W​arning: This story is a depiction of pure evil and is an account that involves rape and graphic violence. Please be advised if you are sensitive to these areas. The following is essentially a summary of the book The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders by Anthony Flacco and Jerry Clark. I am a grown man who could not help but cry probably six different times while reading this book if that gives you a sense of the brutality of this story.

In the 1940’s my great grandparents (Mimi and Poppy as we call them) purchased a dairy in Southern California. The town was Mira Loma. Unbeknownst to them the town had formally been known as Wineville, but was recently renamed due to a dark past associated with its former name. Only a mile or two down the road from my great grandparent’s new dairy had occurred one of the United States’ most horrific events that is relatively unknown to most people. It is, however, a story worth remembering.

S​anford Clark grew up in Canada with his mom and sister. At the age of thirteen he was sent to live with his uncle Gordon Stewart Northcott in Southern California. His uncle (Uncle Stewart as he called him) came to pick him up in his car where they drove all the way down. It was on that ride down Sanford started noticing that something was a little off about his uncle; he would smack Sanford upside the head anytime he was perceived not to be listening. This was going to be a long road trip and one massive headache.

W​hen they finally reached southern California, Sanford was going to meet his grandparents for the first time, Uncle Stewart’s parents. This was not an ordinary visit to grandmother’s house where you could expect all the love and sugar you could ask for. Instead, his grandmother was cruel to him; treating him more like a dog than a person, let alone a grandson. But she absolutely adored her son. She treated him like a baby. His grandfather did not want to get in the way of his domineering wife, so he didn’t. Both were cold toward Sanford.

U​ncle Stewart and Sanford left for the chicken ranch in Wineville the next day. It was not long after arriving to Sanford’s new home that Sanford’s uncle beat and raped him. To top it all off, after having to endure what could possibly the worst thing any person could experience, Sanford was locked inside of the chicken coup for the night… but this is far from the worst thing Sanford will experience.

S​anford would be let out in the morning, one morning in particular was awoken by a boiling pot of water being dumped on his back. He was then forced to work long hours on the ranch, mostly twelve-hour days. Most days would end the same way his time on the chicken ranch began; enduring painful, belittling acts from his uncle. Sanford learned that resistance would only get him killed. If he were to ever survive, he could not fight back.

S​anford had thought about running away, but his uncle had manipulated him to thinking that because he was a rape victim, he was complicit in the crime and would be thrown in jail, where he would be raped even more, so it would be better to stick with the evil he knows than the evil he didn’t know. Sanford thought he would take his chances one night and ran. The ranch was too remote to get anywhere soon, especially on foot. Sanford couldn’t bear the thought of his uncle Stewart finding him before he found refuge, so he turned and went back to the ranch, hoping uncle Stewart didn’t notice he was gone… to Sanford’s chagrin, he had.

S​anford was beaten again, near the point of death. He was forced to sleep in a shallow grave, about a foot deep, inside the chicken coup that his uncle dug. After being laid in the hole, it was covered by a piece of plywood and weights.

T​his was Sanford’s existence. He didn’t know how he would survive, or even why he wanted to, but for whatever the reason, was given a determination to live; hoping one day, he would be set free.

O​ne day, while working on the ranch, Sanford heard crying coming from one of the coups. He found a young boy who was probably five years younger than him. They could not speak to each other, as the boy was a new immigrant from Mexico and had not yet learned English. Sanford could not unlock the gate, he would have to saw through it, but he would have to do it while his uncle was asleep. Ultimately, Sanford was unsuccessful in rescuing this poor boy. He knew what was happening to him, it was almost worse to listen to than it was to actually endure.

T​he next day, Sanford went to check on the boy, but he was gone. So was his uncle. When his uncle returned to the ranch, Sanford asked about the boy, to which his uncle responded by giving Sanford a “gift.” It was a bag; it had some weight to it. Upon opening the bag, Sanford found the boy’s head. The “gift” his uncle was giving him, was how to destroy evidence. Sanford was instructed to burn the head and skull down to nothing and bury the ashes in the field, leaving no trace.

U​ncle Stewart’s next victim was a nine-year-old boy named Walter Collins. Mr. Northcott convinced Walter to come with him to see his horses. Walter, being young and naive, went with Uncle Stewart to the chicken ranch. Walter quickly realized there were no horses and was locked in a coup. There was nothing Sanford could do to save poor Walter. He was subject to listening once again.

A​fterwards, Sanford was instructed to clean Walter up. He wimpered the whole time. Sanford did his best to be strong and help Walter through it, but it didn’t matter, he knew what he had gone through. The next night, Walter was beaten within an inch of his life and locked in the coup. A surprise pair of headlights made their way down the driveway… it was Sanford’s grandmother. Although she was cold and uncaring, maybe this was Sanford’s way out.

She heard Walter moaning from the coup. Uncle Stewart tried convince her it was nothing, but she went to check for herself anyway. She found a beaten and bloodied Walter Collins. Sanford was relieved. Finally, someone knew about all the evil going on at the ranch. Finally, there was a way out. This feeling vanished instantly when his grandmother made the decision that Walter would have to be killed. Worse yet, they were going to use an axe. As if the evil had not gotten out of hand already, it was decided that all three were to take swings on Walter’s body to keep Sanford silent on the matter. Sanford would be complicit in the crime. Under threat of facing the same fate as Walter, Sanford swung.

​Sanford’s grandmother left and nothing changed. In fact, there may have been as many as twenty boys kidnapped and murdered, though only the bodies of Lewis and Nelson Winslow (aged 12 and 10) were recovered. It wasn’t until Sanford’s sister, Jessie, came for an unexpected visit and noticed Sanford’s strange behavior that things started to turn around. Jessie saw the scars left from Uncle Stewart pouring boiling water down Sanford’s back and demanded to know what happened. Sanford eventually told her everything that was going on there. She fled and got word to the Los Angeles Police Department.

H​is Uncle, suspicious of Jessie, fled the ranch. Sanford was there alone when the police arrived. Unsure of what to do, and being conditioned by his uncle to believe he would go to jail for his crimes, Sanford lied to the police. He was taken back to the station for questioning. After being convinced that he was a victim in this case and he would therefore be protected, Sanford told them everything. He even took the police back to the ranch and dug up the bones of the Winslow brothers for evidence.

I​t had been two years. Sanford was now fifteen. He spent all that time living with a monster. Every day for two years Sanford was tortured. The grip of his uncle was gone, but the guilt, the pain, the memories, the shame, was all still there. Sanford burst into tears.

At the behest of Assistant District Attorney Loyal C. Kelley, S​anford was not tried for the role he played at the ranch. He was not considered a willing participant in the murders and was therefore a victim. His uncle was arrested, and hung by the neck in San Quentin, in 1930. His grandmother was also arrested and sent to prison in 1928. She was put on parole in 1940 and died in 1944. Sanford was sent to Whittier State School and enrolled in a five-year youth rehabilitation program. Sanford stayed there for only twenty-three months because of his impressive temperament and job skills. Kelley had kept in touch with Sanford during his time there and encouraged Sanford to not let the horrors he endured be what shapes him, rather be what motivates him to make a positive impact on the world.

S​anford eventually moved back to Canada. He honorably served in World War II for the Canadian Armed Forces. He returned home and married. He and his wife, June, adopted two sons. He did not want his real bloodline to continue. He worked for the Canadian Postal Service for twenty-eight years and was a beloved member of his community. He carried the pain of his past his whole life. He often could be found alone, staring into the distance, seemingly entranced. June was compassionate toward Sanford; she knew what he had gone through. Later on in their marriage, however, Sanford was having an episode while company was over, and she went into his room and told him to quit feeling sorry for himself and move on. In many ways, this was the most compassionate things she could have done for him, as he came back to his company and his episodes happened less and less after that. Sanford died in 1991 at the age of 78, and is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

W​hy tell Sanford’s story? One, because it really happened. Two, because it is probably the greatest story of triumph in modern history that few people know about. In today’s western civilization, we talk ad nauseam about metal health, depression, and anxiety. So many people claim to be the victim of mental health issues. I am not saying that no one has faced real trials in their lives, but I am saying that many in western society find a weird sense of pleasure from being made a victim. This is a victimization that no one can see, and that anyone can convince themselves that they have. It is important for us to remember stories like Sanford’s because it forces each person who claims to struggle with their mental health to really analyze why it is they suffer.

T​o be clear, there are people who suffer with mental health. Parents divorcing, sick loved ones, a break up, lonliness, feelings of worthlessness, can all contribute to a person’s depression or anxiety. Most could probably admit that the trauma that Sanford carried with him is far beyond the “trauma” that most westerners face today. This can give those who struggle with mental health hope, because Sanford did move on. Sanford pushed to be a force for good in spite of his baggage. He did not, however, allow his uncle to cripple him for the rest of his life. He was not going to be made a victim any longer, but rather live his life to its fullest.

This is my encouragement to anyone struggling today with their mental health: take those thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), who tells us to rejoice when we face our trials (James 1:2), and tells us not to be anxious about anything (Philippians 4:6) and tells us to think on things that are pure, lovely, and noble (Philippians 4:8). We do, in fact, possess the strength and ability to do these things in spite of our feelings and emotions because God gives us the strength to do these things and more (Philippians 4:13). Remember stories like Sanford Clark’s. I do not know if he was a Christian or not, but we can be thankful to God for men like him, who have endured dehumanizing evil, yet he climbed out of that pit of despair, and moved on living life to its fullest, setting an example for everyone who carries mental baggage both big and small. Take heart, and have hope. In this world there will be trouble, but Christ has overcome it all so we can have hope. (John 16:33) If you are struggling, I pray Sanford’s story inspires you to also live your life to the fullest in spite of the issues you face. I pray that you learn to rejoice in the Lord always even in the face of your trials. Go and be a force for good in the world.