The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-04-26
The Fascination Of Crime
Preliminary Examination To-Day
He Freely Confesses the Deed
Jealousy the Impslling Cause

with q Ratchet, on thursday, ApriI 10,
arrived in the city at ii o'clock, IN
charge of detectives Samuel II. Long
and Joseph Cupples, of the Pittsburgh
police force
The news of his arrival spread like
wild6re throughout this locality, and
the colored people turned out 2" masse
to await his coming from Bridgeport on
the street cars Quite a delegation OF
negroes were at the depot at Bridgeport,
who were fierce in their denunciatlons
Of his terrible crime. -.
From the moment the car was seen
coming across the suspension bridge
the word flew from mouth TO mouth,
"Strauder's coming" and by the time
street car reached the Grant House it
was surrounded by men, women and
children Of every hue, color and nation
ality. They served as a body guard
until the prisoner reached the south
end OF the market house, where he was
taken from the car to Squire Gillespy 8
Office. Here a warrant Tor his arrest in
a formal manner was made out. In
answer to the question by the Justice
whether he was ready for a preliminary
examination thea, Strauder said no,
but he would be at any time to-mor-
row." Ito day..
All this time the crowd outside was
growing in size. The feeling Of the
co!ored people, especially the women,
was very hostile towards him, and they
showed by their words and gestures
what would be the probable fate Of the
murderer were he committed to their
tender mercies.
As he came down stairs between two
policemen with several others in front
and rear he was greeted with groans
and shouts OF hang him." "kill him, "
and similar threats, were frequent and
were spoken with bitterness that
showed the speakers meant what they
said. All along the route, up Union to
Fourth, down Fourth to Monroe and to
the jail the sidewalks were crowded
with people anxious to get glimpse OF
the man they seemed to regard as little
better than a fiend.
As we have said, the feeling, espe-
cially among the colored women. was
very bitter against him. One of them
said TO US, showing her hands, ooh if
could on'y get desc on his neck, dar
wouldn't be no use for a rope" Auoth.
er said ave amt treated fair; dey
ought to let US wimmin have dat niger
in our hands for few minutes. You
don't want no Jail den." The heavy
guard Of police, though, thoroughly
overawed the crowd and prevented any
outbreak, if any was intended.
From the officers who had Strauder
in charge we learned that on Saturday
last they heard that colored man had
arrived in the city and had engaged to
work on a job of carpenteriDg at
Minersville, near Pittsburgh. Detec>
tive Long at once telegraphed to
Wheeling for a full description OF
Strauder. Although it was promptly
sent by mail, as we happen to know. no
reliable description of him was received
until the police there got the one pub
lished in the REGISTER on Tuesday last
Armed with that, on Wednesday about
10 o clock, officers Scott and Long pro-
eeded to Minersville and slw the sus-
pectel individual upon scaffold-
ing, driving nails, in a house
being erected for Robert Arthurs,
Esq. Having recounoitered and CON-
paled notes, they felt sure they had
found the right man, and stepping up
to him officer Scott asked him politely
to lend him his Ratchet for a moment.
The request was readily asseuted to.
and Immediately afterwards both Off
GERS presenting their pistols requested
HIM to accompany them. After being
informed where they were gong to
take him he consented without hesita-
ton, but protested that they were mis-
taken; that his name was not Strauier,
but Johnson, and that he was not from
Wheeling, but East Virginia lie was
taken to the lookup, however, and a
couple OF co'ored men who knew
Strauder were brought before him and
fully identified him as the alleged
murderer. He had his hair cut and
his moustache and part OF his whiskers
shaved of, bat in all other particulars
answered the description which had
been given Of him by the Wheeling
REGISTER At last he acknowledged
his identity, and indirectly the fact Of
his having committed the deed.
We met Strauder at the depot in
Bridgeport, and from him learned that
be committed The terrible crime at
about 5 o'clock in the morning. He
says he did not take the Ratchet with
which the murder was committed, up
stairs, but that it had been kept 10 his
bedroom i,r some time prior to the