The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-12-19
HorrihIe Affair I'm Pennsylvania
Murder and 1ncentilarfsm SINS

We gave some days ago An account Of the
burning of a dwelling IN Markleville. Penn.
sylVania, and the death Of four Of fits In
mates in the flames. The fire was supposed
at the time to be accidental, but later de-
velopments have tended to throw suspi-
cion upon one Of the family. The Harris
burg Patriot Of the 18th instant says
The excitement in Marklevilie and Vi
cinity, the scene of the late terrible calam-
ity. has undergone no suhsidence; Ia fact.
it has rather increased than diminished.
There are very few who believe that the
four members Of the Boyer family who
formed and deliberately murdered. First
It was supposed that the conf1agrarion was
traceable to, the explosion Of coal-oil
lamp, but investigation gave room for much
doubt as to the correctness OF this belief.
The parties had apparently not moved--no
effort had been made to escape the smoke
or fire. The bodies lay in a natural Sleep
ing posture. If the house caught fire by a
coal.oil lamp explosion, it was reasonable
to suppose the inmates would have discov-
cred the danger, and struggled to extricate
themselves from their impending fate. SO
reasoned nearly everybody who was made
acquainted with the facts.
The disappearance Of over seven ounces
Of chloroform from the drug store of DR..
Ard. Of New Bloomfield, on the Wednes-
day before the fire. which occurred Decem-
ber 8, confirmed the opinion that the fami.
lv were drugged and then committed to the
flames. Some few suspected Thos. J. Boyer,
son and brother of the deceased, Of having
committed the double crime. and since then
the sentiment has become almost universal
in the vicinity of the catastrophe that he
was the guilty man. On Thursday and Fri.
day last an inquisition was held on the
bodies Of the deceased, and on Monday
evening information was made before John
r. Shuler, Esq, by District Attorney B. P
elected at the coroner's inquest, 1t was be.
lieved "that Thos. j. Boyer, son of j.. P
Boyer, caused the death Of John P. Boyer,
Jane Ann Boyer, Elizabeth Boyer, and
John Boyer, and then set fire to the dwell.
| ing-house ana consumed their bodies, so as
| to conceal the heinous crime Of murder
The same information charged him with
having forged the name of Wilson Darling
| ton, his father-in-law, to note for forty
| five dollars, payable to A. S. Whitteket'
| tie, and also the name Of his father to two
notes given the Perry County Bank, one
for two hundred dollars and the other fol
| father to another note given to Wilson Oar
lington and A. B. Clouser for one hundred
and twenty-five dollars.
On Tuesday morning Thomas j. Boyer
was arrested by Sheriff Rhinehart and i'm
prisoned in the Perry county jail. The ac
cused was formerly deputy under Sheriff
| Rhiuehart, and several months ago it wa:
reported that he had been attacked by high
| waymen, and sum of money belonging tc
Ferry county taken from him. since the
late occurrences an impression has gained
that his story was manufactured I; that hi
promulgated it so that he might deceive the
! people and appropriate the money to hi
own use.
! Thomas J. Boyer is a man aged about
thirty years, and recently married youns
daughter OF Wilson Darlington, residen
| OF one of the rural districts of Perry coun
! ty. MIR. Darlington is a gentleman o.
wealth and high respectability. les a.-r.-3