was left TO make Identification posi-
BILE. Besides there We're two gold
rings on one of the fingers, which
Mrs Robert Fulton. neghbor. posi-
tivelv identified as having belonged
to Mrs. Lonsberry.
AS soon as the sheriff got back
after the discovery he confronted
Lonsberry who is 81 years old, with
the facts, and Lonsberry announced
that he was ready to confess. Justice
Nichols was called, with Prosecuting
Attorney McPeek and former Prose
cutting Attorney Elmer \. Peters, and
in the presence Of these three and
Sheriff Donovan Lonsberry told his
story.
His wife and his mother did not
get along well together he said, and
this started all the trouble. The
wife had locked the old woman up
stairs, and his demand for an eX-
PLANTATION led to quarrel He struck
his wife several times and at the
last blow she fell Her head striking
the floor with great. force. She lay
there without moving and though he
and his mother tried to revive her
their efforts were in vain. This hap
pened, he said. shortly before noon
on January 5. 1905. He covered up
the body and left it on the floor until
midnight when he carried IL out 10
the sheep shed and buried 1t under
the floor.
AT the conclusion of his confession.
Lonsberry said that he felt better
now that il was all off his mind.
The horrible sight of my own son
killing his wife has been on my mind
day and night" said the aged woman,
and in order to make my peace with
God | thought it was my duty to
tell the truth