Year: 1866

JTduSplISu, eOduu6IS lSIb -I16 COunIy
and went to Illinois. On the evening
before the murder Sanders and his
wife returned to the neighborhood,
and what now follows is related by
Woodward's mother, the only survi-
vor of those who were attacked by
Sanders and his associates in the muir
der.


A short time before daylight on the
morning of Tuesday, June 18th, San
ders went to the door of Woodward's
house, and raped loudly upon it.
Woodward got out of bed, went to the
door, opened it, and as he did so San
ders struck him in the face with the
edge of an axe, the blade entering the
forehead just above the eye, and the
cut extending down into the lower
jaw, the face and head being literally
split open, and the wound sufficient
to produce almost instant death San
ders then stabbed his victim FIVE times
with large knife.


The murderer next proceeded to
The bed in which Mrs. Woodward was
sud 4ifH Eb BID nss
nsae times mangling her body ii a
most horrible manner killing her
| almost instantly Her little babe,
asleep by her side, was probably not
seen by the monster 1t was found
in the bed at daylight, covered all
over with blood, and moaning pite-
ously in its efforts to get at the breast
of its murdered mother. Another
child, a little girl, who was in the
same bed, slipped out at the back side
ofthe bed while the fend was engaged
in killing her mother, and secreted
! herself behind door, thus, doubtless,
saving her life.


The murderer next proceeded to at
tack Woodward's sister, who had
sprung out of bed, and in her con-
fusion rushed into her brothers room
The villain struck her two or three
times with the knife, when she ran
out into the yard She soon returned,
exclaiming to Woodword's mother,
: [ am stabbed" The mother re-
Eplied, " / hope not. Just at that mo-
ment, the murderer made another
rush upon the girl, and she fell dead
at his feet, having received seuen
stabs, either one of which would have
killed her.


Not yet satisfied with his hellish
thirst for blood, Sanders made an at
tack upon the old lady, (WoOdward's s
mother) stabbing her in the breast,
and inflicting wound from which
she will suffer much. She immedi-
ately sunk to the floor, and supposing
her dead, the murderer left the house.


After remaining in a fainting con-
| =, e. ohA ha IL l. i
recovered, and calling to the child
told her to run down to a neighhors,
about quarter of mile distant, and
tell them that they had all been kill
1 ed. She did so. and the persons who
returned with her to the scene of the
horrible crime saw Sanders and
two other men, whose names
we omit for obvious reasons. lurking
on the farm of Sanders. They also
met half grown boy, relative of
Islanders, and told him that the Wood
wards had all been killed. He re-
piled" Are they dead?" and being
told that they were he left, doubtless
to give information to those who had
sent him to find out the result of the
butchery.


When the neighbors reached Wood
wards house a most appalling scene
was presented them. On the floor
near the door lay Woodward, his
CHASTITY wound in the face gaping open,
and the paid features rigid in death,
but with horror marked in every linea-
ment. The wife upon the bed, liter
ally butchered, and the infant, covered
with blood, trying to draw from her
lifeless breast the nourishment it had
often found there. The sister, in the
middle of the floor, lying in a pool of
blood, stiff and stark in death The
mother, severely hurt, and at the time
supposed mortally, laid upon bed,
looking the picture of agony, fear, and
horror. Add to these two little chill
dren, frozen with fear and moaning
from the anguish of their sudden and
terrible bereavement, and the scene
was one calculated to freeze the blood
and appal the soul with horror.


The alarm soSn spread throughout
the neighborhood, and soon a large
crowd of people had gathered around
the house. The excitement was in
tense, and immediate steps were taken
to discover and arrest the murderer
or murderers Woodward's mother
was INTERCEPTED, and described the
man who committed the foul deed.
The description suited William San
ders, who was present in the crowd,
but who did not enter the house or
look upon the mangled victims. He
soon afterwards withdrew and disap-
peared, and this more fully satisfied
| fha neonle of his 01lilt


The Coroner was sent fer, an in
quest held upon the bodies, and the
testimony given so clearly implicated
Sanders that the jury returned YER
dict that Woodward, his wife, and
sister came to their death at the