Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-06-19
The Murder I'm West Wheeling
From our Special Correspondence

MIR. EDITOR:-Our community was
shocked to-day about noon, by the an
nouncement that dreadful murder
had just been committed in West
Wheeling. On repairing thither we
found rumOri more than true. There
lay an old man in his gore, his gray
hair clotted with blood, and his gar.
ments soaked with his life current,
which yet flowed from terrible
wound in his head, dead. The facts OF
this awful tragedy are about as fol-
lows. a couple of West Wheeling
rowdies, both married, both fighting
drunk, had Just come ON the ferry boat
from Wheeling. AS soon as the boat
landed, the murdered man, citizen
of Bellaire, and his son, youth of per-
haps IS years, drove their market wa
gon aboard. His name is Gottleib
PAUL, an industrious, peaceable old
man. The son stepped off the boat for
the purpose of getting drink from IL
spring hard by. AS he left the boat
one of the murderers named Emery
attempted to push him in the river
The boy asked to be let alone, which
telicited from Emery the remark, ~
will give you more than that" and
essayed to abuse him. The old man
tearing danger to his son got on shore
also, and was Immediately knocked
down by one of the assailants. Mean
while the ferryman demonstrated and
the difficulty seemed settled, but ut his
suggestion the old man and son went
to Kelsey's Office to have the men ar
rested. The Squire not being in, the
father and son started back to the boat,
only fifty yards distant, and were
again set upon by the fiends, the old
man again knocked down and the SON
also assaulted. A brother of Emery's
interfered and got his brother released
! from the grasp of young PAUL., who
now had the best of the fray, and the
father and his boy again pushed fol
the boat, pursued by the wOuld.be as.
sassins. Emery brandishing a revol-
yer swearing he would shoot the boy
who now was endeavoring to hide on
the boat. The real murderer, one
Geary, was now sneaking after the old
man who was already by the side o.
his team, when Geary, some eight fee,
away, threw heavy lime stone al
him from behind, striking him above
and behind the right ear, crushing ir
the skull and killing the old man in
Istantly. E 3sl-. ii'i ii''-if II -'l'-l q
II The deadly missile fell with the ole
man's body by his side and was impe
ldiately picked up by Geary, who agail
lstruck the old man, now evidently
dead, twoor three more blows with i
l-kicking him also. The ferryman
absent rescuing the boy from the clutch
les OF Emery, now returned to, find th,
old man dead. Wilson Stringer saw
Geary strike the fatal blow, and sai(
s'that lick kills the old man, "and it did
Geary was Immediately arrested-En.
cry fleeing to the hillside-when h,
was subsequently captured and tn,
two lodged for the might've hope eve
SO securely in TIE Bellaire lock-up-t'
tawait an examination before Esq
Kelsey tomorrow, before whom IN in
formation is made. ....- -.
A Jury, under Coroner Garrett, wa
Immediately empannelled, consistin.
Eof Jas. Anderson, j. Ne. Todd, w. T
Fisher, J. Cook, S. Smith, Mr.. Davis
, body and the testimony declared tina
"they find Gottleib PAUL came to hi
death by a missile thrown by one Gear,
and that Emory was accessory befor
the fact"
A more unprovoked, heartless mur
, lder was never committed, and we al
sincerely hope swift and terrible pun
ishment will be meted out to these day
light assassins-which i'm all time t
: come will be ''a terror to evil doers" il
J our midst and in our County. Dom
, disgrace n penitentiary with sucl
fiends, but hang them and be don
with two monsters, who, if they ar
] not fit to die, surely don't deserve t
fllive, and the world will be bette
, by their absence, as surely il is wors
by their presence. Let rOwdies kno,
1 that their Internal necks will inevitsl
t bly, stretch if they ply their vocation
t in. assaulting to death the innocen
q and unoffending. We need a few frs
class tight rope performances unde
; the supervision of our good Sheriff an,
l then the peaceable and orderly vii
: enjoy some assurance that they can a
least venture from their homes. wit
safety. Give us the benefit of ster
'ijustics i'm this and every other infs
NOUS outrage upon the community 4
H. -,trlf.5. al: ,5 ,..,..r,-a OBSERVER.