New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-10
TIE SCAFFoLD IN PENNSYLTANIA.

EXECUTION OF THE PEIGHTAL MURDERERs AT
HUNTINGDON.
HUNTINGTON, Pa, March 9.-Abert Borden
berg Goeb Bonner, the murderers OF Mr.. and Mrs
Pechta and orphan boy named Scott Gardner, at
Pleasant Grove five miles from this place, the It'll Of
November last were executed here today in the pres
ence Of several thousand persons The scafiod was
erected within the prison yard 1t constructed Of
four upright beams 20 feet high, with platform about
ten feet the top. The unusual hight of the gaows
order that the crowd outside the prison yard might
obtain good view Of the execution. Large platforms.
capable of holding great number Of persons had been
erected on the surrounding land. Many OF the vast
crowd which assembled befOr the hour Of execution
women
Shortly after 70 o'clock. the religious exercises in the
cells of the condemned conducted by the Rev. Mr.
Shecke and the Rev. Mr. Clark concluded Sheriff
Nicely removed the hackes the feet of the prisoners
pnloned their They both dressed i'll dark
wooden pea-ackets white shirts black pants and vests
Both walked up the steps Of the scaffod with firm
tread, but Bordenberg staggered on reaching
the platform. After a prayer by Mr.. Clark,
the Sheriff asked Bonner he had anything
to say. He replied sulkly, in the negative Borden
berg read prepared statement in which he appealed %
Bonner to tell the whole truth about the murder ana To
Bordenberg made confession narrang the particulars
Of the crime, and llayng its actual preparation TO
would not acknowledge that he touched the vic
tins himself Yesterday afternoon he made another
statement appealing to Bonner in the one read upon
the scaOd to-day to confess the truth and save ms own
soul from everlasting dannatlon. Bonner, wnen he
heard it, laughed, and wrote out cOuntersaement, ac
cusng Bordenberg Of numbering the Peghals with his
hands When Bordenbere mad iread ms last appeal
Charley. am ! not innocent NO. , returned
Bonner, We both were IN the house together
and we will die together" Shame" replied his com
panlon, say the truth, and this hour yOu are in
Heaven" The nooses were then adjusted about the
necks of the prisoners While the Sheriff was dong this
BOrdeuberg cried out, ON God, beyond the skies, am
coming to your Kingdom. Black caps were drawn over
the faces, and at 2i o'clock the prop sustaining the plat
form jerked from under II ana the men lel ttee
| feet Neither moved muscle; both apparently died
without pain. After hanging about 20 minutes the
In addition the number inside the Enclosure; some
hundreds viewed the from the neighbOTing house
tops and from scaolds which had been throw mp on
the outside OF the walls by enterprslng individuals
| room for 1t IS said that the SheTn, IN
| order 10 favor these spectators, had the gal
| be witnesses without any difficulty, and in
obgng his friends he had the instrument OF death so sit
since Saturday last when the last peg driven IN H.
Yesterday hundreds were allowed TO view the scatold
ence 10 IT, and many dubious about ts answering
the purposes for which 1t constituted However, II
The crime Of Bonner and BordeDberg committed
under the following circumstances On the l7th OF NO
yember last John Peghta aged 70 year,, MS vile aged
co. and Scott Gardner, an orphan boy member OF the
Pelgta family qme plain country people UeEgPydg ia
cold blood for money which 1t was rnmored could be OBJ
tanned in their house. Bonner aud Bordenberg entered
| the house and received kindly by the old people
They attempted TO obtain the money which they sup
posed the family possessedi by various devices
Failing 10 accomplish their purpose. they finally butch
cred the whole family. The bodies OF their victims were
carried 10 the barn and covered with straw the building
was then set ON At O'Clock that evening party OF
men returning from their work saw the hre rushing m
thpy extnguished the flames found the bodies OF the
Peigha family in the straw, and thus discovered the
crime. The murderers are said TO have carried away
In Bordenbers statement he relates the details OF
this brutal crime Rlveu TO him, he said, by Bonner
They 6 follows l took pistol in each hand and
said 81 your money and that quickly, or III shoot
every one you" then held the pistols at them shot
the old through the head he leaned back and not
another sound escaped HIM at the same time that shot
the old the boy fell ALSO he groaned around on the
floor; shot the old woman but II seems did not hit
her rightly she el back on her chair but said nothng
then loaded again OF the pistols and gave the
| boy shot; he thereupon stopped his grOaning; |
| now tried 10 load again. but as loading thebld
| woman caught by the arm and stood up from the
chair and tried 10 place herself upon tthe defense
Immediately threw herdOwn the floor alongside the old
man then again tried TO load but did not succeed,
for the old picked up the shovel and struck
| at me and hit | then also caught hold OF the
shovel but she also kept her hold dragged her IN tins
way the door she begged, however, during the tune
dragged her TO the door, that.I should spare her life
| forced the shovel from her hands. and Lord tell
| you beat her skull TO pieces with the shovel
Then fetched the and bed clothes out OF the
sleeping and spread them also over these persons
In one stood bed and small table In this table
drawer lay the which gave you at Altoona Then
set fire 10 the beds IN every room ihen went lhto
the room where the three persons lay hst set hre to
the boy. then TO the old man heh Also the oid woman
The Two Iben were arrested the day following the
commission OF the crime, and were lodged III jail al
| Huntingdon Several desperate but unsuccessful at
tempts were made TO escape from jail The trial began
were examined their evidence clearly Ihe gut
up0n the culprits and the sentence OF death wac pre-
us horn in Germany in May $780, ana ms associate IN
crime Albert BOdenberg, was born III hanover III 1857
They have been IN TINS country Dut snoi. e anu
have been leading WdhdeiIns Tic through -'o" io'
| Pennsylvania.