Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-11-19
A Pennsylvania Shooting Affair.
THO Brothers Reuenging the Seduction By
Her Brother-in-laW Of a Deaf
and Dumb Sister.

=
and Dumb Sister.
A shooting affair came off in Chambers
burg, Pa, growing out of the seduction O
deaf and dumb girl By her 6rofAer-in
law, son of Neville B. Craig, formerly
one of the editors of the Pittsburg Gazette
The circumstances of the case were these
Some years since, Mr.. Craig married
the daughter of Chambers McKibbin, Esq.
the Proprietor of the Exchange Hotel oi
that place, who was a wealthy and respect.
able man. Mr.. McKibben subsequently
moved to Philadelphia, where he lived as
the Proprietor of the Merchants Hotel,
and was appointed naval off, er by Mr..
Buchanan. One of Mr. McKibbin's daugh.
tiers, Mary, is both deaf and dumb. Every
effort that wealth and kind parental care
could give was lavished to atone for the
loss of the faculties denied her by nature
She was educated thoroughly, and her ma
tural sprightly, cheerful and affectionate
disposition made her the loved one of the
family. As might be expected, she had
reached perhaps twenty summers as guile
less as innocent, and as confding as a child.
About three years ago, she went to Pitts
burg to visit her sister, the wife of Mr..
Isaac Craig, and remained soma weeks her
guest. During that visit, it is alleged, and
the allegation is supported by the affidavit
of the victim herself (she even passed the
cross-examinantion of David Paul Brown
that her own brother-in-law, Mr.. Isaac
Craig, seduced her. She returned home
to Philadelphia. and for months seemed to
be entirely ignorant that any wrong had
been done her; but in due time she gave
unmistakable indications that she would
soon become mother, and not until then
did her family suspect anything of the kind
nor did she seem, even when the truth had
forced itself upon her heart-broken friends,
to realize that she had suffered any wrong.
Not until she understood that she had
thrown sad shadow over her parents and
brothers and sisters, did she appreciate the
villiany of her seducer When questioned
in relation TO the author of her misfortune,
she promptly charged it upon her brother
in-law, Mr.. Craig, and followed it with an
affidavit detailing the circumstances attend
ing her seduction. Mr.. McKibbin and his
family, not doubling the guilt of Mr.. Craig
proceeded to prosecute him, and took Mrs.
Craig and her children -four in number)
home again. She has remained with her
children separated from her husband ever
since, and has resided in the family man.
sion for two years past with her blighted
sister as her companion. The suit is still
pending in the Allegheny Court, having
gone over from term to term until now
Soon after the seduction of Mary Jane Nc
Kibbin, one of her brothers fired once or
twice at Craig in Pittsburg but without eff
feet. Since then no violence has been at
tempted upon Mr. Craig until Tuesday last,
though l do not know that any of the
young McKibbins have met him in the
mean time.
Some time last summer, two of Mrs.
Craig's children (the Oldest boy and girl
were playing in one of the rooms of the
house, where a loaded gun was standing,
and the boy by some accident fired the gun
and lodged the contents in the brain of his
sister. She was q beautiful and intelli-
gent girl of ten summers, and it was ter
rible blow to the already worse than wild
owed mother. Mr.. Craig was advised of
the death of his child, and came on to
Chambersburg with his father to take the
body to Pittsburg for interment. He
asked, through his father; for permission
to see his wife and children, but he was
forbidden by Mr.. McKibbin and his sons
to come to the house on the peril of his
life, though they allowed his three remain
ing children to be taken to neighbor's
house to spend an hour with him. 1t was
truly a sad time, for his youngest two had
never heard his name since they were old
enough to know what it is TO love and be
loved, and they parted with him without
knowing that they parted with their father.
As great fears were entertained that the
sons of Mr.. McKibbin would take Mr..
Craig's life, should they meet at the depot
where the body was put on the cars, Mr..
Craig took a private conveyance to Ship
pensburg the evening before, and there
took the cars and met his father, who had
the body in charge.
The little boy who had accidently killed
his sister was permitted to accompany his
grandfather and father that he should not
be detained beyond given time. Accord
ing to promise, the boy was brought back
to this place by his father ON Tuesday last.
The boy went out to his mother, and the
other children were sent into Mr.. Craig's |
hotel, and permitted to stay with him un-
til he should leave in the return train for
Harrisburg. In the mean time, the Hon.
Jos. McKibbin, NJ. c. from California. who
happened to be on visit to his sisters
here, and Robert P. McKibbin, ESQ.,, a
young man of 23 years, who resides at
the mansion near the town, and is stu
dent at law, learned of Mr.. Craig's arrival
in town. They resolved that the wrongs
Of their blighted sister should be avenged,
and armed themselves with a revolver
each. They were, however, dissuaded from
their purpose by their father, and detained,
as they all supposed, until the train had
left town. Mistaking the whistle of the
locomotive, when the engineer was bring
ing it out of the shop to attach it to the
train, for the signal Of departure, they
walked into town, (not over quarter of a
mile and their route passed the Cumber-
land Valley depot. When they come to
to the depot they found the cars still there,
there were but passengers, Craig aud the
President ofthe Middletown Bank. When
they saw Craig, they seemed only to re-