The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-08

source than either Young or Butler imagined.
After passing the compliments of the morning,
Butler took up the buckets and passed out of
the corridor and down the stairs, while
Young took up n broom and commenced
to sweep the cell. All the while Bonner lay upon
his bed with eyes half closed, yet watching his
chance to murder the guard and escape from
prison and the gallows. At length the favorable
moment came; the guard turned his back upon
the prisoner for moment, and no sooner had
he done so than Bonner sprang upon him with
the force and feroclty of q tiger, knocking him
against the wall and rendering him momentarily
senseless. No sooner had he done this than he
bounded from the cell and made for the cot
where he knew the Deputy Sheriff usually slept
and where a loaded pistol was kept beneath the
pillow. He had scarcely reached the cot, which
is situated at the top of the stairs and just out
side of the prisoners corridor, before Mr. Young
was upon him, and then ensued most desperate
fight 1t appears that Bonner had succeeded In
taking a screw from his bedstead, and with
that had pried the handcuff from
his left wrist, and then gathering the "darbies"
into his right hand, he made them answer most
effectually in the place of ''steel knuckles."
Bonner being a much larger and more power
full man than Young soon dashed the guard to
the floor but in doing so tripped and fell him
self In a moment Young was upon him, and
then commenced fight which, but for the
timely arrival of Butler, would no doubt have
cheated the gallows of one of its victims, since
it is well known that nothing would have pre-
vented the prisoners escape from the prison
had he succeeded in silencing the guard.
Bonner fought with the desperation of mad
man. He kicked, thumped, scratched, and bit,
and did his utmost to blind Mr. Young by spit
D,,AV aaI
held his hold until the arrival of Butler on the
scene armed with large iron poker,
which he laid over the head of Bonner
until the latter gave up the fight
from sheer exhaustion. Six large gashes crossed
and laid his Uranium open in different places,
and the blood flowed down upon his face in a
stream, almost binding him. While Young
gathered himself up and regained his breath,
Butler stood over the prisoner with the poker.
At length he was put upon his feet and forced
into his cell. No sooner had an attempt been
made to close the door upon him than his anger
broke out afresh, and placing one hand upon
the door and his foot between the door and the
jamb, he defed his keepers to shut him up
Butler once more came to the rescue with the
poker, and pounded the prisoners foot SO
severely with that instrument that he withdrew
| it; the door was slammed shut, and Bonner
lost the end of one of his fingers by having it
caught in the jamb.
The news of the desperate attempt made by
| the prisoner soon spread through the town, and
numbers of people visited the prison and prof
fered their assistance. 1t was not needed. Mr..
Young was not seriously hurt, and the prisoner
lay In his cell perfectly helpless. At first it was
thought that his skull had been fractured, but a
doctor soon after arriving, examined and
do nd nnad thaf
severe but not decidedly dangerous. Since that
time Bonner has remained in bed most of the
time and has little or nothing to say to any
body. He is now heavily ironed, and no fears
are entertained as to his future movements,
although he has defantly sworn that, as it could
| make no difference to him under the present
| circumstances, he will do his utmost to escape,
and will not hesitate to take life to accomplish
| that end.
During his fight with the guard, he snatched
the keys of the cells from the window-sill, and
threw them into the cell of his companion a.
the same time shouting for him (Bodenberg) tt
unlock his cell door, come out and help him
and both would soon be free. But Bodenbers
either did not know how or did not care to taxi
advantage of the situation, for during the who'll
affair." which occurred within few feet of him
he neither made an effort to unlock the doc
nor offered a werd of encouragement to hi
struggling companion.
Butler, the young man who 80 nobly assiste
in overpowering the murderer, is native Q
this county, and is serving out short term @
imprisonment for a petty crime committed /
one of the adjoining townships Sheriff Nicely
on hearing of the affair, Immediately tendere
Butler his discharge, but the young man pre-
fers remaining within the walls of the prso
until after the execution shall have taken place
Gottleib BOhner-His Murder0us Career.
Bonner is man about feet inches high, 9
fine proportions, but most diabolical visagt
In manner he is reticent and while he is pei
fectly capable of understanding and maxim
himself understood in English, yet what littl
he does say is generally in German. From hi
own mouth gather the information, which
no doubt true, that he was born in WiTtemOurg
Germany, on the 18th of May, 1880. He hO
t been blessed with very fair education, an
} writes an excellent hand. According to his ow
statement he has been directly concerned in til
} murder of no less than seven different people
} including the Peightal family His first murdt
was committed in Germany, at E Che refuse
: to state the place. and gives only the initi
, letter of the name), where he shot two mel
who, he claims, were trespassing and poacl
ing on some property which he was guarding
His next exploit grew out of love affair whi
he was an officer in the Prussian army. Fro
, what he says we are led to understand that
duel sprang up between him and anotht
officer on account of jealousy, and whi
1 he claims to have given his adyersar
D the advantage of the first shot yet he killed hi
4 by putting bullet into his heart. He was tri,
for this offense, but acquitted, and in 1868 can