The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-07-14
THE EAST ALBANY ATROCIT Y
Further Particulars of the Attempt to
Lynch the Prisoner - The Crowd
Take ahe Court Room hy Storm -
Sympathy for the Family

Lynch the Prisoner - The Crowd
Take the Court Room hy Storm -
Sympathy for the Family
From the Albany Argus, July lii
:. Greenbush was the scene of great ex-
citemeut Yesterday We have given be-
fore an account of the rape Of two girls
! in that neighboThood by two rufhans -
The girls were out in the field picking
berries last Friday afternoon, when they
were cruelty beaten and outraged by
four villains, two Of whom "a father and
son--have been arrested They were ar,
raigned yesterday afternoon before Judge
Butler for trial The excitement in the
community was very great, and seemed
to increase As the trial progressed
Threats of lynching the prisoners were
freely made by the indignant pOpnlace,
and the feeling against them appeared
TO increase every moment While the
examination was in progress, the prison.
ers. Major and his son, sitting beside each
other, near the Justice, Patrick Burns,
brother OF the girls. appeared at the door.
He was armed with revolver and knife,
and had come with the deterniipation OF
taking summary Vengeance uPcn the de-
stroyers of his two sisters. He opened
the door few inches, and, taking aim,
fred at the old man, the ball taking eff
feet in the aeshy part of the forearm,
about three inches from the elbow, com
ing out at the wrist Major jumped up,
and cried out: II am shot catch that
mani" pointing toward young Burns
The excitement was now intense The
crowd rushed in, while Burns was more
fierce than ever to finish the, work he
had determined to accomplish. To add
to the frenzied crowd, the mother Of the
girls now made her appearance, as an ae-
complice of her son in the work Of ven-
geance The two then rushed to-
ward the prisoners the son with
revolver and knife; the mother
with hatchet, which, she had
until now concealed about her person.
She aimed a blow at the head of the ell
der Major already suffering from his
wounded arm, cutting him badly; it
might have proved fatal but for the in
| terposition OF tex-Constable John Scanlon,
who interpOsed in time to break its force.
Determined to complete the work now
begun. young Burns fired another shot
at the same man, taking aim between
two officers who were standing near him,
the ball this time passing through Majors
thigh. The crowd had now largely in
creased, all deeply sympathizing with
the mother and son. A rush was made
for the prisoners, with the intention of
lynchiug them on the spot. The cry for
vengeance from the frenzied mother and
infuriated brother was taken mp, and it
was with the utmost difficulty that the
officers removed the prisoners to place
of safety In the confusion young Burns
got at the younger Major, and some say
made an attempt 10 stab him. John
Scanlon caught Burns, and accused him
of having the knife, which he denied,
but it was afterward taken from his
pocket Seeing that the force there was
insufficient to guard the lives of the pris-
oners, word was sent to Captain Haga-
dorm, who immediately proceeded to
the scene with three officers, and speedi-
! ly restored order. The younger prisoner
had fed for safety, and now sent to the
police to say where they could find him.
He was arrested, as also Mrs Burns, the
mother of the unfortunate girls, and her
son and the two Majors were taken to
Troy at o'clock The mother of the
girls was in so craZed q state that il was
deemed necessary to handeutf her, and
even then she had to be placed in cart
and held by three men. Pat. Burns, the
brother of the girls, was accompanied to
tue depot by another sister, who seemed
| fairly heartsick; and her weary lameuta-
tions, as she trudged bearheaded over the
dusty road, were mournful, indeed, and
scarcely one saw her but pitied her. Her
tsisters had been beaten and outraged by
| the ruffians, and were suffering in their
4 lonely homes; her mother aud brother,
| who had madly attempted to wreak ven-
geance upon the destroyers of their hap
piness, were handcufed and borne off to
Jail in company with the hated villains.
The unwise attempt to use unlawful
means to secure satisfaction, though urg.
\ ed forward by the unreasoning crowd to
\ the work, had but added to the calamity
under which the family were suffering.
! The mother and brother, who sought to
| yindicate by force the good name OF
daughter and sisters were borne TO the
same prison with the wretches who had
deliberately plotted and executed hell.
| ish crime. While the attempt at sum-
mary vengeance cannot be justified in
the eye Of the law, yet the sympathy Of
the public viii be with the misguided
parent and brother, who have thus man.
ifested their deep sense of the enormity
| Of the crime, and the injury inflicted upon
the good name offheir family Theidea
that . father and sou should in company
4 be the perpetrators OF such hoIrid deed,
is almost beyond relief 1t seems imp~.
sible that hnu1zn nature eould = -
debased; that ths 80 -. secome g