Sperry Cemetery: A Murder by a Madman Rocks Bethany and Woodbridge

When Ichabod Umberfield awoke on News Years Day in 1847, there was probably no doubt in his mind that he would live to see another day. Alas, he had no idea that the madman known as Charles Sanford (note the names Sanford and Manson share four letters . . .  hmmm . . . ) of nearby Hamden was on the warpath. You can read the entire article from the New York Times , but the gist of it is that Sanford had shown up in Bethany the night before at a church meeting and tried to eject the minister from the building. He was seen the next morning sharpening his ax, and despite his having been in the insane asylum a few times, no one seems to have thought twice about it . . . until it was too late . . .

First, Sanford came across Enoch Sperry near Sperry Falls in Woodbridge and after a brief conversation, whacked him in the neck with his ax, nearly severing his head. Then Sanford walked on his merry way until he reached Umberfield's home at the corner of Brooks and Downs Road. He was acting crazy, and a woman and young girl in the house ran upstairs and locked themselves in a room. Poor Ichabod tried to sit Sanford down at the kitchen table and talk some sense into him, but in the end the old adage that there's no point in talking to a crazy person held truegrave, and Ichabod's stone in Sperry Cemetery reads that he was, "killed by a madman."

There is so much more to Sperry Cemetery on Brinton Road, including a man named Morris who drowned at sea. Check out the pictures and learn about some of the permanant residents, then stop by and visit for yourself. Perhaps you can make sense of the madness that brought about the demise of poor Ichabod Umberfield . . .