The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Carman Township: Cistern Murder-The hung man had been thrown in a creek, but the next morning one of the murderers found that he had crawled on the side of the bank so the villain shot him.
Some time elapsed when one day a young man went to an old cistern about 3/4 mile west of Warren to get brick with which to fill out a chimney and found down in the darkness, the body of a man. Greatly frightened, he hurried back to Warren, gathered re-enforcement and returned to the cistern.
William Kemp went down into it and unearthed the body. The man's clothes were nearly rotten, his boots a size 7, reddish brown hair and whiskers mixed with gray and about 140 lbs. The body had no hands. The Justice of the Peace, Warren Park, arrived and an inquest was held with an impaneled jury consisting of William Kemp, Mr. Cook, Wesley Hopper, R.R.Ward and Joseph Gibson. The verdict was that the victim had come to his death at the hands of unknown person or persons.
Some parties were afterward tried for murder with one turning State's evidence. At the trial, however, he said nothing. Hence, all were acquitted.1911 History of Henderson County (I was told by one of the oldest residents of Henderson County that when the ringleader died years later, he was delirious and the family were afraid of what he might say so allowed only very close family members to attend him until he took his final breath.)