SEMI-WEEKLY INTERIOR JOURNAL, STANFORD, KY., TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1882
Page 1
On the afternoon of the 20th of last January, the citizens of Garrard - not yet recovered from the effects of the Wilmot tragedy of a few days before - were shocked to learn that Miss Betsy Bland, an old maid of 85 years, who lived with her brother, Joseph Bland, 1 1/2 miles from Lancaster, had been cruelly murdered in her own room. Mr. Bland had gone to town and William Austin, a grand-nephew of his and the murdered woman, had left as he did for Herring's distillery, where he remained till about 4 P. M. and until he had gotten outside of a quantity of the new liquor. This was the last seen of him till he met a party of men in the road near his aunt's house and informed them that some one had killed her. Loath to believe such a story, they were finally induced to go to the house, where they were horrified to see the old lady lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, with several deep gashes from an ax on her head and face and another on the neck which severed the vertebra, any one of which would have been fatal. Without disturbing the body, which was still warm, the men hastened back to town and informed Sheriff J. M. Higginbotham and Marshal Singleton, who went at once to the scene. Suspicion had already been directed to Austin as the murderer, and when on closer scrutiny, stains of blood were found on his pants and boots, he was immediately arrested, and during the Coronor's inquest, which was held that night by Squire Boyle, made several ineffectual attempts to escape. The inquest adjourned without a verdict at 10 o'clock, and Austin was taken to jail till the following morning, when it was resumed. Further examination of the body showed that the face bore numerous imprints of a boot heel, as if the wretch had stomped her as she lay in her death throes. Austin's boot heel not only had blood on it, but a number of gray hairs which compared exactly with the hair of the dead woman. The chain of circumstantial evidence was now so complete that the least idea that he was innocent was dispelled and he was taken back to jail, and bail of course refused.
THE EXECUTION - LANCASTER, OCT. 13
This is my dying Confession: I did murder my aunt Betsy Bland, on the 20th of last January. Whisky was the sole cause of it. I had nothing in the world against her; I had no motive in the world to kill her. I loved her like a mother. She has always been as a mother to me. I am 25 years old. I did not rob her or take any money or other things from her. When I got home from the still house I saw the ax at the wood pile and then the awful thought came over me to take it and kill my great aunt. I did take it and when I got into her room, she was sitting at the fire knitting. I first sat down near the fire and several minutes thereafter I arose with the ax and struck her with the sharp edge of it. This is all I recollect about the killing. I have no excuse on earth to offer for this fearful deed.
Page 3
Austin's funeral was preached by Rev. R. R. Noel on Saturday, at 10 o'clock, and his remains interred in the ground adjoining the Fork Church. His grave is in full view of the road, and we hope will be a constant reminder to the inebriate, of whisky and the awful deeds it leads to.
Note: This is only a small portion of what is written in the newspaper. There's mention of his brother Robert visiting him, and there's a letter he wrote to his brother George, and he tells him to tell his parents good-bye. There's also a detail description of the hanging.
(Kentuckiana Digital Library)
Page 1
On the afternoon of the 20th of last January, the citizens of Garrard - not yet recovered from the effects of the Wilmot tragedy of a few days before - were shocked to learn that Miss Betsy Bland, an old maid of 85 years, who lived with her brother, Joseph Bland, 1 1/2 miles from Lancaster, had been cruelly murdered in her own room. Mr. Bland had gone to town and William Austin, a grand-nephew of his and the murdered woman, had left as he did for Herring's distillery, where he remained till about 4 P. M. and until he had gotten outside of a quantity of the new liquor. This was the last seen of him till he met a party of men in the road near his aunt's house and informed them that some one had killed her. Loath to believe such a story, they were finally induced to go to the house, where they were horrified to see the old lady lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, with several deep gashes from an ax on her head and face and another on the neck which severed the vertebra, any one of which would have been fatal. Without disturbing the body, which was still warm, the men hastened back to town and informed Sheriff J. M. Higginbotham and Marshal Singleton, who went at once to the scene. Suspicion had already been directed to Austin as the murderer, and when on closer scrutiny, stains of blood were found on his pants and boots, he was immediately arrested, and during the Coronor's inquest, which was held that night by Squire Boyle, made several ineffectual attempts to escape. The inquest adjourned without a verdict at 10 o'clock, and Austin was taken to jail till the following morning, when it was resumed. Further examination of the body showed that the face bore numerous imprints of a boot heel, as if the wretch had stomped her as she lay in her death throes. Austin's boot heel not only had blood on it, but a number of gray hairs which compared exactly with the hair of the dead woman. The chain of circumstantial evidence was now so complete that the least idea that he was innocent was dispelled and he was taken back to jail, and bail of course refused.
THE EXECUTION - LANCASTER, OCT. 13
This is my dying Confession: I did murder my aunt Betsy Bland, on the 20th of last January. Whisky was the sole cause of it. I had nothing in the world against her; I had no motive in the world to kill her. I loved her like a mother. She has always been as a mother to me. I am 25 years old. I did not rob her or take any money or other things from her. When I got home from the still house I saw the ax at the wood pile and then the awful thought came over me to take it and kill my great aunt. I did take it and when I got into her room, she was sitting at the fire knitting. I first sat down near the fire and several minutes thereafter I arose with the ax and struck her with the sharp edge of it. This is all I recollect about the killing. I have no excuse on earth to offer for this fearful deed.
Page 3
Austin's funeral was preached by Rev. R. R. Noel on Saturday, at 10 o'clock, and his remains interred in the ground adjoining the Fork Church. His grave is in full view of the road, and we hope will be a constant reminder to the inebriate, of whisky and the awful deeds it leads to.
Note: This is only a small portion of what is written in the newspaper. There's mention of his brother Robert visiting him, and there's a letter he wrote to his brother George, and he tells him to tell his parents good-bye. There's also a detail description of the hanging.
(Kentuckiana Digital Library)
SEMI-WEEKLY INTERIOR JOURNAL, STANFORD, KY., TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1882
Page 1
On the afternoon of the 20th of last January, the citizens of Garrard - not yet recovered from the effects of the Wilmot tragedy of a few days before - were shocked to learn that Miss Betsy Bland, an old maid of 85 years, who lived with her brother, Joseph Bland, 1 1/2 miles from Lancaster, had been cruelly murdered in her own room. Mr. Bland had gone to town and William Austin, a grand-nephew of his and the murdered woman, had left as he did for Herring's distillery, where he remained till about 4 P. M. and until he had gotten outside of a quantity of the new liquor. This was the last seen of him till he met a party of men in the road near his aunt's house and informed them that some one had killed her. Loath to believe such a story, they were finally induced to go to the house, where they were horrified to see the old lady lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, with several deep gashes from an ax on her head and face and another on the neck which severed the vertebra, any one of which would have been fatal. Without disturbing the body, which was still warm, the men hastened back to town and informed Sheriff J. M. Higginbotham and Marshal Singleton, who went at once to the scene. Suspicion had already been directed to Austin as the murderer, and when on closer scrutiny, stains of blood were found on his pants and boots, he was immediately arrested, and during the Coronor's inquest, which was held that night by Squire Boyle, made several ineffectual attempts to escape. The inquest adjourned without a verdict at 10 o'clock, and Austin was taken to jail till the following morning, when it was resumed. Further examination of the body showed that the face bore numerous imprints of a boot heel, as if the wretch had stomped her as she lay in her death throes. Austin's boot heel not only had blood on it, but a number of gray hairs which compared exactly with the hair of the dead woman. The chain of circumstantial evidence was now so complete that the least idea that he was innocent was dispelled and he was taken back to jail, and bail of course refused.
THE EXECUTION - LANCASTER, OCT. 13
This is my dying Confession: I did murder my aunt Betsy Bland, on the 20th of last January. Whisky was the sole cause of it. I had nothing in the world against her; I had no motive in the world to kill her. I loved her like a mother. She has always been as a mother to me. I am 25 years old. I did not rob her or take any money or other things from her. When I got home from the still house I saw the ax at the wood pile and then the awful thought came over me to take it and kill my great aunt. I did take it and when I got into her room, she was sitting at the fire knitting. I first sat down near the fire and several minutes thereafter I arose with the ax and struck her with the sharp edge of it. This is all I recollect about the killing. I have no excuse on earth to offer for this fearful deed.
Page 3
Austin's funeral was preached by Rev. R. R. Noel on Saturday, at 10 o'clock, and his remains interred in the ground adjoining the Fork Church. His grave is in full view of the road, and we hope will be a constant reminder to the inebriate, of whisky and the awful deeds it leads to.
Note: This is only a small portion of what is written in the newspaper. There's mention of his brother Robert visiting him, and there's a letter he wrote to his brother George, and he tells him to tell his parents good-bye. There's also a detail description of the hanging.
(Kentuckiana Digital Library)
Page 1
On the afternoon of the 20th of last January, the citizens of Garrard - not yet recovered from the effects of the Wilmot tragedy of a few days before - were shocked to learn that Miss Betsy Bland, an old maid of 85 years, who lived with her brother, Joseph Bland, 1 1/2 miles from Lancaster, had been cruelly murdered in her own room. Mr. Bland had gone to town and William Austin, a grand-nephew of his and the murdered woman, had left as he did for Herring's distillery, where he remained till about 4 P. M. and until he had gotten outside of a quantity of the new liquor. This was the last seen of him till he met a party of men in the road near his aunt's house and informed them that some one had killed her. Loath to believe such a story, they were finally induced to go to the house, where they were horrified to see the old lady lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, with several deep gashes from an ax on her head and face and another on the neck which severed the vertebra, any one of which would have been fatal. Without disturbing the body, which was still warm, the men hastened back to town and informed Sheriff J. M. Higginbotham and Marshal Singleton, who went at once to the scene. Suspicion had already been directed to Austin as the murderer, and when on closer scrutiny, stains of blood were found on his pants and boots, he was immediately arrested, and during the Coronor's inquest, which was held that night by Squire Boyle, made several ineffectual attempts to escape. The inquest adjourned without a verdict at 10 o'clock, and Austin was taken to jail till the following morning, when it was resumed. Further examination of the body showed that the face bore numerous imprints of a boot heel, as if the wretch had stomped her as she lay in her death throes. Austin's boot heel not only had blood on it, but a number of gray hairs which compared exactly with the hair of the dead woman. The chain of circumstantial evidence was now so complete that the least idea that he was innocent was dispelled and he was taken back to jail, and bail of course refused.
THE EXECUTION - LANCASTER, OCT. 13
This is my dying Confession: I did murder my aunt Betsy Bland, on the 20th of last January. Whisky was the sole cause of it. I had nothing in the world against her; I had no motive in the world to kill her. I loved her like a mother. She has always been as a mother to me. I am 25 years old. I did not rob her or take any money or other things from her. When I got home from the still house I saw the ax at the wood pile and then the awful thought came over me to take it and kill my great aunt. I did take it and when I got into her room, she was sitting at the fire knitting. I first sat down near the fire and several minutes thereafter I arose with the ax and struck her with the sharp edge of it. This is all I recollect about the killing. I have no excuse on earth to offer for this fearful deed.
Page 3
Austin's funeral was preached by Rev. R. R. Noel on Saturday, at 10 o'clock, and his remains interred in the ground adjoining the Fork Church. His grave is in full view of the road, and we hope will be a constant reminder to the inebriate, of whisky and the awful deeds it leads to.
Note: This is only a small portion of what is written in the newspaper. There's mention of his brother Robert visiting him, and there's a letter he wrote to his brother George, and he tells him to tell his parents good-bye. There's also a detail description of the hanging.
(Kentuckiana Digital Library)
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