The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-03-25

MONDAY. MARCH Is, 1867.
THE WiLKEsBARRE TRAGEDY--A FEAR
rrI. REcoRp OF CgIMe.-Pcrhaps in the
annals of crime there Is not more cold
blooded and relentless murder than TIA,
for which Alexander b. Wiley suffered
capital punishment at Wilkesbarre' Ta''
on she goth instant.
The murderer was Just past his twenty
sixth wear. having been born on the ISL OF
Jannary. ls4l, in Dallas township, Luzerne
on,n,v pa. His father was soldier OF
SSIo Int deserted from the service, and oil
iato years was In very destitute circum-
stances. and died about four weeks ago
while in the poor-house. His mother Is
Homeless wanderer and In the most indl-
,on, circumstances. Her two sons are both
s.rao,ed criminals--the one robbcr,
serving ont his term Of imprisonment, and
the other has Just expiated the fearful
crime of murder.
Wiley, the murderer, was the guest of his
victim, Mrs. John McElwee, whose hus-
band was absent at the time Of the muir
der: Wiley deliberately held pistol
within two feet of her head, and fired, the
temple, killing her instantly. He had
formerly been an admirer of his victim,
but when she married McElwee be play
fully told her husband that he would not
let him keep her long. On the morning OF
his execution he made confession, In
which he stated that he had had no oppor-
tunities for school or religious instruction,
and continued as follows:
81 enlisted in the army, deserted eisn.
times, and was sentenced to be shot, Du'
escaped. AT Gettysburg deserted again.
/ then came home and roDDed houeI'
Abbotts, who lives on the plains, OF S.oo'
after which / robbed a shoe store at BIND
town. After mentioning number OF
other robberies, he continued !
"On the l4th of April last went with
two others to the house of Mr.. Hunger
ford, opened the door by secret latch,
and walked to the bed, but had no pistol.
/ told the old man wanted his money. |
demanded the key of his trunk. The three
with me in the mean time built fire and
cooked supper. We only made four hun
dred and fifty dollars on that operation.
1.-THE prisoner here laughed.
After that we went to Wyoming coun-
~ and entered the house Of Henry Ellis
worth, and opened the door and went in,
but only got two dollars. Oh, yes I" he
exclaimed, "and managed to get an over
coat.
"I went into another house with pis-
tol. There were three of us. We went
into bedroom where there was man
and his wife. i told them TO keep quiet.
We only got watch and chain there.
TThe prisoner again laughed We went
TO the house of Abraham Ryman. His
daughter was in bed. We searched the
bureau, but found nothing, and left" The
prisoner then made statement about the
murder, saying:
"This girl, five or six years ago, worked
in machine shop. / went into the army /;
when returned / found her destitute, and
Ipaid her board and kept her at a place
called Rundown; what she wanted pro-
vided her with until six or eight months
ago; s&e was in the habit of seeing other
men. was not sparkling her; l did not
care much for her. On the morning of the
shooting / went there before daylight;
opened the back door and went to sleep;
slept there until Miller got up, when he
pushed me and said You devil, you are
again here then got mp and went in to
Miller's bed. At o'clock Mary Frace
came to the house, and got up jumped
up, with knife in this hand, which l was
playing with Showing his left hand);
stuck the knife in the table, and then put it
in my pocket, tore my coat in doing so,
and Mrs. Miller then offered to mend it; in
doing so she found my revolver. | told her
to let it alone. My revolver had only three
loads in it. / did not want to injure this
woman McElwee. | pointed it at Miss
Frace in fun, and did the same to Mrs.
McElwee. / thought the pistol was only
half-cocked, and did not intend to MUIR
der her, thinking that the barrel of the pis-
tol snapped was empty. This is about
oil know of the affair.""
AT the execution Wiley betrayed the ut
most unconcern and indifference, but died
declaring he had no intention to kill his
victim.