Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-09-21
The Terrible Murder, Robbery and Arson
at Perryopolis, Pa. @

at Perryopohs, Pa.
The house of VIM. S.crist, at Peryopolis, ten
miles from Brownsville, Pa, was entered by rob
bers on the night of the 9th inst, and his wife
murdered, himself so badly wounded as to leave
but little hopes of his recovery, and the house
plundered and burned with his wife. We learn
from the Brownsville Clipper that two young men,
named Geo. Ward and Malcom Gibson, charged
i with the terrible crime, have been arrested and
committed to Jail. pbial of cinnamon drops,
which, il is said they purchased in the vicinity the
day before the murder, was found in the yard OF
the house where they were arrested, besides which
blood was discovered on one of their shirts, and
$50 in money, found seereted in the garden OF
Ward, which Mr.. Seerist has identified as portion
of 5000 which was taken from his house on the
nig6tof the murder.
1t appears that when they were breaking into
Mr.. S.'s house he sprang from his bed, caught up
a large billet of wood, and proceeded TO oppose
sfther entrance Just the door fell IN, when the
- two rufians rushed upon him, one OF them dis
charging two barrels of revolver at him the balls
from both wounding him dangerously in the head,
while the other knocked him down with the mat
took, stamped violently upon his head and breast,
and left him for dead. Mrs. Secris selng the sit
uation of her husband, sprang 10 the fire place.
and Selling poker commenced vigorous attack
), upon the villains, when muTdeTous blow from
the mnttock felled her TO the floor, upon which
the fiends beat and stamped her until she was
dead.
They then proceeded to rob the house, after
which they set it on ERE in several places, and de-
.7camped. During these terrible proceedings, not
withstanding his excruciating torture from his
ffghtfnl wounds, and from seeing his wife murder
ed before hts eyes, without the possibility Of saw
ingher, and with the certainty Of losing his own,
also, had he attempted it, Mr. Secrst had the won
derlnl fortitude and presence Of mind to feIgn he
was dead, by lying perfectly notionleSs until the
.inurlerers had left; when, climbing out at back
window and proceeding few rods from tbs burn
ing house, he fell and fsinted He remained for
some time in state OF inSensibty, and the dwell
ing was nearly consumed on his coming to his
senses. He was, however, so weak from the loss
of blood and the heel of one foot having been hor-
ribly cleft by stroke from a mattock, he found
himself entirely unable to stand or walk; still by
an almost superhuman effort, he continued to drag
himself along upon his hands and knees, over an
exceedingly rough and uneven surface, distance
of three-quarteTs of mile, until he reached the
bouseof Cook q Sweiizer, at the 'tStave works.
where he arrived in his night clothes only and
completely exhausted, about two O'Clock in the
morning. Having given the alarm and received
every possible attention that his dreadful condition
demanded, a company was Immediately collected,
andfrepaired to the scene of the outrage, but only
in time to see the Sm0uldeTing embers of the
dwelling and the bones of the murdered woman.