The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-01-13
Bingbampton Correspondence N. Y. Times.
II TRAGEDY IN COURT.
The PrOUidentiak .frrest Of Wanderers
and the Discovery of Crime-Eugene
.frum again-.4 Dramatic Trick.


The old and usually quiet borough
city is greatly excited with the dawn of
the new year, by murder trial that has
in 1t enough of the terribly dramatic to
move even community as accustomed
AZ New York to such horrors from the
even tenor of its daily life 1t is not
strange, therefore, that the curt House
is Just now the centre Of attraction to
all classes, Turing the farmer from his
fields, the lawyer from his briefs, the
physician from his patients, the artisan
from his bench, and the scholar from his
studies. No more cruel crime than
this was ever committed, and no Grim
inal was ever surrounded with more Of
the tragically romantic than Edward
Rulloff, alias Edward G. Howard alias
Edward Lcuro, the culprit on trial.
THE STORY OF TIE CRIME.
During the night Of the 18th Of
August last the store Of d. NJ. 4 h. O..
Halbert, in the town of Bingbampton
containing a general assortment OF mer
chandise, as is usual in country places
was entered by burglars, who opened the
front door by boring holes in it, SO that
they could reach the lock from the IN
side. AS soon as they had entered they
removed their shoes and opened the
doors giving access to the rear yard,
which reached down to the Susquchanna
river. They then began removing their
plumber from the store to this yard,
and succeeded in getting there, in large
bags, which they had brought with them,
and which nobody but the professional
burglar was ever known to possess, a
large quantity of silks, valued in the
aggregate at $4,000. This operation
naturally consumed much time and In
volved the making of some little noise,
as they used no lights except perhaps
that Of bulls eye lantern, and they
would occasionally stumble over some
object in the crowded store.room. But
Frederick A. Merrick and Gilbert Bur
rows, two clerks who slept in the build
ing, had not been awakened by all this
uproar, and it was not until the burg.
lars had returned after removing all the
silks, that they made some unsual noise
which disturbed the slumber OF the
clerks Rushing from their beds and
into the store at the same moment, they
caught the burglars Just as they were
going out the back door, and one, snatch
Ing up large iron bar used for opening
boxes, dealt the last OF the retreating
marauders a terrible blow over the fore
head, inaicting a lacerated wound, and
telling him to the floor. He cried for
help as he fell, and two men rushed
back from the yard, one Of whom fired
pistol shot which struck and killed
Merrick, one of the clerks. The fallen
burglar had meantime regaiued his feet,
and, instantly after the shot was fired,
;he three man ran Off down the yard
toward the river, and disappeared in the
darkness.
LOOKING FOR THE MURDERERs.
The survivor of this terrible scene in
stan1y gave the alarm, and in little
while the shocked town was all astir -
Hundreds Of men were everywhere look
inc for the marauders, who had left be-
hind them the plumber removed to the
yard one carpet-bag, th~ir shoes and
other articles. After long search, an
old man of respectable appearance, but
for the moment Of strange and disturbed
apect was found concealed in remote
clubhouse, and taken into custody. An
inquest was held, aud everything posi-.
BILE was done TO connect this man, who
soon became known as Edward Rulloff,
with the crime, but there was no evil
dence against him except the fact that
be was stranger, and concealed him
self, so that at last he was discharged
But Just at this moment, up to which
no trace Of the other two men had been
discovered, the Susquehanna river gave
up its dead, as two bodies foatcd to the
surface from the bottom Of deep hole
midway Of the stream, and close to the
zig-zag ford from Biughampton to the
opposite shores Both bodies were those
of young men, strangers in the place
one was barc.footed and the other had
on rubbers; but their pockets were
searched, and in those Of one of them
were found burglar tools, among which
was bit which exactly fitted the holes
in the door Of the store, and on the fore.
head Of the other was the wound made
by the iron bar. IL was evident that
fate had cheated tho law OF its due in
the cases of at least two of those con-
cerned in the tragedy, but where was the
third outlaw Rulloff was re.arrested,
and confronted with the dead bodies,
but he viewed them with callous indiG
orence, and affirmed that he had never
seen either Of them in life; but the in.
stiuct OF the community declared he
was the third man, and more in obo.
dienco to popular opinion than from any
hope OF securing a convictions he was
remanded to prison The clerk who
swore positively to the two dead men.