The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-04-05
HORRIBLE ATROCITY.

An Old ManMurdered for his Money
HIS SisterBound and Left in Torture
Twenty.folr Hours before being Res
cued.
The Pittsb,rg Post gives the following
particulars of the atrocious murder of an
old man for hb m oney, which was commit
ted on Mon1a1 last near Noblestown, Wash
ington county, Pa:
Hugh Sproull, highly respectable and
wealthy farmer, resided about three miles
from Noblestown, in a southeasterly direc-
ton, short distance off from the main
road. Living with him was his maiden sis
ter. forty five or fifty years of age. Mr..
Sprohl was about sixty years old, bach
elor, and for many years had lived alone
with ais sister on his farm. He was noted
in the neighborhoo for his quiet, unobtru-
sive manner of life, and was highly re-
spectad by every one who knew him. He
was reputed wealthy, and rumors were
current that he had on his premises large
accunulations of money Mr. Sproull and
his sister occupied the honse, divided into
two Iarts; to the log cabin, used as a sit,
ting room, originally erected, there had
been added some years ago, two story
fran. structure. This was detached from
the cabin few feet.
On Monday evening last, about nine
o'clock, while Mrs Sproull was sitting in
the cabin conversing with his sister, rap
was heard at. the door, and the old man
opened it. He was confronted by three
men, one OF whom asked If thy wore on the
road 60 the Hemfeld railroad track. Be-
fore MIR. Sproull could respond, the sister
10 hot k1axv IL
road. At this, the men pushed the old
gentleman back into the cabin and entered
themselves. While two of the men held
Mr.. Sproull, the third man, whose face was
disguised by SCOT, or some Other substance
babe the sister, under the penalty of death,
to follow him, at the same time displaying
a pistol. He took the poor woman into the
frame building adjoining the cabin, up
stairs into one of the bed rooms, and pro-
ceeded to secure her, so that she could give
no alarm or interfere with their proceed
ings. He threw her on the bed, tied hel
feet to the foot posts, secured her hands be-
hind her back, and then bound her firmly
to the bed, by passing a rope across her
body and around the bed-railing.
All this time, the sister states, she heard
the men down stairs in the cabin engaged
in an alteration with her brother. They
first demanded that he should give up to
them all the money he had in the house.
He said he had but one hundred dollars,
and they could take that if they would &c
and not injure him or his sister. While
talking with the robbers the old man un-
fortunately said to them, so that the sister
overheard him, II kao,o you both; yon
hare been here before, and aoN hnoao you
again !! This unlucky exclamation sealed
his fate, for the sister up stairs Immediately
heard loud oaths, fall to the floor, the
sounds Of blows and groans. An interval
of silence followed, when the rutfians came
up stairs and into the room where she was
tied to the bed, and commenced a search
for money and other vauables. Old wood
en- chests, containing Mr.. Sproull' papers,
were broken open, and bureaus and drawers
forced, but the robbers only succeeded in
getting one hundred and twenty dollars,
and two silver watches-one hunting cased.
The sister could give no further information
than that her brother had sums loaned out,
the notes for which were in the chest, but
that he never kept any large sums OF money
in the house.
After the robbers had thoroughly ran.
sacked the house, they coolly discussed
among themselves the expediency of muir.
dering Miss Sproull, who all the time lay,
in horrible suspense as to her fate, fast
bound to the bed. One of the robbers, she
states, exclaimed to the other, California,
We had better kill her, or she will blow:
The other replied, Il guess not, John she
don't know anything" The three murder
ers then left the house, having been there,
according to Miss Sprouts reckoning,
about twenty FIVE minutes or halt an hour.
She thinks it was half past-nine O'Clock
when they left. The robbers left the poor
lady, bound to the bed, as we have stated.
Her sufferings, during the rext twenty, toul
hours, may be imagined, but 1t would be
impossible to describe them. Setting aside
the physical tortures she underwent, she
was in ignorance as to the condition of hel
brother; she supposed him to be dead, OF
SO wounded that he could not speak and
she did not now at what moment the rob-
bers might return to continue their muir
der. Not sound met the stiffness Of the
night, and when daylight dawned on Tues
day morning it brought with it no sign Of
relief. Thus the day passed over the poor
woman, and the shades of the second night
commenced to throw their gloomy shadows
over the room, when, providentlally, she
was rescued, more dead than alive, from
her pellous situation.
The person who arrived so OPPORTUNITY,
for the rescue of Miss Sprouts, was an old
gentleman, living in the neighborhood
named Murphy, who had some errand al
the house of trivial moment. Receiving nc
answer to his knock-this was about dark
on Tuesday alternoon-he pushed open the
door of the cabin, where Mr.. Sproull ano
his sister usually sat in the evening; he no
ticed everything in confusion--the furniture
thrown in disorder on the foor-but die
not see the murdered man. He then heard
cries from the up stairs apartment, Miss
Sproull having heard Murphy approach the
house, when he went up and found the ole
lady tied to the bed as described, and in ar
almost exhausted condition. She wa.
quickly released, and, in company with Mr.
Murphy proceeded to the room where hel
brother was supposed to be. Here old Mr.
Sproull was found stark dead by the side O.
the bed, his body partially covered with bee
clothing. The robbers, after they murder
ed him, it appears, could not bear the sigh
of their victim. A slight examination o
his wounds was made, when it appeared
evident that he had been beaten to deatf
with pair of tongs, while other wounds
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