The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-11-25

fo&se Roboed and SCI on FIre.-About one
half mile FROM Pleasant Grove and eight OF
nine miles from Huntingdon. on the line oI
the Broad Top Rail Road. was the scene. on
wednesday evening Of last week, Of one OF
those terrible crimes which have so frequent
ly Of late startled the world, and which
makes the blood run cold to think about
An old man named John Peightal, 9 well-to-
do farmer, his wife and lad named Philip
Garner were shot dead while eating their
ruPPer. after which the house wss robbed OF
| about ~ 900 and then set on Ere. The
smell caused By something burning attracted
| the attantiOu Of Mr. Peter Peightal and
smother man who were passing the house
about nine o'clock, and on opening the door
they fouod the three victims lying side by
side in the room alirining the one in which
the terrible crime had been committed
| They had ell been shot through the head
and the three bOcies were more or less burn
ed and charred BY the are. Mr.. Peishtal
was burned O. the back Of the neck and one
Of his hRRds was nearly consumed. Ars.
Peightal was badly burned about the arms.
breast Aad body. and the body and limbs Of
the little boy were literally roasted.
Two we'll dehned tracks In the snow IN
dieated the direction taken by the murder
| Srs, and as two men had been noticed lurk-
ing about tLs premises during the day. aus
Picion at once attached to them. They were
traced 70 Huntingdon, Whors it was found
that they had taken the Cincinnati Express
westward at 8 o'clock on Thursday morn
| ing. The telegraph was Immediately brought
into eQuisticn aud the police authorities at
Altoona arrested the two men upon their ar
rival in that city. They were confined in
the lookup until the arrival Of the frst train
| eastward, when they were taken to Hunt
L L. LII
both Germans, and gave their names ss Al
bert Van Bodrnburg and G1sleib BOhner.-
! While in the Altoona lookup one Of them
attempted to escape through the sewer at
| tachsd to ths back Privy. but failed. About
| S400 in gold and gresnbaeks were found up
| On their persons. Bohnsr is an old offender,
Having been convicted Of larceny In Hunt
| ingdon some two or three years age.
The excitement at Huntingdon when the
| prisoners reached there was very great, and
is was feared that lyEch law would be re-
sorted 20, but better eounsels prevailed and
the prisoners were safely confined in Jail
where they made the following confessions
" their guilt. as we fOd them publshed In
the Huntington Journal:
| ooHFEAsIoN OF S~DEEBUae,
| O1s Of then. (BOdsn burg finally confessed
70 have been along. LHt dsnied participating
In the murder. he said ,hey had been there
. eou pie Of weeks before pretending 70 hunt
work; that on the Monday previous they
had made up theIT minds TO rob the house !;
that the other told him they would have to
| kill, and he said he eoaII nss do that, and
then tUId him to keep watch outside. which
he did, 6Est giving him his pistol; that the
other returned aud told him that he had
killed three aud set 6ss ts The house that
they then divided the money, GRd walked to
| Huntingdon and Iook the cars. He als9 Gun
EeHsed 70 being 10 Mr.. JaoObs' oyster saloon
waiting IOr the cars. and said that he had
boUght his pistol ia HOlIidsysburg. ~ .
hardware store, six or Sevsn weeks ago.
| The other refused TO make aekdC wledgments.
and stubbornly denied his guilt. but HPOn
being further pressed promised to make some
further disclosures ia the future
| The following is the
| ooNYkssSON OF Ro8REs
| ] was born III WurtsnOerg. in May, 1927,
and came to this country in 1854. ! was
never married. served IS . private in Co.
| C, 7olh New York Volunteers. EOr two years
| aud two months After being discharged
from the army Lvsd 6gst Ia New York.
then in HUDGDgdOn. and latterly at Altoona.
| I worked ia the cval mine on Broad Top q
couple Of months for Robert Hare Powell.
was never acquainted with the family Of
John Peightal. bat passed .hsre oGes and
asked for work.
I hrst became aeq aain,ed with Albert Van
Bodsubu at bis boarding house 10 AltOo-
ne in September last. ne slept together
aud boarded at the same house. Soon after
I got acquainted with him he told me that
PeighiAl had money. He said that hs had
slept there twice. He ksd me 10 &c along
aud stay outside, and said need net know
what be did inside. We came down on the
: cars on Monday evening from Altoona. and
walked from huntington. by way Of Nc
CanDelsto ~, TO Psightal's that evening. aud
slept all night in his (PeghtAl's) stable loft.
On Tuesday we walked over the neighbOr
hood and inquired for work. and stayed all
night in a barn further down the road. On
Wednesday morning We came 70 Huntlng-
don, and did not want 70 60 back. This
was en- the morning Of the murder. Albert
said IL did not 60 back he would shoot me.
We started back after dinner. and walked
70 Peishtal,s by way Of the Broad Top Kali
road, stopping q while At AeconusllstOwn
; station and aS Pleasant 0rovs - avoid get
ting there too soon. We reached PsightaIs
about I o'clock. ! stayed on the railroad
and Albert went to the house. heard only
. one shot. The wind VISA blowing very hard
| He was IN the hsuse about one hour. HI
! brought out two bags full Of gold and silver
He gave me one of them. and sai1g "Now
T let's CO." / think Albert had twice N maei
. money a. I had. He told me in the lOek-u i
, at Altoona that he had put the money away
! while he was down In ths privy. by di2gi0i
o hole with his hand and burying is.
Il II another column of this issue win b
, found q letter received by rs from our friend
Mr.. WauamakeE, Of the celebrated clothinI
6rm II Wanamaker 4 Brown. We take tht
; liberty Of publishing it, and very gadI,
| sneak the word he desires us to IN references
} 10 bis great sale. 1T is an i'll wind tha
blows 40 oae any good" they say, and herr
ia another illustrAtian Of the old ProVer6
, | If hard times have made business dull thi
| fall thew have. in tnrn, made uS this op