The Grange advance., 1874-09-23

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 fatherlcss 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
a 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 bruised in several places.
1t 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
q 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 from Fourth
Of July spree. The coroner's jury de-
ciled 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 a 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 barbarous mode of suffer.
ing:
The indignation Of the public was in
tense, but so completely had the VIII
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 pcryaded the
whole community, and such a funeral
rs 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 81 ,000 for the appre-
hension Of the guilty parties, and the
case was suffered to merge into forget
fulness until Wednesday, August 28th,
when it was again revived in manner
which added new interest to it.
On the morning of that day a posse
of police proceeded to the residence of
a family named Leonard, on the road
on which the murder took place, and
arrested two Of the sons, ''Pete" and
John, on q charge of having killed
O'Neil. They were brought to Platts-
burg, ana. on the examination that fo:-
lowed, the following testimony was
brought out:
The cause Of their arrest was state.
ment made by an old man named
Granger, who had been working for
several farmers in that section, in which
it appears that on the night after the
funeral of O'Neil he left Plattsburg,
about 10 o'clock, on his way to the
residence OF man named Finnegan.
Twice he stopped to rest on the way,
the second time in little hollow near
a brook which ran by the house Of the
Leonards. Here he sat down and light.
ed his pipe. Ere long he observed two
men coming out of the house and "a
down toward the brook by the road
fence, whom he recognized, by the aid
Of the moonlight, to be s'Pete'''' and
John Leonard, the former carrying !
spade. s*4s s: . ~
Upon seeing them come towards hin
Granger placed his hand over his pipt
nd slid down softly under the cover 81
bushes. When they arrived 1t th.
I. John had ! bundle in his hani
=s t 7nethmg nndsf bis arm, which
q !. a. ssosnd s. 4
r 1 = -! -