The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-09-17

On the morning OF Ounday, July D.,
1874, about o'clock, q CHASTITY and
horrible sight met the eyes Of Mrs.
Owen O'Neil as she came forth from her
dwelling house, which is situated on the
turnpike in Altoona, at distance of
eight or nine miles from this place.
Her husband had left home the previous
day to como to Plattsburg and had not
returned. Wondering what had beer
the cause of his delay she arose, and
looking out perceived that the wagon
which he had taken with him was under
the shed, as she could see the rear end
projecting out. Calling to her son,
Laurence O'Neil, that his father had
not returned, but that the horse and
wagon were under the shed, she hast.
ened out, only to find her husband S
lifeless body wedged in between the for
ward spring of the wagon and the hub,
his head hanging down, his feet on the
ground and his left arm between the
thills and the horse.
Made frantic by the fearful sight thus
thrust before her vision, she continued
to remove the body Of him who had left
her in the prime of life, healthy and
strong the day before, from its position,
and, with the aid Of her fatherless child,
carried it into the house.
The clothes on the side which had
rested on the hub were worn to shreds,
and the flesh was all rubbed off, making
= wound some ten inches in length,
through which the stomach could be
seen. There was also a wound five
inches long, near TIE armpit, which ex-
posed the lungs to view. Three cuts
were found on the head, and the body
was eruised in several places.
It was At first thought that perhaps
he had fallen accidentally out of the
wagon, but it was soon demonstrated
that it was impossible to fall into the
position in which he was found, and it
became generally believed that he had
been cruelty murdered.
A jury was sun moned by Coroner
Lafountain, and the testimony at the
inquest showed that O'Neil had left
Plattsburg between 8 and 10 o. clock on
the night of the 4th, perfectly sober !;
that one witness had met three men in
wagon quarreling, and that groans
had been heard by several persons iiv.
ing along the road, commencing several
miles this side Of O'Neil's home. No
one had ventured out, as all thought it
to be some one returning froma Fourth
of July spree. The coroner 8 Jury de.
ciaed that the deceased met his death
at the hands of some person or persons
unknown.
The general belief was that he had
been attacked on the road shortly after
he left town, and that after rendering
him insensible the inhuman wretches
fastened him beneath the spring that
he might die slow, horrible death on
that lonely road, through the dark
hours of the night. What terrible
agony and pain untold he suffered on
that ride to death can never be half
realized. The most savage ingenuity
and cunning could scarcely have de-
vised more bar barous mode of suffer.
ing.
The indignation Of the public was in
tense, but so completely had the vii.
lains covered up all traces of them
selves that no one was arrested. No
motive could be assigned for the deed
except personal malice. as the deceased
did not have much money in his possess
sion. His watch was gone, however.
No one who would have killed him for
his money would ever have made him
suffer as he did; no doubts remain but
that it was done for revenge and to
CRAFTY hellish hatred.
A deep feeling of sympathy for his
widow and seven children pcrvaded the
whole community, and such a funeral
as is seldom seen in this section follow
ed his remains to the grave. The
Board of Supervisors of Clinton county
held a special session soon after and Of.
fered reward of $1,000 for the appre-
hension Of the guilty parties, and the
case was suffered to merge into forget
fulness until Wednesday, August 18th,
when it was again revived in manner
which added new interest to il.
On the morning Of that day Z posse
Of police proceeded to the residence Of
family named Leonard, on the road
ON which the murder took place, and
arrested two of the sons, s'Pete' and
John. on . charge of having killed